Taylor Hanson can’t say he knows what it’s like to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, but the musician does know what it’s like to walk a mile without shoes.

“(Walking barefoot) helps remind people that the little things are kind of hard,” said Hanson, 25, who along with brothers Zac, 22, and Isaac, 27, comprise the pop band Hanson. The group, which gained fame in 1997 with the hit song “MmmBop,” and played a concert last night at the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead.

Before the concert, the Hansons walked barefoot with about 200 fans through Homestead to raise money and awareness for AIDS and other issues affecting the poor in Africa. About two-thirds of the world’s AIDS population resides in Africa, according to a joint report from the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

Continue reading →

Hanson continues their Walk Around the World Tour tonight at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington St., at 7 p.m. Yeah, Hanson-mania might’ve gotten a little much there in the late ’90s, but you try writing something as cool as “MMMBop” when you’re 16. Or 13. Or 11. Their latest record, The Walk, doesn’t exactly break new ground, but it’s got several solid pop winners. Worth a look. Tickets are $30, $35 for reserved seating; call (401) 331-5876 or go to www.etix.com.

Source

Hanson with Dave Barnes

Bono called their music ‘genius’. Hip producers like the Dust Brothers and Stephen Lironi worked with them early on, even before millions of fans screamed their names and critics applauded them. But for Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, it’s always been about the music, and there’s always been a message in the music for those who were really listening.

Starting out nearly 15 years ago in 1992 by releasing their first self-made albums, HANSON could not have predicted that one day the whole world would sing their song. Yet that’s exactly what happened in 1997, when the band’s sunny single “MmmBop”, a song about the ephemeral nature of most relationships, became a worldwide number one hit. Their pop-Motown flavored major label debut, Middle Of Nowhere, pierced the gray fog of 1990’s grunge and earned the band three Grammy nominations. The follow-up albums kept the hooks and the critical acclaim while revealing HANSON’s evolution. Their sophomore effort, This Time Around, leaned toward rock, blues and gospel while 2004’s Underneath was a more richly textured and organic twist on the band’s signature brand of pop-rock, as heard on the album’s lead single “Penny and Me”, which made it to #2 on the Billboard Singles Chart and notched the band a top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

HANSON
with special guest:
Dave Barnes

Source

Bono, lead singer of the band U2, called Hanson’s music “genius” and New York’s Village Voice calls them, “The finest straight-up rock band in America.”

That might be debatable, but what isn’t as debatable is the U2-like charity work that Hanson is putting on in cities such as Birmingham for AIDS and poverty stricken villages in Africa.

“It’s not an awareness walk or about being aware, since I believe we are all aware of the struggles in Africa. This is a call to action. This is an action walk,” Taylor Hanson said to a large gathering of fans under a tree off University Boulevard in the afternoon rain during their barefoot 1-mile walk in Southside to help fight AIDS and poverty in Africa.
Hanson, the American band best known for their massively successful song “Mmm, Bop!” not only has matured over the last 10 years with their musical talents, but also with their goals.

One goal appears to be using their Beatles-influenced, and more recently funk-infused music and fan base to promote as much change as they can.

Continue reading →

Some people might think Hanson ceased to exist around 1997. The group certainly seemed to fall off the map of mainstream music not long after its one big radio hit, “MMMBop.”

Don’t tell that to the hundreds that packed the State Theatre Sunday night to see an older and more mature version of that same Hanson band.

Hanson, along with opening acts Everybody Else and Dave Barnes, came to State College on its “Walk Around the World” tour and sold out the venue.

Everybody Else, a Los Angeles three piece, played enjoyable guitar-driven pop. It gave the waiting Hanson fans a chance to clap along, while the band’s drummer held his drumstick between his teeth to play the keyboard.

Dave Barnes’ music was surprisingly funky, almost R&B. He started his set with some wah-pedaled guitar and kept up the attitude for most of his set, his smooth vocals at times resembling John Mayer. He kept the audience involved with singalongs on songs like “Someday, Sarah,” and his between-song quips and jokes were well received.

Continue reading →