Head over to “The Album Project” to check out some photos and a review of Hanson and Rooney’s performance in Raleigh, NC on the Shout It Out tour!

Chicagoist

Seeing Hanson, the Oklahoma-bred trio of brothers all grown up and promoting Shout It Out at the House of Blues Saturday night made us hip to a couple of things. The good: the band is evidence that not all child performers have to spectacularly flame out, enter rehab or systematically destroy the careers that made them famous. The bad: apparently, you can make a robust career out of conveying mostly one-note sentiments.

The audience, 90 percent female in their mid-to-late 20s who fawned, shrieked, jumped and cheered with the hyperactivity of giddy tweens, was not deterred by any of this. Thirteen years on, their former teen idols are full-fledged men, though the maturation of Hanson, it seems, has had more to do with facial hair and having kids than it has exploring and growing as artists.

The band still pulls references from Jackson 5-era R&B, “golden oldies” and occasional strands of blues and soul, channeling it all into radio-friendly, guitar and keys-driven pop that they infuse with a bright, youthful vigor. Some of their newer songs, including “Waiting for This” have more complicated arrangements, becoming almost prog-rock-ish in their length and variation.

Isaac, Taylor and Zac are supremely confident musicians (performing live since your sandbox days no doubt boosts comfort in that area) but haven’t developed much of their own style. Instead, they turn in very good and entirely sincere imitations of their influences which at times come through a little too strongly; at least four tracks in their nearly two-hour set contained riffs that were instantly recognizable from popular songs (we heard virtually note-by-note copies of “The Weight” from The Band and “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones).

Taylor dropped into a completely un-ironic, preacher-style interlude of “at the end of our albums…we like to break it down a bit” that would have seemed laughable if he weren’t saying it with utter conviction. What keeps some of Hanson’s genre parroting from feeling tired (though it does get there) is that it comes across so heartfelt, like a group of wheat-blonde Michael McDonald’s doing what they feel is a tasteful interpretation of black artists singing soul and the blues.

The oldest, and arguably best-known, material from their debut comprised a good slice of the show, but stuck out in odd ways.“MmmBop,” “Like the Wings of an Eagle” “Thinking of You” and “A Minute Without You”, though solid, seemed out of place, having been originally written by and for someone of about 14. Not that their new material has particularly adult gravitas; “Crazy Beautiful,” “Me, Myself and I” and “Carry You There” retreads the same territory as their 13 year-old debut, with occasionally more refined lyrics and complex structure.

The new album’s single, “Been Thinkin’ ‘Bout Something” was the most fun of the evening with its snappy, blues-y guitar bits and the pretty vocal harmonies that great pop-y songs are made of (the video, a shot-by-shot remake of the memorable Ray Charles bit from “Blues Brothers,” is a worth a look for the Weird Al cameo alone).

Here’s where we’re unsure of how hard to we should press on Hanson’s relentlessly positive, occasionally schlocky message: having been in an industry for most of their lives that tends to chew up and spit out its darlings, the Hansons have never really snapped or bit back. They’ve maintained a dedicated fan base, remained commercially viable, kept artistic control over their work, and are by all accounts each happily married with children and close family connections. The band did have some hard luck after a label merger and subsequent dismissal, but they’ve moved ahead, formed their own indie imprint and even engage very generously with anti-AIDS and anti-poverty philanthropy efforts. If their lives are so happy, shouldn’t their music follow suit? Their ebullience may get a little boring, but perhaps it’s better that they aren’t affecting any faux-torment and moodiness. It’s unlikely that their lives are free of conflict, and the decision to keep it out of their music is certainly their discretion. Still, we’re curious about how compelling that music might be if they decided to mine the less cheerful parts of life.

This conundrum isn’t so different from the Beach Boys, who shared talent, family ties and a penchant for sunny pop music. The tack Hanson has chosen seems to be more Mike Love than Brian Wilson; Love favored singing about pretty girls, cars and surfing and was loathe to mess with a successful formula. But as talented, energetic and pleasing to watch as Hanson may be, unless they create some depth in their music, they will likely skate past their “Pet Sounds” and head straight for “Kokomo.”

Head to the source to view photos

MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS — While waiting in line like kindred spirits, like an inseparable boy-band-bonded duo outside the Intersection Monday night, Stephanie Sutton felt the heart-wrenching pain of suddenly realizing her mother was more of a Hanson addict than she initially suspected.

“You watched it before you gave it to me?” the 24-year-old Kalamazoo preschool teacher exclaimed to her mother.
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The item: Hanson’s 1998 “Tulsa, Tokyo and the Middle of Nowhere” DVD. It was a Christmas gift.

Well, it seemed like it at the time.

“I didn’t even know you did that. You tricked me,” Sutton said, laughing, to her mother Tammy Andrews of Shelby.

