Tuesday, May 31, 2011
WIN! VIP tickets to see Hanson!
Posted by Unknown on 3:35 PM
- Published:31 May 11
- By:cari3232
There'll be one winner!
It's time to get your MMMbop on! To celebrate Hanson’s return to the UK this week for the release of their stunning new album ‘Shout It Out’ on June 5th, Sugarscape is offering one lucky reader and a friend the chance to attend a very intimate Hanson show at one of their completely sold out 5of5 performances at Kings College London between June 5-10.
Hanson have recently released their new single ‘Give A Little’ and album ‘Shout It Out’ in America to major acclaim hitting the #2 spot on Billboard and are now inviting us lucky Brits to join in the party. If there's one thing you can guarantee when it comes to Hanson, they will have you dancing on top of your seats no matter where you are!
Remember these HAWT brothers don’t visit the UK too often so for a once in a blue moon chance to see the guys perform one of their classic albums or the new ‘Shout It Out’ live step to it and make sure you enter fast.
For more information go to www.hanson.net
Remember these HAWT brothers don’t visit the UK too often so for a once in a blue moon chance to see the guys perform one of their classic albums or the new ‘Shout It Out’ live step to it and make sure you enter fast.
For more information go to www.hanson.net
Watch Hanson’s video for their insanely catchy new single ‘Give A Little’
For your chance to attend the UK tour in June simply answer the following question:
You need to be logged in to enter the competition. So click here
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Tara's Great Idea! [ Hanson's Songbook]
Posted by Mari on 9:28 AM
Here is her idea:
"I want to make a songbook for Hanson. Their songs have inspired me and helped me through so much in my life, and I have heard many other fans say the same. I would like to collect stories from Hanson fans about the Hanson songs that have inspired them the most. My ultimate goal is to collect at least one story for each song for each of the 5 studio albums (Middle of Nowhere, This Time Around, Underneath, The Walk, and Shout It Out). Once I have collected all of the stories, I will print them out and get them bound into a book for Hanson. I will edit each story for grammar and spelling, only. I will include the name of the person who submitted each story, unless he/she tells me otherwise. I plan to give this to them either on the fall tour this year or at the MOE next year.
At this point, I am also planning on writing a letter to go along with the book that explains what it is all about. Also, I would like for this to be a suprise, so please do not mention this on the h.net forums, just in case. But, I do need everyone to help spread the word through email/ h.net pms or dms on twitter.
I would also like to have a picture that represents each album as dividers within the book, so I would love to have one fan that is an artist draw these for the books and either scan them in or mail them to me."
So, what do you think? Do you want to be part of this amazing idea? We will give you more details on monday. Stay tuned!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Teen pop stars Hanson are all grown up
Posted by Unknown on 3:19 PM
Mmmbop.While the mere mention of that word, if you can call it that, sends a shiver down the spine of many right-thinking music fans these days, there was a time when Hanson's 1997 chart-topper was impossible to escape.
The catchy ditty propelled the band to global superstardom, while its associated album, Middle of Nowhere, shifted a staggering 10million units - something a lot of current bands would give their eye teeth to achieve.
Even more amazing was it was written and performed by a trio of teenage brothers from Oklahoma. For lead singer Taylor Hanson, the association with their biggest success is still something they find hard to shake off.
"People say first impressions are important and that's true," he said.
"It's difficult, the transition from any type of success that broad, but it was an amazing blessing to have had it. But we've done a lot more since then, taking risks , so maybe people will realise we are a really good band.
"I read a magazine article about Paul McCartney and they used Love Me Do as the title, something that was years before in his history, but they still used it.
"I'm not trying to compare us to the Beatles, absolutely not, but it shows that for people who aren't fans of a band it's often the early things that they remember.
"But 13 years on it's amazing to have fans who are still excited about us, and we're very grateful for that."
It's the future that's more of a concern to Hanson now, as they enter their 20th year in the music business. Despite garnering critical acclaim for a string of indie-rock albums they have slipped off the radar of most British music followers.
"That's something Taylor, now 28, hopes to change, starting with five sold-out nights at King's College next month and a new album, Shout It Out, set for release.
"This record is different," said Taylor. "It's a more direct connection with the stuff we listened to when we were younger. It's feel and story is soul inspired, and that's what made us want to make music.
"These are the first London shows we've done since 2007, and we're really looking forward to it. We're playing an album a night all the way through and it's rare to get the chance to do something like that."
