hanson

Hanson is a pop rock band that formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1990s by brothers Clarke Isaac Hanson (born November 17, 1980), Jordan Taylor Hanson (born March 14, 1983) and Zachary Walker Hanson (born October 22, 1985). They are best known for their hit song "MMMBop".

History

(1992-1996) Early years

They were the first three children of parents Clarke Walker ("Walker") (June 1, 1954) and Diana Frances Hanson (nee. Lawyer) (April 30, 1954). The Hanson family also includes sisters and brother, Jessica Grace ("Jessie") (July 31, 1988), Avery Laurel (November 4, 1990), Joshua Mackenzie ("Mac") (January 7, 1994), and Zoë Genevieve (January 14, 1998).

The band, which was originally called "The Hanson Brothers," started out as three young boys who sang a capella and recorded tapes with oldies like "Rockin' Robin," "Splish Splash," and "Johnny B. Goode," as well pieces of their own material. Their first performance as a professional group took place in 1992 at the Mayfest arts festival in Tulsa.

Hanson also appeared on Carman's "Yo Kidz The Vidz," which included Taylor cast as a young biblical David facing Goliath, Isaac cast as an event announcer, and other members of the family, including Zac, in the stands cheering on this "sporting event."

Later on, Isaac picked up a secondhand guitar, Zac borrowed an old set of drums, and Taylor became the keyboard player of what turned into a garage band. The band recorded two independent albums in their hometown of Tulsa, 'Boomerang' (1994) and 'MMMBop' (1996). The latter featured the original version of what would later become the runaway single on their debut commercial record Middle of Nowhere. The boys then found themselves at the South By Southwest music festival for unsigned music bands. There, they were promptly signed by manager Christopher Sabec. He shopped them to several record companies, most of which dismissed the band as either a novelty or fraud before Steve Greenberg, an A&R representative for Mercury Records, heard them play a set at the Kansas State Fair. This break resulted in the band being signed almost immediately by Mercury. They soon became worldwide sensations with the release of their first major-label album, Middle of Nowhere.

(1997-2000) Commercial success

Middle of Nowhere was released on May 6,1997. The album's first single, "MMMBop", debuted at #16 in the United States, reaching #1 in both the U.S. and the UK, reaching #2 in Canada, and staying over two months in the top spot in Australia. The group was heavily featured in teen magazines such as Tiger Beat and found a wide following among teen and pre-teen girls. The album's second single, "Where's the Love," followed "MMMBop" to the top of the charts. Their first album's worldwide success was registered in Tulsa, Tokyo and The Middle of Nowhere, an 82-minute videotape with home videos, interviews, video clips, and live performances.

During the summer of 1998, Hanson began a highly successful concert tour, The Albertane Tour. They performed a string of shows throughout stadiums and arenas in the U.S., targeting young audiences with its playful and energetic theme. A live album, titled Live From Albertane, was released the following fall.

Since then, follow up albums have failed to match the success of Middle of Nowhere and Hanson has struggled against the label of 'one hit wonder.' Hanson released their second album, This Time Around, in May 2000 but due to lack of sales the label pulled funding on their tour. They toured through the summer and fall of 2000 on their own funds.

(2001-present) Independent career

The brothers left their record label, Island Records, due to conflict with the producers who felt their material was lacking quality and had refused over 80 songs from the band. The band now works under their own independent label, 3CG Records ("3 Car Garage Records"), named for the three-car garage in which their studio lies today. The label has distribution deals through ADA (Alternative Distribution Alliance) in the United States, Sony BMG in Asia, and various other distributors throughout the world.

During the struggle with their former label, Hanson signed with their current management company, 10th Street Entertainment, which also manages artists such as Meatloaf and Blondie.

The band toured during the summer and fall of 2003 in support of Underneath Acoustic, which was composed of acoustic versions of songs from their then-forthcoming release, Underneath. The tour culminated on November 5, 2003 with a performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall.

Underneath was released on April 20, 2004, and the following week debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Independent Album Chart and #25 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making Underneath one of the most successful independent albums of all time (only a few artists, such as Prince and Ani DiFranco, have released a top 25 independent album).

The first single from Underneath was "Penny & Me;" its music video featured The O.C.’s Samaire Armstrong and was directed by Chris Applebaum ("Stacey's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne). "Penny & Me" reached #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Singles Chart. The video for the album's second single, "Lost Without Each Other," was directed by P.R. Brown and filmed in Boston, and includes live footage from the concert played in the city that coincided with the filming.

