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Hanson Biography
Back in 1994-95, Hanson
released their first independent record. At that same time, software
companies began to pioneer sound on the Internet. In '97 the three
brothers, came out of the Middle Of Nowhere to storm the pop music world
with the 8-million worldwide-selling CD of the same name, lead by an
international smash single "MmmBop." Following that release, the
band's online site developed into one of the largest sites in music
history at a time when the Net's potential was in its infancy.
Coming up on a decade, Hanson
has recorded three watershed records: Nowhere, which opened up a crucial
demographic of fans; This Time Around, which was a precursor to the
current wave of singer-songwriters (Michelle Branch, John Mayer, etc.),
and the upcoming third release Underneath, which could prove instrumental
in bringing a wounded industry back to their audience while ushering in a
fresh new breed of credible artists.
The attention the band has
maintained with its Internet fanbase is paying dividends today. Now
once-alternative artists like Liz Phair talk about (in a recent Billboard
magazine article) having to play by record company rules. While the
industry is having an identity crisis as college kids with high-speed
access jump on the Napster bandwagon, Isaac (23), Taylor (20), and Zac
(18) remain true to their art, the Net, and their fans.
The release of their
long-awaited third studio album, the epic,
more-than-three-years-in-the-making Underneath on their own 3CG Records
(distributed through independent ADA, an AOL-Time Warner-owned company),
augurs yet another seismic shift in the shrinking corporate pop music
landscape. The vanguard mentality which led the group to put out their own
independent releases in the early '90s (whose material later produced
multiple hit singles) has similarly informed the decision to release
Underneath themselves, only this time on a global scale. Says Andy Allen,
president of ADA, "This is another example of artists taking control
of their music; what Hanson is doing is the wave of the future."
"It all starts for us sitting around with acoustic guitars or
pianos," says Taylor, the group's keyboardist, and the new album
bears those days when the three grew up singing along to classic rock 'n'
roll, R&B, and soul albums. The new album sticks close to those roots,
as all Hanson's albums have. Eight of the songs appear on the band's
Underneath Acoustic EP (an unplugged foretaste to Underneath), which
showed Hanson's patented hook-filled melodies in their purest form.
When the band reached a creative crossroads with their label, the group
suggested they part ways with the company. Hanson decided to produce
Underneath themselves to maintain their creative vision, though they did
work with several different collaborators: Greg Wells (Rufus Wainwright,
Michelle Branch), Bob Marlette (Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper), John Shanks
(Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow), and Danny Kortchmar (Don Henley, Billy
Joel), who co-produced the first single, "Penny & Me."
"We were writing songs with a definite flavor," says Taylor.
"We wanted that to survive to the final mix."
"Our goal was that every part that was played had a clear purpose in
order to make this album more dynamic," adds drummer Zac. "This
leaves the music feeling complete without overwhelming the listener."
Underneath represents the group's most accomplished work yet, mixing their
love of lush melodies with a production that leaves the rough edges in,
but is still larger-than-life when called for. After all, this was the
band that, along with the Dust Brothers, combined the scratching of
hip-hop and a driving guitar riff with the rhythmic pump of classic
Motown.
The haunting title track, co-written with Matthew Sweet, features yearning
falsetto and subliminal strings underlining the aching plaint, "Is
there a resolution for this pain that I'm in?" "Penny &
Me" has a pure spirit and a rhythmic uumph that captures the essence
of blue jeans and rock 'n' roll.
Then there's the new wave/punk-rock Elvis Costello & the Attractions
buzz of "Lost Without Each Other" (co-written with the New
Radicals' Gregg Alexander), the gospel funk of "Hey," and the
anthemic chorus of "Deeper." The "Let It Be" refrains
of "Broken Angel" points the way to a possible next direction,
an expansive, wide-screen orchestral masterpiece featuring the band at its
most vulnerable.
"That was an especially inspired moment," says Isaac. "Zac
presented this song to us, and it captures a side of us we'd never shown
before. I think you'll see a lot more of this in records to come."
With all Hanson has accomplished in their career, it's hard to remember
they're still in their early 20s. Their contemporaries include
singer-songwriters like Michelle Branch, who as a fan opened for the band
for their second album and was then signed and became a star in her own
right. Branch has returned the favor by singing on the new album.
"I'm definitely a fan of those guys," she told MTV. Just like
Avril Lavigne, who told the media Hanson was one of the main influences in
recording her multiplatinum debut.
Always ahead of the pack, in 1997, when grunge-rock and flannel was still
the only thing in sight, the Tulsa trio came out with the infectious pop
single, "MmmBop." The song led to three 1998 Grammy nominations
for the band, including Record Of The Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop
Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. Middle Of Nowhere soared to
number two on the Billboard top 200 and carried with it two other top 10
singles.
Rolling Stone named Middle Of Nowhere one of its "Essential Albums Of
The '90s"; Q and Melody Maker tapped it as one of the 50 Best Albums
Of 1997. Spin raved: "Hanson songs...are about the pure pleasures of
sound."
By 2000, Hanson once more leaped into a daring new direction, defying
expectations with their second album, This Time Around. This time around,
the group stressed their self-contained nature, their songwriting prowess
and musicianship, and the fact that they produce their own records, though
they did welcome collaborators such as Jonny Lang and John Popper into the
studio. The introspective album turned out to be another harbinger, this
time of the new breed of singer-songwriter that included not only Branch
and Lavigne, but soon-to-be-contemporaries like John Mayer, Jack Johnson,
Jason Mraz, and Vanessa Carlton.
Although it sold a million copies worldwide, This Time Around was widely
viewed as a bit of a disappointment, especially after Middle Of Nowhere's
8 million. Still, the album earned the band even more respect in critical
circles.
Rolling Stone surmised: "Like a blonde, three-headed hydra, Hanson
loom over the competition...on This Time Around, Hanson leave the rest of
the teen pack eating their Oklahoma dust." Despite the pressure of
the consolidated music industry and the frenzy at radio to play the
plethora of manufactured teen-pop, Hanson retained their credibility at
the expense of radio airplay and sales for their second release.
David J, a former member of Bauhaus and Love & Rockets, was recently
quoted in the New York Times as saying, "Today's consolidated music
industry is not interested in taking risks." Agrees Isaac: "The
music industry has failed to cultivate its artists. They're just after the
quick buck. We want to be part of seeding an industry that grows artists
with careers."
Like such major bands as the Eagles and Pearl Jam, by releasing Underneath
independently, Hanson is reaching out directly to its fanbase, one more
sign this is the way things are going to be in this brave new record
business world. The music biz has undergone revolutionary change every
decade with Elvis Presley in the '50s, the Beatles in '60s, FM radio,
punk, and disco in the '70s, CDs and MTV in the '80s, and the Nirvana-led
Seattle rock revival and rap in the '90s. And this new decade when artists
like Hanson seek independence in the creative process and business of
their music. "That's really the message of this album," explains
Taylor. "It's time to turn the ship toward the artist and their
audience. It's about the girl who goes onto a website to hear a song, or
the businessman who goes into a store to buy a record. They have the same
love for music. And that's all that matters."
At the launch of the band's debut album, the bold statement on advance
copies of the music claimed that Hanson was "Where music is
headed." As they take greater control of their fate with Underneath,
that statement may ring more true than its authors had originally
portended.
"We want to inspire the artists of the future," adds Isaac.
"Working for your audience is about digging deeper inside yourself.
You have to strive for that. That's what every record should be."
Take a listen to Underneath. If the past is any indication, it's the
future.
Hanson Links
Hanson
Official Website |
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