Teen idols' tour is putting their live performance skills to the test

June 28, 1998

BY BRIAN McCOLLUM
Free Press Pop Music Critic

So here's where Detroit gets the answer to one of the most pressing questions in contemporary art.

Do those Hanson kids really have the chops?

Oh, we know that was them performing on their breakthrough album, last year's 3.8-million-selling "Middle of Nowhere" -- even if they did get some snazzy production help from the Dust Brothers and other grown-ups.

And we know it was them on the recently released "3 Car Garage," a collection of lo-fi demos cut before the group's signing with Mercury Records.

We've even seen the young group onstage, albeit for quick spots on shows like "Saturday Night Live," "Late Show with David Letterman" and the Grammy Awards, where the song of choice was the band's ubiquitous No. 1 hit, "MMMBop."

But we'll get our first extended look at Hanson's live skills Monday night at sold-out Pine Knob, as the three Oklahoma brothers kick out the jams for an honest-to-goodness concert -- part of their first U.S. tour.

Hanson -- featuring guitarist Ike (17), vocalist Taylor (15) and drummer Zac (12) -- will be back in town for a show at the Palace on July 28.

A few local folks were lucky enough to catch the group in spring 1997, when the threesome played a short set for an industry party at an Ypsilanti hotel. Supplemented by a keyboardist, bassist and guitarist, the brothers tossed together a polished set that had the place buzzing afterward.

With a year to fine-tune the live performance, the brothers insist, it's even better now.

'A great response'

FREE PRESS: Are you pleased with the set? Is stuff coming together?

ZAC: Oh yeah, we're definitely happy with the live show. It's whether you're happy with it.

FP: Well, what kind of reaction are you getting from people who have seen the full set?

ZAC: So far, it's been pretty good. People haven't known what to expect. Because we're three guys, people thought we would dance and sing. But once they actually heard us, they thought it was pretty cool. We've gotten a great response.

FP: What's changed since we saw you here last spring?

TAYLOR: Mostly that we've really rehearsed the show, and everybody's really tight on what they're doing. It's just about getting down and dirty, start being critical about each little part.

These guys are for real

Let's make it clear: Hanson is not New Kids on the Block. It's not the Spice Girls. It's not the Monkees.

Yes, the group's ardent following -- legions of shrieking girls and a fan base that seems to get younger each week -- resembles the devotion that's been directed toward those fakers.

And, sure, maybe you like your music with a little more backbeat on the bottom, a little less sunshine on top. But Hanson, love or hate its sounds, is a real band: The brothers got together in the garage, learned to play their instruments, taught themselves to harmonize, learned to piece together chord progressions and the melodies that go on top.

FP:Do you feel you have to prove something to the people who have downplayed or criticized you? Or do you just shove them aside and say, "Well, we don't need them as fans anyway?"

IKE: I don't think you ever shove anyone aside. At the same time, I don't think you have to prove anything. I mean, I think you continue to do your music, and there are always going to be people who don't like your music, you know? A band like Hootie & the Blowfish, they sold 14 million albums, but there were still tons of people that didn't like them.

You're going to have your critics. And that's part of life. Honestly, you just hope you can expand your audience and that your initial fans will continue to enjoy your music....

That's also another important thing: Continue to love what you're doing, because I think that gets communicated in the music.

FP: What's been the biggest misperception of Hanson? What do people get wrong the most?

TAYLOR: Well, you definitely can't correct all the wrongs of the world, that's for sure. (Laughs) That's kind of a question like, "If you could change the world, what would be the one thing you'd do? Would you save the whales or the endangered purple snake?"

Any surprises?

There won't be any endangered purple snakes at Pine Knob, but there will be a whale of a stage set, including a backdrop fashioned to look like the brothers' living room.

FP: Any surprises in the set list?