On March 5, 2005, They performed the American National anthem at the inaugural NASCAR Busch Series Telcel-Motorola 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City.

In fall 2005, Hanson toured the US and played at certain Canadian venues to support their recently released live album, The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric. They also visited various colleges in order to showcase Strong Enough to Break, their documentary chronicling their struggles with Island Def Jam during the making of Underneath, as well as their subsequent departure from the label. During the college visits, the band also held question-and-answer sessions about the problems that independent artists face in music industry today.

In November 2005, Hanson's old record label released "Mmmbop: The Collection", a compilation of famous tracks from the first two albums and the consequent B-sides of singles. However, the CD never charted, partially based on poor distribution. The album also received criticism from Hanson's loyal fan base, as many fans rejected the record label that released the album. This was in large part due to Hanson's recent documentary and college tour, which did not frame the music industry in a particularly positive light.

During the spring of 2005, Hanson toured many countries in South America and Europe, and performed their first ever electric shows in Australia during their highly successful Live and Electric tour. Hanson plans to release Strong Enough to Break on DVD in late 2006 and are currently working on their fourth studio album set for release in early 2007. This album, which Taylor revealed to be titled "The Walk" in a chat on Hanson.Net in July, has been said by the band to be very different from "Underneath". Zac recently posted on their official website, saying that the band recorded a school choir in Soweto, South Africa. This indicates that the new record will indeed be different from the quieter, more acoustically-driven songs featured on "Underneath." A recent video posted on their offical website, Hanson.net, reveals a mysterious new project known as "Taking the Walk". It is rumored to be a sequel to Strong Enough to Break.

Personal life

On June 8, 2002, middle brother Taylor Hanson married his girlfriend of two years, Natalie Anne Bryant (born December 28, 1983). The ceremony was held at the Ida Cason Memorial Chapel of Callaway Gardens, located in Pine Mountain, Georgia [1]. The couple have three children, Jordan Ezra Hanson (born October 31, 2002) [2], Penelope Anne Hanson (born April 19, 2005) [3]. and River Samuel Hanson (born September 4, 2006) [4].

Youngest brother Zac married his girlfriend of five years, Kathryn "Kate" Rebecca Tucker (born November 29, 1983), on June 3, 2006 at a private ceremony held at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.^{citation needed]}

Oldest brother Isaac married girlfriend Nicole "Nikki" Dufresne of Panama City, Florida on September 30, 2006 in a tradional ceremony held at Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa[5].

Discography

Studio albums

1. Boomerang (March 17, 1995) Indie Release
2. MMMBop (May 17, 1996) Indie Release
3. Middle of Nowhere (May 6, 1997) #2 US (4x Platinum), #1 UK
4. This Time Around (May 9, 2000) #19 US (Gold), #33 UK
5. Underneath (April 20, 2004) #25 US, #1 US Independent Chart, #49 UK

Live Albums and Compilations

• Snowed In (November 18, 1997) #7 US (Platinum)
• 3 Car Garage (May 12, 1998) #6 US (Platinum), #39 UK
• Live From Albertane (November 3, 1998) #32 US (Gold)
• Underneath Acoustic (August 9, 2003) Available only through the Official Store. [6]
• The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric (October 11, 2005) #182 US, #15 US Independent Chart

Singles

• "MMMBop" (May 28, 1997) #1 US, #1 UK
• "Where's the Love" (July 1997) #4 UK
• "I Will Come to You" (November 11, 1997) #9 US, #5 UK
• "Thinking of You" (1998) Released outside of USA #23 UK
• "Weird" (May 1998)
• "This Time Around" (April 23, 2000) #17 US
• "If Only" (May 2000) Released outside of USA. #15 UK
• "Penny and Me" (March 23, 2004) #2 US, #9 UK
• "Lost Without Each Other" (July 2005) Released outside of USA. #39 UK

Music Videos & Trivia (added by Pink_Moonlight: needs a link in infobox)

