JournalStar

Teen pop stars are supposed to have their moments in the spotlight then rapidly disappear, never to be heard from again.

Not Hanson.

Thirteen years after the three brothers hit with “MMMBop,” they’re still going strong, having just released the best album of their career on their own label, and the trio still is playing generally sold-out shows across the country.

Last month, Taylor Hanson talked about the band and his brothers before leaving on a tour that will bring Hanson to Omaha’s Slowdown on Sunday.

He attributed the band’s staying power to three factors. First, he said, “music is in our DNA.” Second, he and brothers Isaac and Zac are hard workers. Third, they happened to hit when the Internet was in its infancy.

“We’re really kind of the first band to be of the Internet age with the fans,” Taylor said. “When we started out, we were so young and our fans were somewhat our age. We’ve always had a great connection with our fans from the beginning. We’re always humbled by that. We’ve always found a way to connect with our fans.”

Those fans aren’t just the grown-up kids who started with Hanson in the late 1990s. The band is picking up new followers, younger and older, who are drawn to the music they hear, whether that’s the oldies from the ’90s or the 1960s soul-rooted material on “Shout It Out,” the new album.

“It’s like ‘The Blues Brothers’ movie,” Hanson said. “If you had no idea who the Blues Brothers were and no idea of that film, you’d still like it. If you do have the history, it adds this extra layer. That’s how it is with this band.”

Taylor, the band’s main singer, was all of 14 when Hanson had its big hit. One of the biggest success stories to ever come out of the South By Southwest Music Festival, Hanson was signed by a manager at the Austin conference in 1996, then landed a deal with Mercury Records the next year.

“Middle of Nowhere,” the band’s debut album that contained the then-ubiquitous “MMMBop,” sold 10 million records. The next year, the band’s official biography was on the bestseller list and the brothers had received three Grammy nominations.

By 2000, however, Hanson had lost its pop appeal. The album “This Time Around” didn’t sell like its predecessors, in part because Mercury Records was in the middle of a corporate shakeup that led to it getting folded into another label.

In 2003, with their struggles continuing and the major label system entering its death spiral, the brothers decided to start their own label, setting up headquarters in their hometown of Tulsa, Okla., where they still live.

“We had the advantage of having a view from the top and seeing it crumble,” Hanson said. “We’re the band that had the lesson of making records in the old industry, and we could see where it was going. That coupled with some good old-fashioned Midwestern work ethic, we thought, ‘Let’s start the company.'”

The first release on 3CG, 2004’s “Underneath,” debuted at the top of the Billboard independent records chart and at No. 25 on the Top 200 list, making it one of the most successful indie releases ever.

“Shout It Out” is Hanson’s latest release, debuting at No. 2 on the indie chart in June. A collection of Motown-influenced pop-soul, the album showcases sounds that Hanson said the brothers have loved for decades.

“The first music we got into was actually older than our parents’ generation – late ’50s and early ’60s Stax, Motown and classic rock,” Hanson said. “That’s what’s coming out on this record. Then we got into piano-driven songwriters like Billy Joel and bands like the Doobie Brothers and Three Dog Night. Who knows what we’ll do next.”

One thing is certain, Taylor said: He and his siblings are together for the long haul, even if they fight once in a while, like all brothers.

“In some respects, being in a band with your brothers for this long, it means you do fight,” Hanson said. “We’ll get into a fight, and somebody will say something, and our band members will look at us and say, ‘That was kind of harsh.’ But then we’re back together again. There’s something about respecting each other enough to keep it together.”

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com, or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/KentWolgamott.

PopEater
Hanson are currently on the road in support of their latest album, ‘Shout It Out,’ and will be checking in from the road all along the way. In their second video, the band rehearses their cover of ‘Dancing in the Street’ by Martha and the Vandellas while on their second week of tour in Asheville, N.C.

“We wanted to let you guys in on a little rehearsal for an oldie but a goodie,” Taylor says. The video gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at what the brothers do in between shows, and seamlessly segues into live concert footage of the band performing the ’60s hit.

