Zac Hanson<\/b><\/p>\n
Storming out of Tulsa, Oklahoma with their major-label debut, Middle Of Nowhere, featuring the \u201ccan\u2019t get it out of my head\u201d hit \u201cMMMBop,\u201d drummer Zac Hanson and his brothers Isaac and Taylor became the biggest-selling teen idols of 1997. Zac, only eleven years old at the time, found himself a superstar overnight.<\/i><\/p>\n
by Billy Amendola<\/p>\n
28 October 2004<\/p>\n
Now nineteen and the CEO of the band\u2019s label, 3CG, Zac speaks to MD online about what it\u2019s like for him eight years later. The brothers\u2019 latest CD is Underneath, and, unlike it predecessor, it lists only Zac behind the kit.<\/p>\n
A few years ago I saw Zac perform live. Speaking with him shortly after, I found him to be very serious about his playing and his music. So it came as no surprise that on Underneath Zac sounds as solid as a seasoned session drummer. The band is currently on a national tour; we caught up with the drummer in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
MD:<\/b> You\u2019re credited as the only drummer playing on your new album.
\nZac:<\/b> Yes. Luis Conte played percussion. He drips rhythm. It\u2019s like he walks in and everybody suddenly gets a backbeat just because he\u2019s there. [laughs] I was holding the same shaker Luis was, but for some reason it sounded thirty times better when he played it. And how he got that little triplet in there that he adds\u2014that flick of the wrist or movement of a finger\u2026.
\nMD:<\/b> Prior to that, did you play on your first two records?
\nZac:<\/b> I didn\u2019t play that much on our first record, but I did play on most of the second one, This Time Around<\/i>. I was an eleven-year-old who was playing for three years at that point. I\u2019m sure you know that Abe Laboriel Jr. played on some tracks.
\nMD:<\/b> Were you in the studio when Abe cut those tracks?
\nZac:<\/b> Yes. I was the one who asked him to come in, because I\u2019m such a fan of his drumming. I felt, \u201cYou know what? I\u2019m not going to do as good a job on this song.\u201d Abe is so talented as a drummer, and his feel\u2026he knows how to play music while drumming. He knows how not<\/i> to play, yet he can play anything.<\/p>\n
One of my favorite moments was just sitting down with him, with two drumsets, just playing and talking shop for a while. I don\u2019t consider myself a drummer\u2019s drummer. I\u2019ve never wanted to be the guy who could play the most notes, I just wanted to be Ringo Starr, a guy who adds great parts to the songs. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve done it yet, but that\u2019s what I strive to do. Abe is a great example of a drummer who can play with such a solid backbeat and still be musical and throw in a trill or whatever when he needs<\/i> to\u2014without overplaying. That\u2019s always the key. It\u2019s like some drummers get so good, they don\u2019t know how to play stupid any more.
\nMD:<\/b> Explain what you mean by \u201cplaying stupid.\u201d
\nZac:<\/b> I just mean playing simple beats. Look at the great drummers who play on records. They\u2019re the ones who can play the simple beats, perfectly. You don\u2019t get paid more for more notes.
\nMD:<\/b> What did you learn from Abe?
\nZac:<\/b> I learned from just listening to his drumming. On our second record the songs that he did play on, I had to re-create live. So when I went back and listened to what he\u2019d done, I incorporated his ideas into my playing.
\nMD:<\/b> Let\u2019s go back to the beginning. Who and what made you want to play drums?
\nZac:<\/b> I guess it sort of came naturally to me. I always had an affinity for banging on stuff. I\u2019ve always been the more secluded brother, so sitting at the back of the stage and going about my business made sense to me as a person. And then once I started playing drums, it was just something that naturally fit well. And I really enjoyed it once I started doing it\u2014there\u2019s no stopping once you start.
\nMD:<\/b> Did you then take formal lessons?
\nZac:<\/b> I took drum lessons for about a month, mostly from a teacher in town who was a rock drummer in a local band. He started me off with some basic beats. I didn\u2019t start by doing paradiddles and rudiments, I started off only playing beats.
\nMD:<\/b> Do you think that that\u2019s what made you think more musically in your playing?
\nZac:<\/b> Definitely! I\u2019m very thankful that I started off that way, because I think it put the right idea in my head about where I\u2019m supposed to be as a drummer\u2014where drums should sit in a piece of music, my piece of the puzzle.
\nMD:<\/b> So, next thing you know you is, you\u2019re eleven years old and an overnight superstar. The pressure had to be tremendous.
