"And now, the Hansons three--Isaac, Taylor, and Zac--are no longer cute. They're hot."

~Tulsa World, July 23, 2001

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May Site of the Month: Hanson in Clay-O-Vision

By far *the * most creative site on the net is Hanson in Clay-O-Vision. It is so well-crafted that it was once featured as a MOE Netpick, chosen by Hanson themselves. This site is filled with tons of witty and clever things to see. There are little clay Hanson figures, all of which are featured in such scenes as a game show, the eClay auction house, concert scrapbook, and even Hanson on Survivor. (Little Clay Taylor is as adorable and precious as can be! I want a Clay Tay of my very own!!!) The time and effort the creators, Daniel and Cynthia, put into this site is tremendous, and we applaud them for it. If you haven't been there, or haven't been there for a while, please go visit Hanson in Clay-O-Vision at http://clayvision.net/hanson/ .

Hanson is the only teen band that matters.

~"Love Me Teen-der: Hanson Rise Above the Pop Pack", by Geoffrey Himes for Guitar.com, April 17, 2001

The Hanson brothers know that their teen-idol looks and impeccable hooks, along with their unsettling habit of, like, playing guitars, make them an anomaly in the pop-music world of 2001.

But as Hanson begin work on their third full-fledged major-label album, they don't feel trapped between pop and rock ? they just feel free. And if you don't like it ? well, they don't give an mmmbop.

~"Hanson Working on Third LP - Whether You Like It or Not", by Brian Hiatt, for MTV.com, April 4, 2001

Isaac, meanwhile, describes the new music as "a little bit more dynamic" but says the sibling trio from Oklahoma hopes to "explore mellow" a bit more than on its previous releases. "You want people to be able to feel the different emotions. You want to make sure you've really got people hooked on that really mellow moment and that really exciting, no-holds-barred moment, and that 'this is a good driving song' moment."

~Hanson Records with Sweet for Next LP", by Gary Graff, for Wall of Sound, March 27, 2001

In a pop-music world dominated by acts like 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys, Hanson is the one most likely to last. That's because these three blond boys from Tulsa, Oklahoma, are not puppets dangling from the strings of some adult svengali. Isaac, Taylor and Zach Hanson play their own instruments, write their own songs, sing their own harmonies and co-produce their own albums.

~"Love Me Teen-der: Hanson Rise Above the Pop Pack", by Geoffrey Himes for Guitar.com, April 17, 2001

"I was amazed by them, watching them play and sing," he continues. "You always got the sense that they were actually talented but they really have that brothers thing. They have a sixth sense when they play together."

~Matthew Sweet on co-writing the song "Underneath" with Hanson, "Hanson, Sweet Go Underneath", by Greg Heller, for Rollingstone.com, April 12, 2001

Zach Hanson, the youngest at 14, sat behind the drum set with a long, sandy ponytail trailing down his back and smacked out the punchy beat. Taylor Hanson, 17, lifted his bushy eyebrows every time he shifted from verse to chorus and often jumped out from behind his keyboards to run up to the stage edge and urge the crowd to sing along with his sexily soulful vocals. Isaac Hanson, the oldest at 19, planted a maroon Les Paul against his right hip and bashed out the signature riffs.

~"Love Me Teen-der: Hanson Rise Above the Pop Pack", by Geoffrey Himes for Guitar.com, April 17, 2001

Hanson also hooked up with Matthew Sweet for a new song, "Underneath," that the band considers the song to be "a title-track contender" for the next album.

~Hanson Records with Sweet for Next LP", by Gary Graff, for Wall of Sound, March 27, 2001

Two things separate Hanson from the world's million other teenage garage bands: hooks to die for and voices to melt the stoniest hearts.

~"Love Me Teen-der: Hanson Rise Above the Pop Pack", by Geoffrey Himes for Guitar.com, April 17, 2001

Now the brothers Hanson -• Isaac, Taylor and Zac -- are hard at work on a record they hope will marry the success of one to the punchy feel of the other and in the process show the world what they've know all along: Hanson are a hard-working, musically gifted and educated rock band.