Watch Hanson’s new tour video, and read a personal message from the band, after the jump. ‘Shout It Out’ is available in stores and on iTunes now, and the band will continue on their U.S. run through October 1.

The second week of the Shout It Out Tour has taken us into the depths of the South, from Asheville and Raleigh up to Memphis, with the heat of summer at its peak! Week two is always interesting, no matter how consistently you tour. Everyone gets the rust off the pipes at the beginning, and by week two the tour really begins (hopefully with the stiff rock ‘n’ roll muscles stretched and the technical glitches out of the way).

It has always been important to us to keep the shows interesting by changing the set each night. With a recent refresher on some of our own tunes that are not played as often (during our five-night stand in New York a couple months ago, where we played every album we’ve released back to back), we have a lot of tunes to pull from. We’re also working in some classic R&B covers which resonate both with the new record, and the summertime spirit. Check out a clip of us working out the Martha and the Vandellas 1960s hit, “Dancing In The Street”. Enjoy!

– Taylor, Isaac and Zac

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL Music/tour-diary-episode-ii/390568289001

popEater

Hanson are currently on the road in support of their latest album, ‘Shout It Out,’ and will be checking in from the road all along the way. In their first video, Zac gives fans a personal tour of Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts, just before sound check begins.

“One thing you learn about the road is that often times the most famous venues — the venues that have been played by the Beatles, and the Stones, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young — they’re actually often times the venues you don’t want to be in, because they’ve had so much rock in them they’re kind of seedy,” he says.

Watch Hanson’s first tour video, and read a personal message from the band, after the jump. ‘Shout It Out’ is available in stores and on iTunes now, and the band will continue on their U.S. tour through October 1.

We are just completing our first of the Shout It Out Tour, which has been no exception to the rule of FULL days of music and madness with AMAZING crowds from NY to Philly. We are playing new music from the ‘Shout It Out’ album for the first time, which has been great, mixed with classic cover songs and tunes from the HANSON vault all the way back to ‘Middle Of Nowhere’ and everything in between. It’s the first summer tour we’ve done since 2004, so there’s no question this is the hottest tour in years ;o) Our good friends and tour mates Rooney are out with us for the first month and it’s been great hanging with them and sharing the stage. We’ve also had great local independent artists who won the Ourstage.com opening band contest in each city…lot’s of music. On top of that, our barefoot mile charity walks have continued to raise money for worthy causes fighting poverty in Africa
(takethewalk.net) with great turnout of walkers.

‘Shout it Out’ is about taking in the moment and not being afraid to dance (or walk) in the streets and make some noise along the way… so, I think the tour’s getting off to a healthy start. Enjoy a quick clip with Zac walking through the venue in Philly.

Shoutitout -TAYLOR (Isaac and Zac)

http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL Music/tour-diary-episode-i/326273064001

Broward Palm Beach Blog

What’s the best way to honor Michael Jackson’s birthday? With a flash mob, of course!

Here at County Grind, we’d bet the King of Pop would roll over in his grave if he knew that the dancers won’t be grabbing their crotches in a “come hither” style. There will be no “Thriller,” no sequins, and no Jheri curls.

There will be Hanson, and lots of it!

The boys of mmmbopping fame released their third independent album in June, which features the Motown-inspired song “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin.” And that’s what the mob will be dancing to. So obviously there’s a relation to the great Michael — maybe.

Locals John Tulli and Alyssa Horstead are organizing the dance number, which was originally started by Hanson on the last CD’s release day.

“Flash mobs wouldn’t have happened without Michael Jackson. Hanson brought flash mobs to the forefront this year, and they have really caught on. It’s a nice way of bring people together,” said Tulli.
We won’t even try to explain what a flash mob is, so instead check out this video from the CD release day.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQEw3m0aahg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Maybe the connection is vague, but it sounds like fun. If you’re interested in participating in the flash mob, there will be rehearsals every Sunday at noon at the Dawson Theater in Boca Raton.

For more information, check out the Facebook event page. Otherwise, show up to Mizner Park Amphitheatre on August 29 to watch for yourself.