ZAC: There's one song that hasn't been recorded on an album ever, and one that's on the first album we did. And we just released our second independent album, "3 Car Garage," so we're playing a lot of those songs. And, of course, all the ("Middle of Nowhere") songs. Then there's, I think, three or four covers.

FP: So it's a pretty long set, then.

ZAC: Oh, yeah, it's long. I guess.

A long wait

The show may be long, but this tour is short. Right now, Hanson is scheduled to play only a dozen U.S. dates -- not exactly time to feel the wear and tear of rock 'n' roll's revered highway. Some concert insiders speculate that's a mandate from the Hanson parents, conservative folks ensuring that their boys don't get snared and spit out by the churning music-biz machine.

But in fact, others say, Mercury thought the group needed more practice.

FP: Why the long gap between your breakthrough and your tour?

TAYLOR: It's one of those logistics things, you know. You've got the press and all that to do. Which, of course you're psyched to do, when somebody wants you on their TV show or whatever. But the next album is going to be coming around, and it was time to get out there and play finally.

ZAC: The thing is, we were out on the road, and we were in all these places. But we never got to do shows, because you have to do all these interviews and radio stations and things, so you could never do real, full concerts.

FP: Did you need the rehearsal time?

ZAC: That was definitely part of it.... We needed some time to work the songs up.

A changing sound

Hanson has started writing material for its next record, the official follow-up to "Middle of Nowhere." It's due by year's end.

Indeed, says Ike, the oldest Hanson and the one who seems to have the most solid grip on the group's long-term plans, the brothers are continually writing songs -- on the bus, in hotels, wherever the muse strikes.

FP: Where is Hanson's sound headed?

IKE: I think it's pretty safe to say that "Middle of Nowhere" does not describe Hanson. There's a lot of other music that very much comes from us.... So along with stuff that's similar to that album, I think you'll also hear some stuff that you didn't expect us to do.

FP:Well, "Middle of Nowhere" attracted fans and critics because it was so relentlessly catchy. When it comes down to it, which of you is the one with the ear for melody?

IKE: Hmmm. Well, you know, it depends on the day and the song. We all are very much involved in the writing process, so I wouldn't say one person has an ear for it -- I think everybody does.

FP:Sort of a family trait?

IKE: Yeah, something like that! Actually, I think in some ways that's what you'll hear less of on the next album: a little bit less pop melody.

FP: Obviously, a lot of people want to know about Taylor's changing voice.

TAYLOR: You've just got to go with the flow. The voices have definitely changed a little, but that's going to happen.

FP: Have you adjusted the key of any songs to fit your new range?

TAYLOR: There are some songs that have changed -- we've gone back and forth, definitely -- but it's one of those things probably nobody will even notice in the show, because it hasn't changed that much.

Beatles-like growth?

At Pine Knob on Monday, you'll hear plenty of melodies. You'll also see a lot of banners. They'll say things like "Hanson Rocks!!!!" Girls will scream, boyfriends will glance around awkwardly, and parents will try to dig the tunes.

And the whole scene will look mighty familiar to anyone who was around in 1964.

FP: Do you look to groups like the Beatles, who debuted very much in the teen idol mode -- with infectious radio hits -- but grew as artists through their career?

IKE: I think anyone would love to be able to achieve that kind of success, as far as being able to take their audience with them on that kind of journey, from initially great, catchy songs to interesting songs. I mean, you're talking about the Beatles, the best band ever in rock 'n' roll. It's amazing.

Really, there are bands nowadays, like Aerosmith, who I think have their 25th anniversary coming up. Talk about a band that's had great, lasting power and just continually puts out great songs.

Anyone hopes that people will continue to enjoy their music and that they can take their audience with them to other places, along with places they're familiar with.

I think you're constantly expanding musically. You want to make it interesting for your audience, and keep it interesting for you, because I think sometimes what happens is people -- either bands or audiences -- get stuck in expecting something from someone. And when they do something slightly different -- from either end -- they get a little scared.

FP: And that's the risk you take when moving forward.