~"Hanson, Sweet Go Underneath", by Greg Heller, for Rollingstone.com, April 12, 2001

These are three small-town kids in a garage band who sound like three small-town kids in a garage band. They bash out their chords in a burst of youthful enthusiasm; they join their genetically matched voices in giddy harmonies. They sing about every teenager's eager hunger for romance and experience and about every teenager's impatience that these things never come quickly enough.

~"Love Me Teen-der: Hanson Rise Above the Pop Pack", by Geoffrey Himes for Guitar.com, April 17, 2001

"They were the year's *other* big pop phenomenon that you wanted to love to hate--only you couldn't because, it turned out, *these* kids had talent in as much abundance as pluck. Long after 'Posh' and 'Sporty' are consigned to the Trivial Pursuit bin--and well after the teen mags have moved on to the next big little thing--it's possible the brothers Hanson will still be crafting pleasures as indelible as 'MMMBop.' The youngest, Zac, at 11, can actually play the drum kit he's almost able to see over; the eldest, Isaac, 17, will eventually be able to concentrate more on songwriting than babysitting; and heartthrobby Taylor, 14, has handily survived the voice change that arrived between Middle of Nowhere and the Christmas album Snowed In. Not since the Jackson 5 has pubescence been this much fun--and doggone, they seem so well-adjusted, they won't ever have to commiserate with Liz Taylor."

~"Best New Band", Entertainment Weekly, 12/26/97

Thanks to Christina for sending in this 'blast from the past' article!

Recalling their beginnings, Zac says, "We were trying to meet with people in the music world. There was this agent coming through Tulsa. My mom found out where got everybody up at 6 a.m. We went over and asked him to come down to the lobby. There we were, standing in our pajamas, ready to perform."

~Modern Drummer, August 2000

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!

"We would have never imagined that we had fans around the world. We would have never had any idea. We're constantly amazed."

~Isaac, msn chat, 6/17/00

"My favorite thing to do when I get home is mow the lawn!"

~Zac, TV Hits, June2000

"These guys actually play musical instruments and know about chord changes and doing more than photocopying other people's lyrics."

September 19, 2000, REVIEW: Hanson brothers entertain with real musical talent, By Al Choman TIMES-SHAMROCK NEWS WRITER, WILKES-BARRE

"Hanson may not be the flavor of the month with pop-radio programmers, but their fan base is fiercely loyal."

September 19, 2000, REVIEW: Hanson brothers entertain with real musical talent, By Al Choman TIMES-SHAMROCK NEWS WRITER, WILKES-BARRE

Q: Hey Isaac! I was wondering if you've learned any new instruments besides guitar and piano?

Isaac: ïI've always dabbled in the drums. But I am a guitarist not a drummer, so I would refrain from saying that I actually play the drums. You wouldn't want me as your drummer in your band!

~Yahoo! Chat, December 23, 2000

"The pro is that when I'm 25, I'll be an elder in music. The con is getting looked down on because you're the young kid doing music. You don't get enough respect in some situations. You work that out by just playing music and saying, 'I don't care what these people think. If they don't like the music then I don't want to hear about it'."

~Zac, "Hanson: The All American Boys", Jennifer Maerz

"In the future, when teen-pop acts such as 'N Sync and Brittney Spears are as thoroughly forgotten as the New Kids on the Block and Tiffany are today, Hanson will still be remembered in the same way Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers and the Jackson 5 are - as rare examples of puppy-love rock done right."

~Geoffrey Hime, Washington Post. 12/29/00

Isaac, meanwhile, describes the new music as "a little bit more dynamic" but says the sibling trio from Oklahoma hopes to "explore mellow" a bit more than on its previous releases. "You want people to be able to feel the different emotions. You want to make sure you've really got people hooked on that really mellow moment and that really exciting, no-holds-barred moment, and that 'this is a good driving song' moment."

Wall of Sound, April 2001

Thanks so much, Kris, for the lovely Nashville pic! :)

"I guess it's possible that I'll be 25 and bald (in ten years) or we could be bums on the street. The way I'm looking at it, it doesn't do me much good to worry about the future."

