Hanson, still kicking around a decade after “MMMBop,” brings its Walk Around the World Tour to Orlando on Oct. 9 at House of Blues. In a phone interview today, Taylor Hanson, the middle brother, talked about how the group is using the tour to fight African poverty and AIDs relief and what it’s like to watch the Jonas Brothers inspire Hanson-style hysteria:
“There is definitely some Twilight Zone-esque qualities to it,” he says of watching the Jonas craze. “There’s a surreal quality to looking at that audience and the sudden awareness of that band by so many people. I hope they are able to harness whatever is the most authentic aspect about what’s going on right now and make a career out of it.”
You can read the rest of the interview in Tuesday’s edition of the Sentinel.
Article: ‘Hanson’ to perform, host walk for charity
Many of Knoxville’s Hanson fans got the opportunity to walk a mile down Gay Street with the band in the fall of 2007. Those that missed that opportunity will have a second chance to walk with the band when it returns to Knoxville on Oct. 1.
Anyone who wants to walk a mile with Hanson will have the opportunity to take a pre-concert walk for charity with Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson. The walk will begin a few hours before the start of their concert at the Bijou theater.
Zac Hanson said, “For us it’s bigger than walking with Hanson. It’s about the potential we all have. We’re encouraging people to give back.”
Wednesday Artist Spotlight: Strikes Again
Strikes Again opened for Hanson on the Live and Electric tour in Allentown, PA on October 26, 2005.
Where is your band based out of?
-The southern New Jersey/Philadelphia area
Can you give us a little background on the band?
-In 2003, Adam & Marc were in a 3-piece pop/punk band all through out High school called “2nd Place” & decided to try to create a project that had duel MALE & FEMALE lead vocals.
Since then, the line-up has changed around them a few times, but the passion to create a band with a different & powerful sound hasn’t.
What made you decide to enter Hanson’s opening act contest?
-Adam’s girlfriend at the time, Jessica, is a HUGE lifelong Hanson fan & Hanson fans are some of the most awesome fans 🙂 so of course she helped us sign up!
A few weeks later we got an email saying we made it into the top 3 for the Allentown show, so Jessica & the rest of the band actually used myspace to let local Hanson fans know to check us out & vote.
Then a week or 2 before the show, we got the call from Hanson’s manager saying we’d won!
Thanks again Jessica 🙂 & all the other great Hanson fans that helped us!
What were your expectations before opening? Were they met?
-Through out the whole voting process, we got to chat with a lot of Hanson fans online & saw just how passionate they all were about music… That definitely got us exited to play the show. Not to mention, Anne our keyboard player at the time, was also a HUGE Hanson fan, so between her & Jessica, we got the chance to listen to a lot of their music… new & old.
When we actually got to the venue that day & shook their hands & met them before the show, Anne almost forgot her name.
After meeting them, Zac & Taylor both went down to get ready for the show and we started to set up our stuff on stage, but Isaac went & sat down at the bar right next to Jessica!
When our stuff was all set up, we all got to go over & talk to Isaac for a little while. It was really cool getting to ask him whatever we wanted & talk about music.
We played our set, & got a really positive response from the crowd & then eventually Hanson came out to play. It was really impressive actually seeing their live show for the first time.
Then the next few weeks after the date of the show, we got a ton of comments & friends requests from people who saw us at the show 🙂
Playing for over 1,000 kids & not having to sell one ticket… yea i’d say our expectations were definitely met!
Since opening, what has your band been up to?
After that show, we pretty much realized we needed to record a CD, so we went into the studio & got to work. After changing the line-up and perfecting our recordings over the years, STRIKES AGAIN is now booking shows again & getting ready to release their debut EP very soon 🙂
Do you have any upcoming shows?
Yes we do & we keep booking more and more shows everyday, so make sure to keep an eye on our myspace page because we post our shows there as soon as they are booked! Also if you’d like us to come play around your area, let us know or tell you’re local venues get in contact with us 🙂
www. myspace. com/strikesagain
And feel free to add us & say hi!
We love you guys 🙂
-STRIKES AGAIN
Check out this video from the day Strikes Again opened:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuZCmd6iJj0&hl=en&fs=1]
Columbus, OH 9/30/08
1. Something Goin Round
2. Higher (cover)
3. Where’s the Love
4. Georgia
5. Follow Your Lead
6. Great Divide
7. Penny and Me (acoustic)
8. Underneath (acoustic)
9. One More (acoustic)
10. On The Rocks (Zac Solo)
11. Where Did It Start
12. Blue Sky
13. Hope It Comes Soon
14. Can’t Stop
15. MMMBop
16. Crazy Beautiful
17. Let Your Soul Shine (?cover?)
18. Been There Before
19. Hey
20. Watch Over Me
Encore:
21. Oh Darlin (cover)
22. Change In My Live (acapella)
More new Merch!
Slowly but surely all the new Hanson merch is making its way to tour. (Good for me, I guess, since my shows aren’t until mid October! Or maybe bad… too much I’ll want to buy?)
Here we have a photo of the scarf as well as the new guitar picks that are available.
(I believe that middle pick is white, though it looks pink)
Cleveland 9/29/08
1. Something Going Round
2. Higher (cover)
3. Been There Before
4. Follow Your Lead
5. Where’s the Love
6. Strong Enough To Break
7. Georgia
8. Great Divide
9. This Time Around
10. Ike Solo- Being Me
11. Zac Solo- Lullabelle
12. Where did it Start
13. Blue Sky
14. Hope it comes soon
15. Can’t Stop
16. Oh Darlin’ (cover)
17. MMMBOP
18. If Only
19. Black Hearted Woman (cover)
20. Crazy Beautiful
21. Lay Me Down
22. Watch Over Me
Encore
23. Lost Without Each Other
Upcoming Walks
Cleveland – House of Blues – 3pm
Columbus – Newport Music Hall – 3pm
Knoxville – Bijou Theater – 3pm
Nashville – Wildhorse Saloon – 3pm
Louisville – Coyotes – 3pm
Keep in mind all times are subject to change and to stay tuned to takethewalk.net for further details
Week at a glance
Monday, September 29 – Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, September 30 – Columbus, OH
Wednesday, October 1 – Knoxville, TN
Thursday, October 2 – travel
Friday, October 3 – Nashville, TN
Saturday, October 4 – Louisville, KY
Sunday, October 5 – travel
Milwaukee 9/27/08
1. Something Going Round
2. I Wanna Take You Higher – cover
3. Been There Before
4. Follow Your Lead
5. If Only
6. Great Divide
7. Penny and Me
8. Go
9. This Time Around
10. On The Rocks – Zac Solo
11. I Will Come to You – Tay Solo
12. Blue Sky
13. Hope It Comes Soon
14. Where Did It Start – Taylor on Drums
15. Running Man
16. MMMBop
17. Where’s The Love
18. Can’t Stop
19. Use Me (cover)
20. Lay Me Down
21. Watch Over Me
Encore
22. Coming Back For More
23. Hey
Article: Pop Band Hanson Walks for Poverty Awareness
After a trip to Africa, the sites and sounds of poverty inspired Hanson, most famously known for their 1997 hit “MMMBop” to use their music as a tool to bring about awareness, action, and hope one shoe-less mile at a time. LeAnn Wallace hit the streets of Minneapolis barefoot today and spoke with the band on making a difference.
“I find hope in what eyes dont see…”