EDMONTON – In the late ’90s, Hanson’s first hit, MMMBop, was so out of place during that grungy, angsty time that it was used as an instrument of torture on a Saturday Night Live sketch. And sure, to a morose teenager, there was nothing hip about the bright, Jackson 5-inspired tune, but admit it: secretly we all loved the song. You have to. It’s the happiest song on Earth.

“It is! I love that song,” laughs drummer Zac Hanson, 22, the youngest of the three brothers.

“We wrote it when I was about eight years old, but the lyrics and music are so contrary to each other. It’s about the way things in life are fleeting and you have to figure out what to hold onto.”

At the time, Hanson were setting themselves apart from the boy-band crowd — by playing their instruments and eschewing choreographed dance moves or slick Tiger Beat marketing. Not that they didn’t appear in the magazine — they did — but they preferred being goofy boys to a band like today’s Jonas Brothers, with their careful coifs and tween heartthrob images. Zac is grateful Hanson never went that route.

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VANCOUVER — From the boys who brought you MmmBop comes something they hope will be just as catchy: a social conscience. Hanson – brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac – have set off on what they’re calling their Walk Around The World Tour. Beyond promoting their album The Walk, they’re working to raise awareness of the crushing poverty in Africa – and to raise money to try to eradicate the problem through health care, education and basic supplies.

The tour, which hits Vancouver today, includes a charity walk at each stop. Fans are asked to show up at a specified time and location to walk with the brothers for one mile, barefoot. For each mile walked by each fan, the band is donating $1 (U.S.). Money raised goes to various causes, including buying shoes for children in South Africa, building a hospital in Soweto and helping the Toronto-based charity Free The Children raise money for a school in Kenya. The idea is to tally up 24,902 miles (or 40,000 kilometres) – the equivalent of walking around the world.

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An old theater will get new life when Montclair’s Wellmont Theatre reopens Nov. 1. Instead of the movies the theater had been presenting before closing in 2006, though, the new Wellmont will offer concerts, including major attractions such as Steely Dan, Brian Wilson, Tony Bennett, Matisyahu and Rufus Wainwright.

The theater, which originally opened in 1922, is at 5 Seymour St., off Bloomfield Avenue. It has been thoroughly refurbished and will reopen with a show by power-pop group Hanson, of “MMMBop” fame. Other bookings range from comedian Bill Maher to the Led Zeppelin tribute act, Get the Led Out. The capacity will be 2,500.

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As promised, Erika Hobart’s follow up on Seattle Weekly.

EEK! Hanson played at the Moore last night! And that Taylor Hanson is goddamn gorgeous. He’s got this ridiculous amount of androgynous appeal. It bums me out when a man with greasy hair looks better than me on my best day, completely done up. He’s the equivalent of David Cassidy back in the day.

I could go on for days about Taylor, but will include the other brothers for a moment. So to sum things up, the brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma hit the stage with their five o’clock shadows (they can grow facial hair now!!!) and sweat-drenched t-shirts to woo a crowd of like, 200 women and two men—one of whom sat behind us and went to sleep. They sang the good stuff like “Where’s the Love” and I’m guessing they did an encore that consisted of the infectious “MMMBop.” Somebody’s gotta let me know! I was praying that they’d sing their no. 1 hit before I had to leave for another engagement, but alas, they didn’t. That’s too bad because I’d love to hear an acoustic version of the song.

So what stayed with me the most, given that I missed hearing Hanson’s most infamous hit? The fans. HANSON FANS ARE NUTS. They rush the stage at any given moment. They climb over each other like paparazzi in an attempt to perfectly capture Taylor’s sweet face on film. They yell, push, and occasionally, get escorted out of the Moore. (That part was exciting.) My girlfriend and I were scared for our lives.

I went home and did a little research (Wikipedia) and found out this little tidbit: “Middle of Nowhere was released in the U.S. on May 6, 1997, which was declared ‘Hanson Day’ in Tulsa by Oklahoma’s then-governor Frank Keating. Although ‘Hanson Day’ was originally intended to be a one-time occurrence, many Hanson fans all over the world still recognize May 6 as Hanson Day every year.”

The Hanson brothers even have their own holiday!!!

I hope somebody makes an Aphrodite-esque statue of Taylor because I would totally put it in my hallway. Not that I have my own hallway, but I’m sure something could be arranged with my landlord. We could use some pretty decor around here.

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From the Vancouver Sun:

Hanson American pop band (featuring brothers Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson); latest CD is The Walk. Commodore Ballroom, Sept. 10, 9 pm, $35, ticketmaster.ca.

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Hanson

Haters: Robby Marx and Adam Eddington.

Ages: 23 and 34

Occupations: Produce manager and salesperson at Stilnovich Corner Produce.

Robby: “In seventh grade I had long hair because I was really into grunge. My girlfriend at the time loved Hanson and wanted me to get my hair layered so that I’d look like one of them. I refused. Aren’t all the Hanson brothers dead now, anyway? I think I saw that on MTV…”

Adam: “The first time I saw the music video I totally thought they were little blonde girls who weren’t very cute. What I remember most about them, though, is that song ‘MMMBop.’ It drove me crazy. Not like cool crazy, but rip-my-ears-off crazy. I’m pretty sure that a few years later, the drummer from Hanson got hit by a car. It stunted his growth for life. He’s been the same height since like, 1995.”

Reporter’s note: The Hansons have not been in a car accident, nor have any of them died. A couple of months ago, several newspapers ran a story with the headline “Hanson teen seriously injured,” but the victim bears no relation to anyone from the band Hanson. He is, however, from Hanson, Massachusetts. If it’s any consolation to the guys at Corner Produce, the eldest Hanson brother, Isaac, had one of his ribs removed last year because it was obstructing blood flow to his arm.

Hanson The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., 467-5510, www.themoore.com. $23–$33. 7 p.m. Mon., Sept. 8.

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