• "MMMBop" (May 1997) There are two versions of this video. The one that was aired on public TV and a special version only available on the "Tulsa, Tokyo, and the Middle of Nowhere" home video. Both versions are pretty much the same, except for a few scenes that are changed. For example, the TV version features a clip with Hanson and Albert Einstein and the special video does not but featurs some other clips that weren’t in the TV version.
• "Where's the Love" (July 1997) This video also has two different versions. As with "MMMBop", one was on public TV and the other was on the "Tulsa, Toyko, and the Middle of Nowhere" home video. Both these versions are also mainly the same, except for a few different scenes in each.
• "I Will Come to You" (November 1997) This video was directed by Peter Christophersen and was shot just outside of London. There was also a version of the video shot in New York's Beacon Theatre. A shot of a fox was cut from the final version of the video.(Source: article by Hanson in MOE magazine, Issue 02)
• "Run Rudolph Run" (November 1997) This video is very rare and hard to find and features Hanson in the studio playing the song and goofing around.
• "Weird" (May 1998) Director: Gus Van San, Producer: Danny Wolf, Cinematographer: Harris Sevides (famous for being one of the only cineatographers that Madonna likes to work with on her videos.) Between them, Gus, Danny, and Harris had worked on videos for David Bowie, Elton John, Madonna, Mariah Carey, R.E.M., Michael Jackson, and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The video for "Weird had many unique techniques. Hanson called up Gus Van Sant and told him about a concept they had thought of for the video. His first reaction being: Boy this is really weird. The shots in the white room where filmed in a giant round Victorian room with a floor of lights that rolled on it's side and was twenty feet tall. The room rotated and was built by Tom Foden who has also designed and built the spaceship for Michael Jackson's "Scream" video. The painting on the wall of the white room was "The Judgment of Solomon" by an eighteenth century Italian painter named Tiepolo and was enlarged color print that was smooth, soHanson could slide across it as the room revolved. While filming the video shots in the white room, Taylor forgot to jump down off of a ledge of a doorsill at one point and, when he finally did, the room had revolved enough that he found himself perched atop when seemed like an enormous skateboard ramp and had to jump down in the shot, which looked very dangerous. (I don’t know if this shot was left in the final cut or not, but there is a part a little over halfway through the video where Taylor jumps down from above, so perhaps that is it.) --Another tricky part of the video shoot was having Hanson swim underwater and lip sync to the song at the same time. The guys had to wear weights so they wouldn't float out of shot. They also had to hold their breath for a whole verse while they swam towards the camera. After the video was aired around the world, it had become a number one play request on MTV. Right up there with Puff Daddy and Madonna. (Source: article by Hanson in MOE magazine, Issue 02)
• "River" (May 1998) Directed by Weird Al Yankovic, this video was a spoof on the Titanic (1997 film), with a Guest Appearance by Gloria Stuart, who played Rose DeWitt Bukater. Also guest staring from the movie are Bill Paxton, who started as the leader of a treasure hunting expedition to RMS Titanic and one of his character's co-workers. (name needed) The video also has a live performance of the song from the 1997 Mall Tour.
• "This Time Around" (April 2000) In the shot where there is a crowd dancing around while Hansons is playing, it was Taylor's decision to have the crowd of people be farther away from Hanson then origional intended. He said having them to close would look disingenuous. (Sorce: MTV: Making the Video; This Time Around)
• "If Only" (May 2000) For a short while back in the summer of 2002 the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio had the outfits worn by Hanson in this video on display. Short note: The Hall of Fame also had on of Issac's guitars at the time.
• "Save Me" (November 2000) This was an independent video viewable on the internet in the USA. It was quickly done on a laptop computer, using a technique called Rotoscoping, which is a process in which an artist traces an image from film frames, so that the movements on the film can be used in other media. In this case it was done digitally. Basically, every second of the video is 30 individually-treated frames, it’s done one frame at a time and each frame has several effects on it in order to pull off and make it look sketched. The 1985 music video for A-Ha’s “Take On Me” is another example of this technique. The video consist mostly of live performances during the 2000 This Time Around Tour. The entire bridge section of the song was shoot in the basement of the theatre Hanson played at in Erie, PA. It did eventually air on MTV in many countrys all over the world, and spent two months in the top ten on the MTV Select Show on MTV Europe. Interesting note: It is Taylor who is writing on the wall in the end of the video when the paint breaks off. It was an accident, but when it happened Hanson decided it was a great way to end the video. (Source: article by Hanson in MOE magazine, Issue 11)
• "Penny and Me" (March 2004) The actress in the video, Samaire Armstrong, also played Anna Stern in the TV series, The O.C.. The video is on "The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric" bonus DVD.
• "Lost Without Each Other" (July 13, 2005) As with "Save Me", the video was quickly done and consist of mostly short clips from live performance during the 2003 Underneath Acoustic Tour. It premiered on MTV Brazil and was only aired outside the USA, though it is on "The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric" bonus DVD.
• "Underneath" (October 4, 2005) Probably recognized as Hanson's strangest video to date, this video only consist of a room with a TV set, showing a live video of Hanson performing the song in concert on a very small screen. There are also headphones on the floor and sunlight coming through a window. As the video progresses, vines begin to grow and entangle everything in the room, until it is almost completely covered. Towards the end the sunlight shines through and the vines slowly disappear. At one point, a light bulb on the ceiling also shatters into pieces. -- Though it was criticized by some fans, if one reads enough into the video there may be a symbolic meaning. Considering Hanson's view and appreciation of inde music and their dislike of the radio play today, the video could be interpreted as a metaphor for good inde music being hidden by today’s top hits, yet having the chance to break through in the end. The room could be symbolic of today’s music scene and the vines coverning the room may symbolize the current top hits taking over everything in sight. The light that later shines through and disintegrates the vines could be inde music making a comeback over the popular radio play. However, this is only a theory I have. Hanson has never mentioned it or anything involving the influence on the video. The video is also available on "The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric" bonus DVD
• "Underneath (Director's Cut)" (October 11, 2005) This is the director's version of the video and was never aired on public TV. It consists of live shots of Hanson performing the song during the 2005 Underneath Tour. It was only released on "The Best of Hanson: Live & Electric" bonus DVD.
• "Misery" (February 2006) This animated video was created and drawn solely by Zac and was only released with the 2006 Hanson.Net membership kit.

