Tulsa Times #27 The Art of Hanson

The Art of Hanson

Among the many interviews carried out during a tour, a few stand out as offering genuine insight into the mind of Hanson.

The recent Backstage with Hanson … by The Recording Academy Texas Chapter touches on the influences, the creative process and the collaborative nature of the band.

http://www.grammy365.com/video/texas-chapter/austin-backstage-hanson

In this interview, each member of the band speaks candidly about their motivation, inspirations and further intentions, making it as clear as can be, that this band has a long way still to go.

As they speak, they express clarity of purpose and demonstrate such an understanding of the terrain they travel in, that it is hard to imagine them doing anything other than continuing the journey towards the fulfilment of their artistic goals and their business plans.

And it seems that each new album and each tour is an artistic challenge for Hanson; one that they embrace with enthusiasm, excitement and execute with skill.

For whilst Hanson are businessmen, they are artists first and foremost and the music making will always be at their core.
It is the art that drives the business and the business that fuels the art.

On this journey there are some guiding principles that shape the way Hanson’s music develops.

One of these, that the band refers to frequently, is the desire to capture the particular sound that is Hanson.

Their unique artistry lies in their capacity and determination to capture the sound of the three individuals playing together, in the room, in all the complexity and simplicity of that moment.

As a result this music is generous. It is shared. It is not selfish or self seeking.
The instruments work together as do the voices, to achieve some combined goal.

This is artistic collaboration at its best.

Bringing together their skills, knowledge and talents, they create in a relaxed and generative space. Here they enjoy the creative process, allow themselves the freedom for serious play, throw around ideas and bounce things off the walls.

The rubbish bin of abandoned ideas in the Hanson studio must be an interesting one, but you might guess that nothing is discarded that has an iota of merit for the future.

And that moment described above, is exactly what Hanson are sharing with the audience on the Anthem Tour; the moment when some spark ignites, makes sense and generates a connection that matters.

As Hanson continues the Anthem Tour across Canada and into Europe, more people will hear that unique sound, be invited to make that connection and live the Hanson music experience.

Today is the birthday of Raymond Loewy.
Loewy, who designed the Coca Cola bottle and many other iconic American household items, claimed to have “made the life of the 20^th Century more beautiful.”

He once said, “It all must start with an inspired, spontaneous idea”.

Hanson and their fans can claim to know something about inspired ideas.

Unfortunately it isn’t possible to work out the inspiration behind every lyric, or understand every nuance in the explanations given by Hanson of how the songs for Anthem came together in El Paso.

But certainly fans and maybe even Hanson themselves, would be happy to acknowledge that their music and their art are, by any name, making the 21^st Century more beautiful.