\nZac:<\/b> So many people think they know who you are and what you\u2019re supposed to be. I think we\u2019re all very lucky to be three guys instead of one\u2014and especially<\/i> to be brothers. There was no disconnect. I\u2019ve heard producers and songwriters we\u2019ve worked with say, \u201cYou know, those guys are sometimes hard to work with because they all agree on everything.\u201d [laughs] We have a very common vision for where we are as a band and where we\u2019re going. Though, we\u2019re all songwriters, and we\u2019re all writing songs separately with different people, and we come out with three completely different styles. But when we come together we have a very strong vision for where we\u2019re<\/i> going.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything worse than not growing as a songwriter. Music is a constantly evolving thing, because it\u2019s a representation of a human being. Whatever it\u2019s about, it\u2019s got to feel natural, it\u2019s got to feel honest. I find music is really there to help people express emotions that they can\u2019t express themselves.
\nMD:<\/b> Going back to the drums, on the new record, how did you cut the tracks? Was it heavily ProTooled?
\nZac:<\/b> No, definitely not. There were even a couple tracks cut live, like \u201cUnderneath.\u201d \u201cWhen You\u2019re Gone\u201d was cut mostly live.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unfortunate, but a lot of music is ProTooled to death. They\u2019ve defined exact tempos of where songs should be. But that\u2019s not necessarily the only way it should be. The click should just be a guide. Sometimes speeding up in a section makes it feel better. The song \u201cThis Time Around,\u201d on our last record, speeds up in the choruses\u2014I think it\u2019s like three bpm or so\u2014because it needed that feeling, And that\u2019s natural. It\u2019s just about getting the emotion, even on drums. After that it doesn\u2019t matter if you speed up or slow down slightly. But if you are playing it with conviction, then everyone will be ready to follow you.
\nMD:<\/b> Are you into tuning your own drums?
\nZac:<\/b> I do that more as I build my skills as a drummer. On some songs my drums are tuned by guys like the Drum Doctor, Ross Garfield. We rented a few of his kits.
\nMD:<\/b> Did you use different kits on this record?
\nZac:<\/b> For about half the record I used a solid-wood Ayotte kit. On the other half I used a set of DWs. The snare was a Ludwig Black Beauty. Ayotte has got the wood rims on all their drums, and it\u2019s just a really natural wood feeling and sound. We dampened them up a bunch with paper towels and whatever else we could find, to get that really dead \u201970s-type drum sound. When it\u2019s appropriate that\u2019s one of my favorite sounds. There\u2019s just something really cool about drums that go boomf<\/i>. It\u2019s understated.
\nMD:<\/b> Cymbals?
\nZac:<\/b> Zildjian. Mostly Z series rock cymbals.
\nMD:<\/b> Sticks?
\nZac:<\/b> I don\u2019t have an endorsement with anyone right now. I used Johnny Rabb for years, which I loved! Then they went out of business. So, right now I\u2019m sort of searching. There\u2019s a guy who is making carbon fiber sticks, and they\u2019re pretty cool. The main advantage is for touring\u2014the carbon fiber take so long to break. I\u2019ve been playing with the same pair for five shows now.
\nMD:<\/b> Do you use electronics?
\nZac:<\/b> I don\u2019t really like them. There\u2019s too much spring. I feel like I\u2019m playing on a trampoline. There\u2019s nothing like the way real drums feel and sound.
\nMD:<\/b> Do you practice?
\nZac:<\/b> I try to. For the last year or so we\u2019ve been on the road so much. We did an acoustic tour last year all across the country. And even in that acoustic setting I was still playing quite a bit of hand drumming, tambourine, shaker\u2026. Whenever I\u2019m not on the road for a week, it\u2019s mostly like, \u201cLet me sleep for fifteen hours a day.\u201d But when I\u2019m not on the road I do try to practice an hour or two a day. I do my best to keep a pair of sticks around to keep those muscles loose.
\nMD:<\/b> So you practice more for the physicality of it.
\nZac:<\/b> Yes, all the muscles in your hands and forearms have to get so tough to play three-hour, full-on rock \u2019n\u2019 roll shows. When you stop for three months and then go back out, if you\u2019re not toned, you\u2019re going to pull something.
\nMD:<\/b> Let\u2019s talk a little bit about the business. You\u2019re the CEO of your independent label, 3CG. Is there a meaning behind that name?
\nZac:<\/b> Yes there is. It stands for three-car garage. That\u2019s where we come from as a band, we\u2019re a garage band. So it\u2019s saying, Let\u2019s bring music back to the passion, the love of doing music. I\u2019m always going to play music, whether it\u2019s a block party or clubs or stadiums or wherever, because it\u2019s in my blood. If I needed to flip burgers and then play on the weekends, that\u2019s what I\u2019d do, because music is a part of who I am.<\/p>\n
I have so much passion for music that I\u2019m willing to take music, which is a 24\/7 job, and then on top of that be the CEO of a record label\u2014which is a full-time job by itself. I\u2019m willing to do that because there is so much great music out there that isn\u2019t being heard with the state of the music industry as a whole. In fact, much of our generation is being defined by music that they don\u2019t really enjoy or identify with or even listen to. Radio doesn\u2019t really represent the music that people want to hear. People need to speak up.<\/p>\n
Musicians have such an ability to connect immediately with their fans in a way that they never had before. The ability to create a connection with your audience and a personal involvement in your music is there with the immediate access of the Internet. Music will never go away because it\u2019s part of the fabric of our existence as people. Let\u2019s bring passion back to music. In addition to being an artist trying to do that myself, I look forward to the opportunity I\u2019ll have in the future to sign bands who are equally passionate about their music\u2014people who are out there putting themselves on the line, writing music that means something and doesn\u2019t just float through people\u2019s ears.
