Hanson to Launch North American Tour : Rolling Stone

Fresh off a string of radio dates and one-off performances -- including a tribute to Beach Boy Brian Wilson at the Songwriters' Hall of Fame Induction Awards earlier this month -- Hanson have firmed up the initial dates of a North American tour to support second album This Time Around. The three-month tour starts and ends in their home state of Oklahoma, kicking off July 27 in Tulsa (their birthplace) and wrapping up Oct. 26 in Oklahoma City.

Though the Hanson brothers -- Isaac, Taylor and Zachary -- paved the way for the current teen pop explosion, they're quick to distance themselves from it. "We're not a boy band," eldest brother Isaac says. "Though technically we are, because we're boys, and we're in a band," middle brother Taylor adds. "But we like harder stuff," younger brother Zachary finishes.

If Zachary had said "older stuff," that might have been more accurate, for the boys have been pulling out rock & roll classics to complement their sets in their one-off shows thus far. At San Francisco's Fillmore show Tuesday, for instance, Hanson played Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Piece of My Heart," the soul classic popularized by Janis Joplin. And to honor their Beach Boy idol, Hanson performed a take on "God Only Knows" before joining the rest of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame inductees and presenters for ensemble versions of "Stand By Me" and "Kansas City." Hardly kid stuff.

While not presuming to be peers of the writers of such material ("I don't think we'll even go there," Isaac says), Hanson does aspire to one day be in the same league. Writing songs, Taylor says, is still "sort of a mystery" to the group. "We write like we talk," Zachary says, referring to the brothers' tendencies to complete each other's sentences and thoughts.

"Songwriting is like, all of a sudden -- aww! boom! -- a song just comes to you," Taylor says, "like you didn't expect it to come. But something just gets in your head. You're playing on your guitar, and it's just there. That's how we work."

While on tour, Hanson will make stops on The Tonight Show on Aug. 7 and on VH1's The List on Aug. 14.
Hanson tour dates are as follows:

7/27: Tulsa, OK, Tulsa Performing Arts Center
7/30: Seattle, WA, Moore Theater
8/1: Vancouver, BC, Queen Elizabeth Theater
8/3: Portland, OR, Crystal Ballroom
8/4: San Francisco, CA, Warfield Theater
8/8: Los Angeles, CA, Wiltern Theater
8/10: Phoenix, AZ, Web Theater
8/12: San Antonio, TX, Sea World US Map Amphitheater
8/15: Houston, TX, Aerial Theater
8/17: New Orleans, LA, House of Blues
8/19: Arlington, TX, Six Flags Over Texas
8/21-22: Atlanta, GA, Tabernacle
8/24: Tampa, FL, Tampa Performing Arts Center
8/25-26: Miami, FL, Sunrise Theater
8/29: Orlando, FL, Hard Rock Live
8/31: Columbia, SC, Township Auditorium
9/2: Charlotte, NC, Grady Cole Center
9/3: Myrtle Beach, SC, Palace Theater
9/5: Springfield, VA, TBA
9/7: Richmond, VA, Landmark Theater
9/9: Norfolk, VA, Boathouse
9/10: New York City, NY, TBA
9/14: Washington, D.C., Warner Theater
9/16: Philadelphia, PA, Tower Theater
9/18: New York, NY, Beacon Theater
9/21: Boston, MA, Orpheum Theater
9/23: Montreal, QUE, Metropolis
9/26: Pittsburgh, PA, Starlake Pavilion
9/28: Detroit, MI, TBA
9/30: Toronto, ONT, Massey Hall
10/3: Chicago, IL, TBA
10/5: Cleveland, OH, State Theater
10/7: Indianapolis, IN, Murat Theater
10/10: Columbus, OH, Veterans Memorial Auditorium
10/12: Louisville, KY, Louisville Palace Theater
10/14: Cincinnati, OH, Taft Theater
10/17: Memphis, TN, Orpheum Theater
10/18: Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium
10/21: St. Louis, MO, TBA
10/24: Kansas City, MO, Midland Theater
10/26: Oklahoma City, OK, TBA