Unlike Britain's most famous musical sublings - the Gallaghers of Oasis - Hanson appear to have steered clear of band-splitting spats. Taylor, and his brothers Isaac and Zac, have continued to have a solid, if no longer spectacular, career. But it's not always harmonious.
"We don't always get on," admitted Taylor.
"We might think we are getting on, but people people come in when we are discussing guitar chords and think we're fighting, because we get quite loud. We have a lot of respect for each other, and that's important.
"We enjoyed our childhood, even though we were working through it, and I can't imagine having a 'normal' childhood. Music is what we chose to do. There's many harder jobs than being in a band, and we're just happy to have had the chance to do that for so long."
Shout It Out by Hanson is released on June 5.
Even more amazing was it was written and performed by a trio of teenage brothers from Oklahoma. For lead singer Taylor Hanson, the association with their biggest success is still something they find hard to shake off."People say first impressions are important and that's true," he said.
"It's difficult, the transition from any type of success that broad, but it was an amazing blessing to have had it. But we've done a lot more since then, taking risks , so maybe people will realise we are a really good band.
"I read a magazine article about Paul McCartney and they used Love Me Do as the title, something that was years before in his history, but they still used it.
"I'm not trying to compare us to the Beatles, absolutely not, but it shows that for people who aren't fans of a band it's often the early things that they remember.
"But 13 years on it's amazing to have fans who are still excited about us, and we're very grateful for that."
It's the future that's more of a concern to Hanson now, as they enter their 20th year in the music business. Despite garnering critical acclaim for a string of indie-rock albums they have slipped off the radar of most British music followers.
"That's something Taylor, now 28, hopes to change, starting with five sold-out nights at King's College next month and a new album, Shout It Out, set for release.
"This record is different," said Taylor. "It's a more direct connection with the stuff we listened to when we were younger. It's feel and story is soul inspired, and that's what made us want to make music.
"These are the first London shows we've done since 2007, and we're really looking forward to it. We're playing an album a night all the way through and it's rare to get the chance to do something like that."
Unlike Britain's most famous musical sublings - the Gallaghers of Oasis - Hanson appear to have steered clear of band-splitting spats. Taylor, and his brothers Isaac and Zac, have continued to have a solid, if no longer spectacular, career. But it's not always harmonious."We don't always get on," admitted Taylor.
"We might think we are getting on, but people people come in when we are discussing guitar chords and think we're fighting, because we get quite loud. We have a lot of respect for each other, and that's important.
"We enjoyed our childhood, even though we were working through it, and I can't imagine having a 'normal' childhood. Music is what we chose to do. There's many harder jobs than being in a band, and we're just happy to have had the chance to do that for so long."
Shout It Out by Hanson is released on June 5.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
"Weird Al" Talks for the First Time About Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus Parodies Continue reading on Examiner.com "Weird Al" Talks for the First Time About Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus Parodies
Posted by Mari on 2:22 PM
"Weird Al" Yankovic will be performing in Waukegan, Illinois this Saturday at the Genesee Theatre and in St. Charles, Illinois on May 31 at the Arcada Theatre. I spoke with Al by phone to discuss these shows and his current concert tour. I'll be posting that interview in the next day or two (Click the Subscribe button above to receive an email when the interview publishes!) In the meantime, here are some excerpts regarding his new album.
"Weird Al" Yankovic has a new album coming out in June called "Alpocalypse," featuring the much-discussed Lady Gaga parody "Perform This Way." Now, he's opening up about some of the other parodies on the record, which include spoofs of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus.
Though the 51-year-old prince of pop parody generally prefers to keep a lid on his songs until they're released, he did open up (a little) about some of the new tracks.
"Weird Al" Takes On Taylor Swift
I asked Al if "TMZ," a parody of Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me," is an attack on the paparazzi culture.
"Well, it’s certainly about TMZ, the website and the tv show," he said. "I don’t want to give away too much... Like a lot of my songs, it’s a gray area in terms of its viewpoint. I think once you listen to the song, you won’t really be able to tell if I’m siding more with the paparazzi or siding more with the celebrities.
"It’s a little like 'Don’t Download This Song.' People listened to that and weren’t sure whether I was on the side of the RIAA or the downloaders, so it’s up to you to make up your own mind on that."
"Weird Al" Yankovic's Miley Cyrus Parody
"Alpocalypse" also features a track called "Party in the CIA," a send-up of the insanely-catchy Miley Cyrus hit "Party in the USA." Yankovic parodied Miley's dad Billy Ray back in 1993, with "Achy Breaky Song," a takeoff on the country smash "Achy Breaky Heart."
Does this mark the first time "Weird Al" has parodied both a father and his daughter?