\nMD:<\/b> Do you play any other instruments besides drums?
\nZac:<\/b> I play guitar and keys.
\nMD:<\/b> What advice would you have for young musicians who want to do what you do?
\nZac:<\/b> Well, music in general is more work than you realize, so be ready to play anywhere, anytime. When we were first starting up, we heard there was a music attorney who had come into town for a conference. So we got up at 6:00 in the morning, drove down to this guy\u2019s hotel, called his room up, and said, \u201cYou don\u2019t know us but we know you. Come down so we can sing for you.\u201d And he said, \u201cOkay, for you to do this means you\u2019ve got the passion and you\u2019re willing to sacrifice anything to do music.\u201d You\u2019ve got to go out there and talk to anyone and everyone who knows anything about music.<\/p>\n
The other thing I would say is, don\u2019t drum just<\/i> for drumming. I was at a party and there was a bunch of musicians there and we all picked up instruments and started jamming. And then this young drummer started playing and little by little everyone left. The other musicians playing slowly stopped playing and sort of moved on. Why? Because he made it not enjoyable for the people listening or for the guys playing, because he was too focused on playing drums rather than on the music.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why I love Larry Mullen as a drummer. Larry doesn\u2019t do anything conventionally. He adds such a unique sound to U2. There\u2019s no other band with a rhythm section like U2. You hear the drums on a U2 song and you know it\u2019s them before anybody else comes in. It\u2019s a recognizable sound. Now, he doesn\u2019t sing or write the songs, but he might as well, because what he does as a drummer makes their music what it is.
\nMD:<\/b> Do you watch any drum DVDs?
\nZac:<\/b> My favorite thing is sitting down with this drummer friend of mine who has skills on drums that I don\u2019t have, and just play along with him. We face the kicks at each other, and see what we come up with. Maybe I\u2019ll hear something he\u2019ll do and say, \u201cHey, I\u2019d like to try and play that,\u201d or add an offbeat here. As far as DVDs, I watch live shows.
\nMD:<\/b> Like?
\nZac:<\/b> U2\u2019s Rattle And Hum<\/i>. Lately I\u2019ve been watching the Prince DVD Live In Las Vegas<\/i>, with John Blackwell. John is great. We did a House of Blues gig in LA, and John was there. He came up to me and told me, \u201cHey, you\u2019re pretty good.\u201d And I went, \u201cWow, that\u2019s<\/i> pretty cool!\u201d I thought it was awesome.
\nMD:<\/b> What are some of your favorite groups?
\nZac:<\/b> One band that I loved in the \u201990s was The Spin Doctors, with Aaron Comess on drums. Then there\u2019s Ringo and The Beatles, Bonham and Zeppelin, Larry with U2. I also love mellow stuff like Nick Drake. Travis is a great band. David Gray is a killer songwriter. Some old country stuff, the band Whiskey Town, which is no long together. Ryan Adams was in that band before he became a solo artist. Wilco\u2019s another great band. There\u2019s an independent artist named David Garzea who can play anything<\/i>\u2014drums, keys, guitar. Most people don\u2019t have what he has. And there\u2019s this young drummer from Nebraska named Ryland Steen, whose drumming I love. He was in this power trio called Square with the lead guitarist from Maroon 5.
\nMD:<\/b> What would you like to say to the Hanson non-believers?
\nZac:<\/b> We don\u2019t worry about the people who just don\u2019t get it. We focus on the fans, because those are the ones who matter. You can\u2019t focus on the critics. Hey, if you don\u2019t like Hanson, that\u2019s okay. But when I go out on stage, I\u2019m giving everything I\u2019ve got.
\nMD:<\/b> So how does it feel being a pop star when you\u2019re eleven as compared to being a star at nineteen?
\n Zac:<\/b> I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m too goody-two-shoes, or my love of music is just\u2026I\u2019ve never really wanted that super-stardom. I don\u2019t look at it like, \u201cOh look, dude. I\u2019m so great. All these people love me. Look at all the chicks I can get and the money I\u2019ve made.\u201d I just think, how many musicians get the opportunity to speak to millions of people around the world? To go to Indonesia and have 15,000 people show up for a random in-store performance? To go to Australia and have 21,000 people show up in the parking lot of a record store. I feel blessed. Maybe I\u2019ll make a difference in somebody\u2019s life\u2014maybe I\u2019ll inspire someone the way that I was inspired to make music.<\/p>\n