My, how you’ve grown…
1997. 2007.
Old sound (so cute – with disco ball!). New sound (yep).
Last week I interviewed drummer Zac Hanson for this album review/short feature…
Mention the band Hanson, and you’ll hear an inevitable snigger. Ten years ago, its syrupy yet infectious confection, “MMMBop,†burned up the airwaves as DJs and VJs spun it hour after hour. The journey from long-haired blond boys to mature men has been exceedingly kind to the brothers, and their recently released album, “The Walk,†is a culmination of who they’ve become.
Guitarist Isaac, 26, keyboardist Taylor, 24, and drummer Zac, 21, are taller, darker and married, but the “blue-eyed soul†brothers are still writing their own songs, playing their own instruments and three-part-harmonizing their own tunes.
Hanson’s story isn’t one you’d expect from a so-called boy band of the ’90s. While groups like the Backstreet Boys were packaged and marketed like widgets, Hanson walked headlong into independence, having won the right to control and own their music.
Disenchanted with former label Island/Def Jam Records, the brothers rebelled against the label’s tunnel-vision quest to produce a hit song at the expense of the band’s artistic integrity. Trying to shed a bubble gum pop image, Hanson didn’t cave to the pressure. After a frustrating three-year ordeal over creative differences, it left and formed its own label, 3CG Records. The group chronicled its battle with Island/Def Jam in a documentary called “Strong Enough To Break,†which premiered at the 2006 Hollywood Film Festival and is available as a free download exclusively on iTunes.
Check out the print version in PDF (color photo included).
Related Update (9/14): You’re fighting a losing battle, dear. You can’t stop this. It’s too late. Embrace the technology and use it to your advantage.
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