"That may very well be," he says with a laugh. "That particular song ('Party in the USA') was extremely popular and the video got something like 150 million hits on YouTube. And that song’s having a bit of a resurgence now with recent events, so I guess the song is a bit topical, although that was nothing that I anticipated."
Don't expect to hear Al yelping his parody in Miley's high register.
"My vocal range isn’t as high as Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus. So we have had to change the key of some of these songs just so I can sing in a comfortable range, which is something I prefer not to do, because I try to make my recording sound as close to the original as possible."
Taylor Hanson Helps Al Sound Like Hanson
"Weird Al" fans are familiar with the singer's "style parodies," which are original compositions done in the style of a particular artist. Yankovic said he invited Taylor Hanson to play on one track because it's a Hanson style parody: "He plays keyboards on a song called 'If That Isn’t Love.' It’s an original song, but when I wrote the song, I was trying to give it a Hanson vibe. So when it came time to record it, I thought, who better to play keyboards on it than Taylor Hanson?"
Stay tuned for more of the "Weird Al" Yankovic Interview
Yankovic also talked about when you can expect to see the music video for "Perform This Way," whether he sees himself in competition with artists like The Lonely Island, and his remaining career goals (another UHF movie?) Those details will be posted in the full interview, coming in a few days.
Yankovic also talked about when you can expect to see the music video for "Perform This Way," whether he sees himself in competition with artists like The Lonely Island, and his remaining career goals (another UHF movie?) Those details will be posted in the full interview, coming in a few days.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Bill Haisten: First-half debacle flatten Thunder
Posted by Unknown on 8:57 AM
Published: 5/22/2011 2:13 AM
Last Modified: 5/22/2011 4:52 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY - At some point during the mid-1990s, when Bill Self coached basketball at Oral Roberts University, three young brothers from Tulsa performed during halftime of a Golden Eagles home game at the Mabee Center.
On Saturday, the same three brothers - Taylor, Isaac and Zac Hanson - performed the national anthem before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
Self now coaches at Kansas, but he is an Oklahoman who appreciates big-event basketball. He was in the OKC Arena on Saturday, seated about a dozen rows behind the Thunder bench and sharing the experience with 18,000 of his state brethren.
Unfortunately for so many who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets and $6 per beer, Hanson sang a lot better than the Thunder played basketball.
The final score of Dallas 93, OKC 87 does not reflect the extent to which the Thunder was truly terrible during the first half.
If OKC's players had some quit in them, they might have gotten beat by 40. They made it interesting during the fourth period, but, ultimately, they could not overcome their own first-half ineptitude.
In spite of an uncharacteristically sub-par stat line for Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 7-of-21 shooting), the Mavs took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and atoned for Thursday's home loss to Oklahoma City.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was benched in Game 2 and came back with a 30-point Game 3, but his teammates on the bench were no-shows. After a 50-point Thursday in Dallas, the Thunder bench was a 16-point dud on Saturday.
Game 4 is set for Monday, also in OKC.
On Saturday, the Thunder sentenced itself to defeat with a brutally bad first half, laying an egg at least equal in size to the OKC Arena. The Mavs flourished while the Thunder failed time and again.
While OKC missed on 13 of its first 16 shots from the field, Dallas rolled to a 23-point lead. During a first-half timeout, Oklahoma City's bison mascot attempted to shoot T-shirts into the crowd, but the mission was flawed. Even the T-shirt cannon misfired.
When the half ended, Dallas led 52-36. The Thunder was 29 percent from the field, 0-of-8 on 3-pointers and committed nine turnovers. There was a 20-5 deficit in bench scoring. As was the case during two regular-season victories here, the Mavs seemed quite comfortable in the Thunder's gym.
And when the second half began, there were no early signs of improvement. During the first Dallas possession, Jason Kidd swished a 3-pointer. The first OKC possession went something like this: Westbrook dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble - airball.
Last month, in Game 4 of their first-round series with Portland, the Mavericks blew a 23-point, fourth-quarter cushion and lost on the Blazers' home floor. The effects could have been devastating, but there was no hangover for the Mavs.
Dallas wound up winning that series in six games, with the close-out contest played in Portland. On Saturday, after OKC had rallied from 23 down to a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter, there undoubtedly was a feeling of deja vu throughout sports bars in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But the Mavericks responded with timely buckets and finished the deal.
