The name Hanson evokes many feelings, and whether they're of nostalgia for the first quivers rippling through a set of preteen loins or of hatred for an entity that wouldn't escape Top 40 radio for months at a time is left up to many factors. Either way, the brothers three are back with a new album, a documentary, their own independent record label and a sampler they've put together to distribute with their concert tickets.
Isaac, 24, Taylor, 22, and Zac, 19, have grown up quite a bit since the release of their major label debut, "Middle of Nowhere," in 1997. Now, they're embarking on their "Live and Electric Tour '05," and have made a tour compilation available to all who purchase entry into the show. Included on the sampler are artists like Pat McGee, the opening band on their tour, Austin's David Garza, 28 Days and The Hero Factor.
"I think the compilation goes directly to the vein of what we believe, which is to really introduce great new music to our fans and connect fan bases," Taylor said.
Hanson released their most mature album to date, "Underneath," in 2004. Putting the album out themselves on their new, independent record label, 3CG Records, proved successful in the creative scheme of things but was a lot of extra work.
"With regards to actually being the record company and dealing with the logistics of that on a day-to-day basis, I'll just say I'm glad I'm in a band of three guys and not a solo artist," Isaac said.
The boys aren't just excited to talk about their record company - they've also made a documentary about the process of starting it. "Strong Enough to Break" is a film about "the dynamic of the changing music business and how the people - the people that make up a lot of the major labels these days - maybe lost the ability to lead things in a direction that's productive and the artist's choice," Taylor said.
"We have labels, and we have the option to go that way, but we're choosing to say, 'No, we're going to do this on our own because we believe in our ideas and we believe this is the best place to be in the music industry right now,'" Zac said.
As if they weren't taking on enough, the boys also decided to host an opening band competition in their tour markets for independent artists. The band hopes the vibrant local music scene available in most cities will bring them lots of contestants. Bands can enter the competition starting this week, and then the judging will begin. Hanson will weed the bands down to three before letting the fans vote on which they want via their website.
For a band that has the balls to "open almost every single show" with the Radiohead track "Optimistic," taking on all of these tasks at once might not seem so laborious. The hurdles they've had to jump over, the band says, have been easy because they're the guinea pig for their own record label.
The band seems enthusiastic about all they're taking on these days. With their popularity and an original fan base that's grown from middle school to college, they should do fine.
Who'd they like to see do a cover of "MMMBop"?
"It has to be a band that could at least do some kind of harmony in the chorus. ... I would love to hear a mellow version done by the band Travis," Isaac said.