~Zac, "Blond Ambition", Wendy Case for the Detroit News

It is time for MTV's generation to be able to recognize the difference between raw talent and manufactured talent.

~Debra Halpern, The Tartan, 10/2/00

"You inevitably write songs wherever you are. And doing a record, you're very focused on that intense creative moment. You'll feel that sudden spark, that 'Oh, my gosh, we just came up with that!' But live, it's more about getting to play and giving a lot to the crowd. So, it's two different dynamics, but they're equally important."

~Isaac, Tulsa World, July 23, 2000

I've wanted to do music for a very, very long time. It's not something that someone can take out of me, and tell me 'OK, you're going to perform this song, and your dance or whatever it is, and you're going to be the cute one and you're going to like the color green.' It's not like that; it's never going to be like that, because I love doing it too much. Music and performing and being a part of every single aspect of what I do is too much in me for anything like that to ever happen."

~Zac, "Portrait of Hanson" by Jeff Napier, 10/19/00

Thanks to Kris for today's pic!

Taylor: I feel good about you too, but I don't want to kiss you all over.

Rick (laughing): No, no, no, no no.

Taylor: I don't know about you, but we haven't even known each other that long.

Rick: No, no that's all right.

~After the song "Kiss you All Over" was played on an early Rick Dees Interview

"Hanson are three globe-trotting rock stars who still live with their parents and like to kick back with their friends at the local coffee shop. These good Christian boys resist tempatations of easy sex and plentiful drugs, instead getting their thrills riding dirtbikes, rock climbing, and of course, playing music." ~"Hanson: The All American Boys" by Jennifer Maerz

There's little doubt that the trio is talented, and when the brothers get back to some basic elements in the harmony-filled finale "A Song to Sing," it's clear that they've still got time on their side.

~Kevin O'Hare, Review of TTA from the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twin Cities, Minnesota), Sunday, May 14, 2000

Isaac - Hey everyone out there on internet ::laughs::

Taylor - Hello to everybody watching

Isaac - Hello

Taylor - I'm Taylor, this is Isaac

Isaac - Yes, I am Isaac

Taylor - And we are part of Hanson

Isaac - Part of Hanson...two thirds of Hanson

Getmusic - So, where is the rest of Hanson?

Taylor - Umm the rest of Hanson...is right here in my heart (with weepy voice and touching chest) ::laughs:: No, umm Zac...

Isaac - Zac actually passed away recently ::laughs::

Taylor - Yeah, we're actually searching for him, if you've seen Zac, please call this number

Isaac - ...please let us know

Taylor - Umm, we're just

Isaac - Actually he ran off with a really gorgeous, exotic woman and we haven't seen him...it's tough

Taylor ...we could use a drummer, if you guys know anybody...

Isaac - So, if you know any drummers out there, if you feel like auditioning for a band we are holding open auditions until we find him again and then when we find him...

Taylor - ...you're fired

Isaac - ...you're out of the band, but...

Taylor- Or if you find the exotic woman...either one

Isaac - Yeah, because the band might be over then anyways

~Getmusic, SXSW interview, February 2001

Thanks to the Hanson Hotel for the transcript of the interview!

Priestly: We were talking about Elvis and younger guys, we were just talking about being young in the industry.

Taylor: It's Elvis from Chicago.

Isaac: (Elvis voice) We were talkiní about a lil' of this man, is that what your sayiní man, I need some Capní Crunch, man-

Preistly: He's channeling the king

. Isaac: (Elvis voice) I need to eat some cereal.

Isaac: (Elvis voice) Ya know, I really need a Nutty Buddy, that's really what I need man.

Preistly: What were these guys doing on the helicopter over here?

~Hanson interveiw on B102.7, March 2000

Thanks to Meghan for sending in this quote!

Regarding the tour that finds them playing in places less than half the size of the "Middle of Nowhere" venues, such as the A.J. Palumbo Theatre in Pittsburgh, Zac has this to say: "We've kind of scaled down, doing smaller venues, which is actually quite cool because the sound is ridiculously better than last time."

~"MMMFlop CD Doesn't Faze Hanson", by Ed Masley for the Post-Gazette.com, September 24, 2000