MTV Newsroom

The Backstreet Boys? Check. The Jonas Brothers? Done. *NSYNC? Absolutely. New Kids On The Block? Of course. 98 Degrees? Definitely. And now Hanson. Yes, “MMMBop” Hanson.

What in the world am I supposed to do next? Since birth, I’ve had a love for all things related to boy bands, those rare collections of young men who blend their voices and make girls hyperventilate with every harmony and high note. Actually, birth might be a stretch. Let’s say kindergarten (also known as the very late ’80s) when New Kids on the Block were at the height of their popularity. It all started with their sugary sweet pop tunes about girls, love and the ability to hang tough.

And then my love of boy band pop music took off from there. (You could even argue it moved step by step.) Sure, I’ve loved all types of music in my life, but there was always something about cute guys singing about the trials and tribulations of love that made me swoon.

So, now that I am “professional” journalist, I get the chance to interview those bands. Almost all of those bands, actually. So far, I’ve interviewed at least one member from almost every major boy band of the last two decades or so (as listed above). Thanks to my incredibly fun chat with Hanson yesterday, I’ve come one step closer to retirement.

Well, not really. But you get my point. I am not in an existential crisis, but I am wondering: What do I do next? What else is there to accomplish? And are BBMak available for comment?

Maximum Performance

Despite the fact that “MMMBop” came out 13 (yes, THIRTEEN) years ago, many people still frustratingly think of Hanson as that “kid band,” those little golden boys with the long girly hair. The truth is, Hanson have steadily built a respectable career for themselves since their youthful beginnings, releasing four solid albums of impeccably crafted pop-rock since their 1997 boyhood breakthrough Middle Of Nowhere and now heading up their own label, 3CG Records. However, diehard music fans and, it should be noted, serious musicians have always appreciated and respected Hanson. The trio’s praises have been sung by everyone from super-producer Butch Walker to electropop guru Har Mar Superstar to “American Idol” rebel girl Siobhan Magnus; singer Taylor Hanson was recruited last year to front the supergroup Tinted Windows with Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha, and Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos; and the brothers guested on the allstar powerpop project L.E.O. alongside underground pop darlings Bleu, Mike Viola, Matt Mahaffey of Self, Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish, and even Jason Scheff of Chicago.

And now, with the release of Hanson’s fifth album, the critically hailed, pleasingly soulful Shout It Out, there seems to be a real Hanson renaissance going on. Their fans have grown up with them, and judging by the millions of hits their Weird Al Yankovic-assisted, Blues Brothers-parodying “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin'” video received, Hanson are gaining countless new fans as well. Finally, these boys-to-men are getting the respect they’ve long deserved. Something to shout (it out) about, indeed.

Hanson recently played a buzzy midnight show (attended by Har Mar, Cedric from the Mars Volta, Ryan Cabrera, Siobhan Magnus and Tim Urban from “Idol,” et al) at Hollywood hot spot Bardot to celebrate their record’s release. There, Yahoo! Music caught up with them to talk about Shout It Out, the current new surge of Hanson appreciation, and how they’ve at long last shed their child-star image. Check out their nightclub interview below, along with five performance clips (four Shout It Out cuts plus the ’90s classic “Where’s The Love”) from this very special, all-grown-up gig.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/–218682849

MaximumFun

The band Hanson hit it big as teenagers in the late 1990s with the megahit ​MmBop. More than a decade later, they’re still making acclaimed R&B-infused pop rock. Their latest album is Shout It Out.

Taylor, Zac and Isaac Hanson were nominated for three Grammy awards for their album Middle of Nowhere in 1996. They never stopped recording, going independent in 2001. Shout It Out is their ninth album.

The Sound of Young America

TheCelebrityCafe.com

Hanson has been rocking the pop scene since “Mmm-Bop” hit MTV in 1997. The boys are all grown up now but they’re still together making music. Hanson’s new album, Shout Out It Out, just hit stores. Zac Hanson spoke with TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Cristen Kleindienst about the newest addition to the Hanson catalogue.

TheCelebrityCafe: Is touring more difficult or more fun now that you all have families?

Zac Hanson: It’s just different. Our families don’t tour with us all the time. But life’s good.

TCC: What made you decide on the Blues Brothers themed video for “Thinkin’ Bout Somethin’?”

ZH: We’re huge Blues Brothers fans. All the music from the movie we heard first as Blues Brothers versions. Someone had the scene from the Blues Brothers playing, and turned the sound off and put on our song, and it worked. It was really fun to shoot, and it really sets the tone for what we want from the album.

TCC: How’d you get Weird Al to be in your video?

ZH: Al directed part of a video for us about 10 years ago, and this video is a parody of a great movie, and Al is the king of all parodies. He really made an awesome addition.

TCC: How is this album (Shout it Out), different from others you’ve released?

ZH: Well, every album has unique elements. This is a very fan-driven record, and it’s a pop record; a record that makes you want to smile and enjoy. “Shout it Out,” is such a perfect title.

TCC: What inspired the songs on the new album?

ZH: A lot of things play into this album. The last three were heavier and more acoustic. Our charitable efforts with “The Walk,”[which helped raise funds for the prevention and treatment of AIDS in Africa] spawned this other album

TCC: How would the dynamic of the band be different if you weren’t brothers?

ZH: I’ll let you know when I join a band without my brothers! We’re not a band because we’re brothers; it’s just that we found a mutual love of music. We’re all connected, and we just started so early. Being brothers is underrated. There are naturally brothers in bands, like Kings of Leon. Brothers are everywhere!

TCC: Is there any one album or song that you’re most proud of?

ZH: It’s a hard thing to say. On this album, the last song, “Me, Myself, and I,” has been around for a long time. We kept it around, and started it albums ago.

