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.

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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.

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By JIM ABBOTT, Orlando Sentinel
First published in print: Thursday, October 9, 2008

By any standard, it was a formidable line of fans waiting for a show at the mammoth South By Southwest Music Conference this past March in Austin, Texas.

The object of their devotion was not some new indie-minded trend-setter, but Hanson.

Yes, the trio of Oklahoma-bred brothers who gave us “MMMBop” are cool again, basking in critical praise for their latest independently released album, “The Walk,” and courting a mix of old and new fans on the road.

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The lights go down, the cameras come out and a steady chorus of “Hanson! Hanson!” begins. The scene suddenly resembles something out of 1997, the year the three Hanson brothers debuted with their infamous teen hit, “MMMBop.” But there are a few noticeable differences. The crowd is older, the venue is smaller and the flowing blond hair the band members possessed during their adolescent years is nowhere to be seen.

The brothers are currently on the second leg of their Walk Around the World tour, which began last fall and brought its inspiring message to the Variety Playhouse on Monday night.

The Walk Around the World is not just another concert tour of former teenyboppers. The band is bringing something different to the scene this time around.

“We’re just trying to find something better or something new, just some different ways to show our fans examples of different things that they can do that are tangible and real,” drummer Zac Hanson said in an interview with the Wheel.

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By Steve McElwee
– For the CDT

Can you believe that a decade has passed since the world got first listen of the brothers Hanson? It seems like eons ago that they came mmmbop-ing into our living rooms and girls were mmmdrop-ing their allowances on anything related to the three youngsters from Tulsa, Okla. At that point, the boys were destined to be forced into the forgotten file and written off as a boy-band one-hit wonder, but their sheer talent and marketability has changed that.

Hanson — from left, brothers Zac, 23, Taylor, 25, and Isaac, 28 — will play to a sold-out audience Sunday at the State Theatre. Opening acts are Dave Barnes and Everybody Else.

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McClatchy-Tribune News

By any standard, it was a formidable line of fans waiting for a show at the mammoth South By Southwest Music Conference this past March in Austin, Texas.
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The object of their devotion was not some new indie-minded trend-setter, but Hanson.

Yes, the trio of Oklahoma-bred brothers who gave us “MMMBop” are cool again, basking in critical praise for their latest independently released album, “The Walk,” and courting a mix of old and new fans on the road.

Always a magnet for screaming girls, brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac — now ages 27, 25 and 22, respectively — are looking out at a different niche in concert crowds: guys about their age, with their own bands.

“In the last five years, we have really resonated with younger guys starting bands now,” Taylor Hanson says in a phone interview.

At least one band vaguely reminiscent of Hanson — the Jonas Brothers — is sparking teen hysteria with the help of the Disney Channel promotional machine. Although he doesn’t see similarities in the music, Hanson isn’t without a twinge of deja vu.

“There’s a surreal quality to looking at that audience and the sudden awareness of that band by so many people,” he says. “From their perspective, I hope they are able to harness whatever is most authentic about what’s going on right now and make a career.”

For Hanson, the road to sustaining a career lead them outside the major labels. On two independently released albums, “The Walk” and 2004’s “Underneath,” the brothers have been able to make their own decisions.

The new release has sparked a wave of activism. Stops on the “The Walk Around the World Tour” include one-mile barefoot pre-show walks by the band and its fans to fight poverty and AIDS in Africa. The location of each walk is disclosed three hours before it happens at Hanson.net.

So far, the band has walked roughly 6,000 miles toward its goal of 24,902, the circumference of the Earth. There also is a coffee table book and EP inspired by the project.

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