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Interviews

Hanson

Over a decade and five albums later, Hanson is back with their latest, Shout It Out. They’re not quite the boys you remember. They’ve got a grown-up look and a few twists to their sound — piano-driven arrangements, a more soul-oriented feel — but the band never left its summer-pop roots.

I chatted with Taylor Hanson about the new album, life as a husband and dad, and whether he’s tired of playing “MMMBop.” His answers may surprise you.

Is a song better when it’s based on something specific in your life?
The quality of a song does not depend on the subject matter. It depends on what subject matter gets into the song, but it doesn’t depend on whether that subject matter actually happened. As little kids, we would write songs about betrayal, relationships that had gone bad and the cheating woman. Where did that come from? You don’t know exactly where stories come from necessarily, but that’s what a song is. It’s a relatable story. The songwriting process is about never turning off and always being aware of what’s around you and not being afraid to be inspired by things.

For my complete interview with Taylor Hanson on Lemondrop, click here.

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Features Festivals

Introducing Tinted Windows

Take Taylor Hanson from 90s pop brother trio Hanson, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, and Fountains Of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger and you have new power pop group Tinted Windows.

Rolling Stone debuted their first track, “Kind of Girl” earlier this week and you can listen to it on their MySpace. Definitely a strong blend of pop-rock with Hanson on lead vocals and catchy “oh-oh-whoa-whoa’s,” the song is bound to be in heavy rotations on radio stations soon. What do you think?

Their self-titled debut release drops in April. In the meantime, they’ll be performing at Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest music festival as well as New Jersey’s Bamboozle festival in May. Will you be attending?