from the summer 2000 issue of "What" magazine
written by/credits given to karen bliss
Screaming engines, white-knuckled turns and heart-in-your-throat acceleration is virtually no sweat for Hanson. Especially considering how the brothers steered their was back to the top of the charts after an often-fatal absence from the faithless music scene.
The Tulsa trio recently visited Canada to promote their new, critically-applauded CD, This Time Around, joining fans at the Indy 500 games area inside Toronto's Playdium entertainment arcade. The guys shifted wildly, careening around virtual tracks in their simulated Formula One race cars until finally, Taylor, 17, Zac, 14, and Isaac, 19, crossed the line in first, second, and third places respectively.
"It was fun," Taylor reported. "Your butt is vibrating and you're like, 'Woah! This is weir-rrr-rr-d!'
"The thing is," he continued, in a more serious tone,"they really haven't reached the point of making something {that makes you} feel like you're actually driving."
You could've said the exact same thing about Hanson - up until the recent release of This Time Around, a vehicle that saw the trio get behind the wheel as creators and co-producers.
"It's not like we weren't doing the same thing on the last record," asserted Isaac. "It's just more acknowledging that we were actually producing, because we're very involved in the process. Everything goes through us."
Unquestionably one of the most talented, musically-proficient and solid of all the under-25 bands out there, Hanson delivers vibrant, punchy, southern-tinged rock'n'roll that puts to shame the music of some acts twice their age. Unlike most of their contemporaries on the Top 40, drummer Zac, keyboardist Taylor and guitarist Isaac gladly took writing reins for This Time Around - a return to the way the brothers worked before they signed with Island Records.
"Writing with people on the first record was definitely different because we'd always written on our own," said Taylor, admitting they are driven by hard work. "Officially, we'd done two albums before Middle Of Nowhere {their 1997, eight-million-unit selling debut} and then we had demos before that."
In only a few years, the brothers have managed to complete several laps on the pop music circuit, gaining conviction and new insights into their own capabilities.
"Every day and every month and every year that goes by, you get better at what you do," spouted Isaac with all the wisdom of a veteran musician. "You have even more confidence and knowledge of where you are going."
Hanson's take-charge attitude also entitled them to co-production credit on the album with Stephen Lironi {Jon Bon Jovi, Black Grape}. Because they'd worked with Lironi on Nowhere, they had already earned the seasoned producer's respect. But that's not the case with everyone they meet in the music industry.
"Some people have problems with the age thing and some don't. We never think about that," Taylor said.
"We always give everyone else respect - so we expect the same," explained Isaac.
Although total professionals in the studio and on stage, the Hansons firmly adhere to the maxim "boys will be boys" in their free time. During their break between albums, the guys managed to squeeze in some rock climbing, catch a wave surfing, bolt around trails on their dirt bikes and work up a sweat on the soccer field and basketball court. And it's obvious they've had time to polish their simulated Formula One skills - even if Taylor is a little jaded by virtual racing mechanisms.
The only Hanson member with a legit driver's permit, Isaac explained to his little bro,"If it was really like driving, you would have to be a professional to drive with the kind of g-force and resistance you get from a steering wheel when you're going 200 miles an hour."
"Yeah, but the way it jerks and stuff is not {like driving}," maintained Taylor with a critical edge.
We'll never know whether the brothers Hanson eventually hit the brakes on the driving debate, or not. But somehow, like everything else they do well, they probably managed to ride it out.
leslie malkin l.malkin@m2ci.mb.ca
