The Hanson brothers are busy these days. Especially this weekend.
May 4th, 2013
by Jennifer Chancellor
They’re celebrating Hanson Day. Not by decree of the governor, mind you, but by informal decree of a power much greater — the pop band’s legion fans.
Hanson Day was declared May 6, 1997.
“It is a typical, one-time deal, you know, Gov. Frank Keating dedicated a day to us,” said Isaac Hanson, 32, the eldest brother.
Hanson fans took that date to heart and “started planning their own Hanson Day events, in their own home cities, in parks, having parties, listening to our music. It became a regular thing.”
The band threw itself a few Hanson Day parties here and there and invited fans to their home city of Tulsa. Soon, the parties grew into “official” events. Then, they grew into weekend-spanning events. Last year — the band’s 20th anniversary — was the biggest yet, he said, when thousands of fans from across the globe merged on the band’s hometown for street parties, concerts, shopping, sightseeing and more.
All Hanson Day events are exclusive to Hanson Fan Club members, Isaac said.
Events through this weekend will include a concert, movie screenings, art show, dinner, album listening party, bowling and more.
This year, the parties are smaller, but they’re still exclusive — and sold out.
This year, too, the band’s first album, “Middle of Nowhere,” turns 16.
“So, ‘MMMBop’ can legally drive … awwww,” Isaac Hanson said during a recent telephone interview.
Watch out!
Plus, the whole month is “sort of a big thing” for all the brothers, as May 15, 1992, was the band’s first “proper” gig — at Mayfest.
“So, we like to celebrate the whole month,” he said. “It’s a big anniversary for us.”
It’s also a busy month this year, too. Two songs from the upcoming ninth studio album, “Anthem,” are being played on the Fox Sports network. The album won’t drop until June 18, but the music’s firing up sports nuts.
Hanson sang the national anthem the lpast two years for the Western Conference Basketball Finals. Isaac said he’s a Thunder season ticket holder.
Those two ties helped when the group started recording its latest album, “Anthem.”
First, “Fired Up” is the promotional music for Thunder games on-air and in commercials. Second, “You Can’t Stop Us Now” is “being used across all Fox Sports network platforms right now.”
Both were written for the album, but “we knew, eventually, that the sports theme fit into what this album is about. The songs weren’t written for Fox — they were written for the album. But, we also knew, that that’s where our sound was going. We wanted big, heavy-stepping music that didn’t tiptoe around anything.”
That is also part of the reason for the album’s name, he said. “Everything about this album feels big and bold. We take our sound farther than we have before. We have everything from the ’60s R&B-inspired songs with big horns to the riffs on AC/DC and Queen. We’re not treading lightly. Everyone can find their anthem — their song — their place on this album.”
The band’s music is getting heavy, early exposure — the band’s also played the album’s first single, “Get The Girl Back,” live on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The star-studded official video includes appearances from Kat Dennings, Nikki Reed, Drake Bell and Drew Seeley. Hanson’s also set a worldwide tour that runs through November.
Source: Tulsa Word
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