“I had to make sure it worked,” said a grinning Andrews.

Sutton will get over it. She has about four copies now.

“All my friends find them at Goodwill and give them to me,” she said.

Sutton and Andrews were two of about 150 early arrivers to the concert to participate in Hanson’s barefoot charity walk titled “Take the Walk.”

The pop/rock/soul trio of brothers conduct the walks before most of their shows. For every person who registers and selects a specific need of choice — education, access to clean water, shoes, AIDS treatment and research, or healthcare — the band donates a $1 per person and sends it to a charity that specializes in whatever each person selects.

Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson emerged from their tour bus next to the Intersection at 5 p.m., walked down the drive and greeted their fans, who were ready to take off their shoes and walk to Rosa Parks Circle and back.

The group, of which some were carrying signs reading “Actions speak louder than words,” interrupted the free Zumba class at the venue.

“Just give us 10 minutes,” said Taylor, apologizing for the peaceful intrusion.

“We’re gonna get our feet dirty. We’re gonna walk down the street. We’re gonna get things done,” an energized Taylor chanted to the crowd.

On the walk back to the Intersection, Isaac explained that part of the reason behind the Christian brothers’ activism comes from the thankfulness of their own blessings and the desire to make a difference when it’s so easy to do it.

“I think we felt very lucky to do what we do,” he said. “I believe we’re responsible for the life we live. You can’t underestimate the impact of a simple action.”

Three hours later, the trio, including two soulful additions to their act — a keyboardist/drummer and bassist — were jumping around on stage for an almost two-hour concert in front of a crowd of 800. The performance included a couple of brief intermissions as the band transitioned from a full set to a stripped-down acoustic portion, then back again.

Of course, the acapella and acoustic moments of the show were some of the strongest as they displayed the trio’s effortless harmonies, such as on an unplugged version of “This Time Around.”

Their set opened with the overly joyful “Waiting For This,” off their “Shout It Out” album. The infectious “Thinking ‘Bout Something” came toward the end of the set before “MMMBop” finally took center stage and turned everyone into a dancing fool.

Zac Hanson, the trio’s youngest brother and the drummer, surprised with bluesy, soulful pipes displayed throughout the concert.

As Sean Jarchow, 26, of Grand Rapids would say, the band has matured. “(MMMBop) is just not what they are anymore. (Plus) it’s like four or five keys lower than when they first recorded,” he said, smiling.

Accompanied by his 22-year-old wife, Jamie, Sean explained how he was the uber-fan first and turned his then-girlfriend onto the music.

“I was weirded out at first,” Jamie admitted, regarding finding out about Sean’s love of the band. “But it surprises people, so it’s a fun story to tell.”

E-mail Rachael Recker: rrecker@grpress.com

Head to the source for a video and photogallery

Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS — Fans going to tonight’s concert by Grammy-winning boy band Hanson also can ditch their shoes and join the activists on their “Take the Walk” barefoot walk for charity before the show.

“The purpose of the walk is to connect with poverty by asking people to walk without their shoes and do more ‘than the mindless donation,'” Taylor Hanson said of their ongoing effort during an appearance early today on WXMI (Channel 17)’s morning broadcast with news anchors Sarah Broadhead and Mike Avery.

The one-mile walk, which leaves at 5 p.m. from The Intersection, 133 Grandville Ave. SW, is open to the public.

“Actions speak louder than words, is kind of the point,” guitarist/vocalist Isaac Hanson said.

The band of brothers, best known for its 1997 hit song “Mmmbop,” also performed “Thinking ’bout Somethin'” and “Waiting For This” off their album “Shout It Out” (3CG Records, June) during the TV broadcast.

Tickets to tonight’s show are $25, are available at The Intersection box office, Purple East, Shakedown Street, Vertigo Music or Ticketmaster outlets. Doors open at 6 tonight; the show starts at 6:30. Hanson also will chat at 6 with LoveSickRadio, which won the band’s OurStage contest.

Tonight’s concert also will feature opening band Rooney, who is touring this summer off its new album “Eureka.” The album, released in June, was produced on the band’s own label California Dreaming Records.

For more information, visit sectionlive.com or hanson.net.

Groonk.net Blog

Hanson’s new album, Shout It Out, released last June 2010. We didn’t know about this because, well, it was Hanson. The music industry’s overwhelming need to neatly package and inundate the radio with “Mmm Bop” during the late 1990s destroyed any chance of Hanson being taken seriously by us. It didn’t help that all of this happened during our early to mid twenties. That special time when no one of that age can be bothered with anything.

Luckily, years later, second chances are high on our list of priorities.

Read more: http://www.groonk.net/blog/?p=12862#ixzz0wnGzkKIa