Saturday's Game 3 was reminiscent of Game 3 of last year's Lakers-Thunder series - the first NBA playoff game conducted in the state of Oklahoma. That same night, OU quarterback Sam Bradford was the first pick overall in the NFL draft. As the Laker-Thunder tip-off approached, the excitement level in downtown Oklahoma City was off the charts. Moments later, OKC fans got motion sickness from watching the Lakers run downcourt for easy baskets. Los Angeles bolted to a 15-3 cushion. Midway through the third period, the Lakers led by 11 points.
That night, the Thunder mustered some magic, rallying for a 101-96 victory.
There was no magic on Saturday.
There was an admirable second-half effort, but it wasn't enough to offset the Thunder's train wreck of a first half. That first half might have killed OKC's chances of winning this series.
In order to advance to the NBA Finals, OKC must defeat Dallas three times in a span of no more than four games. Don't count it.
Self now coaches at Kansas, but he is an Oklahoman who appreciates big-event basketball. He was in the OKC Arena on Saturday, seated about a dozen rows behind the Thunder bench and sharing the experience with 18,000 of his state brethren.
Unfortunately for so many who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets and $6 per beer, Hanson sang a lot better than the Thunder played basketball.
The final score of Dallas 93, OKC 87 does not reflect the extent to which the Thunder was truly terrible during the first half.
If OKC's players had some quit in them, they might have gotten beat by 40. They made it interesting during the fourth period, but, ultimately, they could not overcome their own first-half ineptitude.
In spite of an uncharacteristically sub-par stat line for Dirk Nowitzki (18 points, 7-of-21 shooting), the Mavs took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and atoned for Thursday's home loss to Oklahoma City.
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was benched in Game 2 and came back with a 30-point Game 3, but his teammates on the bench were no-shows. After a 50-point Thursday in Dallas, the Thunder bench was a 16-point dud on Saturday.
Game 4 is set for Monday, also in OKC.
On Saturday, the Thunder sentenced itself to defeat with a brutally bad first half, laying an egg at least equal in size to the OKC Arena. The Mavs flourished while the Thunder failed time and again.
While OKC missed on 13 of its first 16 shots from the field, Dallas rolled to a 23-point lead. During a first-half timeout, Oklahoma City's bison mascot attempted to shoot T-shirts into the crowd, but the mission was flawed. Even the T-shirt cannon misfired.
When the half ended, Dallas led 52-36. The Thunder was 29 percent from the field, 0-of-8 on 3-pointers and committed nine turnovers. There was a 20-5 deficit in bench scoring. As was the case during two regular-season victories here, the Mavs seemed quite comfortable in the Thunder's gym.
And when the second half began, there were no early signs of improvement. During the first Dallas possession, Jason Kidd swished a 3-pointer. The first OKC possession went something like this: Westbrook dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble - airball.
Last month, in Game 4 of their first-round series with Portland, the Mavericks blew a 23-point, fourth-quarter cushion and lost on the Blazers' home floor. The effects could have been devastating, but there was no hangover for the Mavs.
Dallas wound up winning that series in six games, with the close-out contest played in Portland. On Saturday, after OKC had rallied from 23 down to a four-point deficit in the fourth quarter, there undoubtedly was a feeling of deja vu throughout sports bars in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But the Mavericks responded with timely buckets and finished the deal.
Saturday's Game 3 was reminiscent of Game 3 of last year's Lakers-Thunder series - the first NBA playoff game conducted in the state of Oklahoma. That same night, OU quarterback Sam Bradford was the first pick overall in the NFL draft. As the Laker-Thunder tip-off approached, the excitement level in downtown Oklahoma City was off the charts. Moments later, OKC fans got motion sickness from watching the Lakers run downcourt for easy baskets. Los Angeles bolted to a 15-3 cushion. Midway through the third period, the Lakers led by 11 points.
That night, the Thunder mustered some magic, rallying for a 101-96 victory.
There was no magic on Saturday.
There was an admirable second-half effort, but it wasn't enough to offset the Thunder's train wreck of a first half. That first half might have killed OKC's chances of winning this series.
In order to advance to the NBA Finals, OKC must defeat Dallas three times in a span of no more than four games. Don't count it.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A message from Zac Hanson
Posted by Mari on 11:03 AM
HANSON Day was awesome
I just wanted to say the HANSON Day Celebration last weekend was Awesome!
We had an amazing time, I hope everyone enjoyed their travels to Tulsa. Every year we are trying to make each MOE (Members Only Events) cooler then the last. We are already thinking about what will come later this year, and how we can start planning 2012's HANSON Day now and make it a standing date, almost like a festeval for Hanson.net members. Thanks to everyone who was there, don't forget to watch it streamed saturday.