MTV News

Not since a Justin Bieber show has there been such a pre-concert riot. On Tuesday night, when Drake and Hanson were scheduled to play a free show in New York, the crowd got a bit too overzealous for security, prompting the concert to be canceled.

“It was still a big show; there was just no music involved, and instead of throwing out the rock sign, it was more of a ‘let’s throw chairs and some potted plants and anything else we can get our hands on,’ ” Zac Hanson told MTV News on Wednesday (June 16). “It was unexpected. There wasn’t enough security and organization, and everyone was just so surprised by the turnout, and with that many people, it got out of hand. They canceled it just in time, I think.”

Taylor Hanson said the artists still wanted to put on the show, but the NYPD decided it was too dangerous to even try. “I will say simply that, since last night happened, it’s been all over the place, and there’s been all kinds of different comments,” he said. “And I know that Drake’s people, [concert organizer] Paper magazine, everyone in our camp totally wanted it to happen. And it really came down to the city going, ‘Hey, this is not safe.’ ”

The guys said they have yet to catch up with Drake since it all went down. “Everybody has been a little bit shocked at the fact that things went down last night the way they did,” Taylor said. “We’ve already thrown it out there that we should get the Drake/Hanson combination happening with more [preparation].”

Were you surprised that the Drake and Hanson show was canceled? Let us know in the comments.

Don’t miss the “Drake: Better Than Good Enough” documentary, airing Wednesday, June 23, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV!

Video: http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/528699/taylor-hanson-said-the-artists-still-wanted-to-put-on-the-show.jhtml

Best Week Ever

Now and again, famous singers or bands will stop by the VH1 offices to regale us for a few minutes out of our usual workday doldrums. But today. Today. We were treated to a live performance by…

HANSON.
HANSON.
Hanson?

Hanson.

Now, sure, you’re probably thinking what I thought minutes before hearing Hanson live.

“Cute! Hanson is here. Let’s get this ‘MmmBop’ show on the road so I can get back to my beloved blog.”

But then, something amazing happened. Hanson entered the room, made up mostly of eager young ladies and about 5 or 6 young gentlemen, pulled the charm lever, and hit the “amazing harmonies” jackpot. They showered us, the audience, in golden coins of finely tuned rhythms and delicious beats. Am I going overboard about Hanson, you say? Unlikely. Like a delicate, adorable and surprisingly manly disease, Hanson is infectious.

Hanson’s new album is called “Shout It Out.” You should buy it. Here is a link! Along with some new songs from the album (“Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’”,
“Waiting for This”), they regaled the audience with “Penny and Me” and, yes, “MmmBop.” But it’s not just their incredible knack for singing in tune that had me rocking back and forth like a drunk old lady at a Jimmy Buffett concert, ladies and ladies. Because, folks, they are also geniuses at AUDIENCE BANTER.

Taylor, Isaac, and Zac were as charming a young, 3-headed Richard Dawson, and made time after their performance to meet the throngs of blushing wishful brides lining up in our lobby. Sure, all three members of Hanson are married, but their tractor beam of talent and charm with a dash of solid handsome Christian looks was not lost on us.

But don’t worry, people who don’t work on my floor: Video evidence of this performance will be available soon, and we’ll tell you about it as soon as it goes live.

MTV Newsroom

By Jenna Shulman

It seems like just yesterday I was sporting my “I Love Taylor Hanson” T-shirt and singing along to “MMMBop” in the back seat of my mom’s mini-van. The Hanson brothers were all my nine-year-old friends and I could talk about in the late ’90s. As a young fan, I can remember the constant battle of picking out the favorite brother. Some picked Issac, the oldest, some chose Zac, the youngest, but I was always personally a fan of the lead singer, Taylor. The fact that they were three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma made them appeal to a wide variety of Americans who could somehow relate to these musicians. Now, the brothers are married with children, and are clearly not teenage boys anymore. Issac is 29, Taylor is 27, and Zac is 24. So where did their career take them in the new millennium?

Based on their visit to the MTV Newsroom on Wednesday afternoon (June 16), they are as busy as they ever have been, staying on the road and dropping albums along the way (including the extremely underrated 2004 release Underneath, which has a song called “Penny and Me” that absolutely rules). Underneath managed to debut at #25 on the Billboard album chart, a testament to the devotion of their fans and the band’s continued commitment to them. They just released their latest album Shout it Out last week, an album that scored a bunch of attention because of the band’s “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin'” video, a clip that went viral because of its homage to the classic film “The Blues Brothers.”

What’s their secret? After the interview, it seems to me that the brothers still have that great camaraderie that their teen fans recognized over a decade ago. Their music has definitely become more refined, but their love for their fans remains the same. In the interview, they even talked about the World Cup and how they appeal to an average American, something that I’ve always admired them for. They express their excitement to tour this summer (the trek launches on July 21) and their desire to keep doing what they love.

So while Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers might have worked their way into teenage stardom, but the Hanson brothers will always remain in my heart — no matter how old we get.

emusic.com

Shout It Out by Hanson
Yes, the Hanson brothers are still making music. And yes, the chipmunk voices are gone — after all, the guys are well into their 20s and all married with kids. After late-’90s Hanson mania died down, they continued to put out music, ended a years-long struggle with Island/Def Jam, and started their own indie label, 3CG

Because there is so much coverage on this topic, and most of the articles seem to have the same info, I’m going to make another link post.

Free NYC concert canceled after crowd gets unruly

Police Stops Free Concert

Drake’s Free NYC Concert Cancelled After Near-Riot

Chaos Reigns at Riot Over Canceled Drake-Hanson Concert (VIDEO)