Also was a short video for an Eggo Waffles commercial in 1997 which features the band playing "Thinking of You", while a crowd around them are passing around a box of waffles. Zac eventually gets one and puts it on his drum stick then starts to eat it.

Promotional

• Pepsi Music Live: Hanson (1998)
• MOE Enhanced CD (January 1, 1998)
• Teen Mag Music 2000 Volume 1 (July 1, 2000)
• HANSON.NET Enhanced CDs (Versions 2.0 - 2.2) (May 2002,May, 2 2003, May 2005, and May 2006)
• Live & Electric Indie Sampler (2005)

Filmography

• Yo Kidz! The Vidz! (1994)
• Tulsa, Tokyo and The Middle of Nowhere (November 18, 1997)
• The Road to Albertane (November 3, 1998)
• At the Fillmore (April 24, 2000)
• Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002)
• Underneath Acoustic Live (July 27, 2004)
• Strong Enough To Break (2006)

Hanson Trivia

• At the band's debut, many people mistakenly assumed there were two girls and one boy in the band, when in fact they were all boys.
• During the first season of Family Guy, there is a scene featured where the Hanson tour bus breaks down in front of the Griffins' home, and Peter mistakes them for the fictional Children of the Corn and shoots them.
• Another Family Guy episode features the following dialogue in which Glen Quagmire erroneously thinks Taylor Hanson is a girl.

Peter Griffin - If you could have any woman in the world, who would it be?

Quagmire - Taylor Hanson.

Joe Swanson - Taylor Hanson is a guy.

[Pause]

Quagmire - [Laughs] You guys are yankin' me. "Hey, let's put one over on old Quagmire."

Peter - No, he's actually a guy, Quagmire.

Quagmire - What? That's insane. That's impossible.

[Pause]

Quagmire - Oh god. Oh my god. I've got all these magazines. Oh god.

• The brothers are also featured in an episode of Futurama, as heads in jars, singing "Mmmbop" until a giant Bender falls on them.
• The Cheap Suits released a song entitled 'Lead Singer' that pokes fun at the androgynous aspect of Taylor Hanson. Lyrics include "I fell in love with the lead singer of Hanson, I'm so happy now that I'm dancing" and also "I have sold all of my records and I'm no longer a fan because I found out that Taylor Hanson was a man."
• The band was parodized in an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, fighting against the Spice Girls. Both Hanson and the Spice Girls were killed by Marilyn Manson, after Manson cut down the light tray with a chainsaw.
• On December 13, 1997's episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Helen Hunt, Hanson appeared in a sketch where they were trapped in an elevator forcibly listening to MMMBop at gunpoint. They played MMMBop earlier that night.

External links

• Official band website
• HansonForums.NET