Stripped713
Jul 20th, 2007, 12:24 PM
Older and wiser, Hanson walks 'The Walk'
Boston Herald
By Lauren Carter
Friday, July 20, 2007 - Updated: 05:39 AM EST
Link To Article
What starts as child stardom often ends in jail sentences, rehab stints and ill-advised reality TV shows.
But the brothers of pop/rock trio Hanson, who play Avalon Saturday, have avoided the fate of so many other child stars by keeping the focus on their music.
"It's been the real drive, the passion for our music that has really forced us to not be corrupted by some of the pitfalls," said 24-year-old Taylor Hanson from the brothers' studio in their hometown of Tulsa, Okla. "It's really because of such a conviction, a belief in what we do, that we've pushed back a lot of the traditional things that bands self-destruct on."
Hanson shot to fame on the strength of the wildly popular 1997 single "MMMBop." The brothers - Taylor, Zac, 21, and Isaac, 26 - haven't managed to duplicate that success, but they have continued to release albums and win a measure of respect and critical acclaim, no small accomplishments for a one-time teeny-bopper band.
Now the Hansons are gearing up for the release of their fourth studio album, "The Walk," due out on Tuesday. It represents a significant creative leap forward. The first fully independent release on Hanson's own 3CG Records, much of the album was recorded live in their Tulsa studio and features production work from Danny Kortchmar, known for his work with Billy Joel, James Taylor and the Eagles.
"None of it was recorded in an environment outside of our own control," Taylor Hanson said. "The label we were signed to - it wasn't that major labels on the whole are just bad - it was just that on the last record we were on a label (Def Jam) that was totally consolidated and that had become a rap label, so we were in an environment that was really contrary to what we were trying to do."
Creative control meant the freedom to cross boundaries, both musical and geographical. During the recording process, the brothers visited South Africa and Mozambique to gain firsthand perspective on the AIDS epidemic. While there, they recorded two children's choirs that appear throughout "The Walk," and later recorded the song "Great Divide." Proceeds from the songs' downloads will benefit a South African hospital.
"We felt like this record wasn't going to be finished until we made that trip," Taylor said. "Our real interest came from the fact that we're from the Midwest. There's a real generational and geographic call to action. If this group of people in this part of America said, ‘This is important to us,' that psychologically could change the entire approach and attack for what's going on with AIDS."
Taylor said a 10-day trip to Africa and a charity single is only a small first step, but it is a start.
It's also evidence of further growth for a band that could have rested on its "MMMBop" laurels and spiraled off into once-a-pop-star oblivion
"In retrospect, I'm blown away that we were able to do what we did at that age," Taylor said, "and that we have really been so lucky in many ways to have stayed successful. I mean, nobody has a crystal ball. Nobody really knows if something's going to work or not."
Hanson, with Keaton Simons, at Avalon, Saturday at 7. Tickets: $26
For more info on Hanson:
https://www.hanson.net/site/hanson/link/1/50937
Boston Herald
By Lauren Carter
Friday, July 20, 2007 - Updated: 05:39 AM EST
Link To Article
What starts as child stardom often ends in jail sentences, rehab stints and ill-advised reality TV shows.
But the brothers of pop/rock trio Hanson, who play Avalon Saturday, have avoided the fate of so many other child stars by keeping the focus on their music.
"It's been the real drive, the passion for our music that has really forced us to not be corrupted by some of the pitfalls," said 24-year-old Taylor Hanson from the brothers' studio in their hometown of Tulsa, Okla. "It's really because of such a conviction, a belief in what we do, that we've pushed back a lot of the traditional things that bands self-destruct on."
Hanson shot to fame on the strength of the wildly popular 1997 single "MMMBop." The brothers - Taylor, Zac, 21, and Isaac, 26 - haven't managed to duplicate that success, but they have continued to release albums and win a measure of respect and critical acclaim, no small accomplishments for a one-time teeny-bopper band.
Now the Hansons are gearing up for the release of their fourth studio album, "The Walk," due out on Tuesday. It represents a significant creative leap forward. The first fully independent release on Hanson's own 3CG Records, much of the album was recorded live in their Tulsa studio and features production work from Danny Kortchmar, known for his work with Billy Joel, James Taylor and the Eagles.
"None of it was recorded in an environment outside of our own control," Taylor Hanson said. "The label we were signed to - it wasn't that major labels on the whole are just bad - it was just that on the last record we were on a label (Def Jam) that was totally consolidated and that had become a rap label, so we were in an environment that was really contrary to what we were trying to do."
Creative control meant the freedom to cross boundaries, both musical and geographical. During the recording process, the brothers visited South Africa and Mozambique to gain firsthand perspective on the AIDS epidemic. While there, they recorded two children's choirs that appear throughout "The Walk," and later recorded the song "Great Divide." Proceeds from the songs' downloads will benefit a South African hospital.
"We felt like this record wasn't going to be finished until we made that trip," Taylor said. "Our real interest came from the fact that we're from the Midwest. There's a real generational and geographic call to action. If this group of people in this part of America said, ‘This is important to us,' that psychologically could change the entire approach and attack for what's going on with AIDS."
Taylor said a 10-day trip to Africa and a charity single is only a small first step, but it is a start.
It's also evidence of further growth for a band that could have rested on its "MMMBop" laurels and spiraled off into once-a-pop-star oblivion
"In retrospect, I'm blown away that we were able to do what we did at that age," Taylor said, "and that we have really been so lucky in many ways to have stayed successful. I mean, nobody has a crystal ball. Nobody really knows if something's going to work or not."
Hanson, with Keaton Simons, at Avalon, Saturday at 7. Tickets: $26
For more info on Hanson:
https://www.hanson.net/site/hanson/link/1/50937