Hanson returns with activism, new sound

Three marriages, four kids and a record label swap later, Hanson is back. In fact, they’ve… Three marriages, four kids and a record label swap later, Hanson is back. In fact, they’ve been here all along – they’ve just been busy saving the world. Rehearsing in one of the band’s Tulsa, OK studios in preparation for their upcoming tour – which includes tonight’s Pittsburgh performance – Isaac Hanson takes a breather with The Pitt News to discuss the new album The Walk, the band’s work to combat AIDS in Africa, why the music business is so screwed up and his personal fascination with Pittsburgh’s architecture.

Midway through the creation of their third studio album, Underneath, Hanson had it out with their former label Island Def Jam and launched their own independent label, 3 Car Garage Records, a decision they proudly stand by today after the making of their fourth, The Walk:

“The best place we can be is in a more consistent place. Being an independent band and releasing our own stuff allows us the consistency that we did not have in the current record business.” Isaac Hanson goes on to stress that the majority of all music is now sold as individual tracks, not albums:

“I think the music business is screwed up. This is not a record business anymore, this is a song business.” Audiences, he explains, no longer trust the quality of music and as a result, bands have become increasingly short term and disposable.

“People think that a latte from Starbucks is more valuable than a song