Features
Hanson Walks The Walk
The trek now extends into the first part of November. In addition to a second show September 30 at House of Blues in Chicago, the tour now includes stops at Jannus Landing in St. Petersburgh, Fla. (October 20), La Zona Rosa in Austin (October 27), The Fillmore in San Francisco (November 5) and Avalon in Los Angeles (November 6).
Opening for the trio is retro-rock quartet Locksley.
The Walk, which hit the streets in July, is the siblings’ fourth album and their first in nearly four years. The disc is the first release on the band’s own label, with most of the tracks recorded in their Tulsa studio with production assistance from Danny Kortchmar.
While recording the album, the band took a break to get a firsthand look at the devastation being caused by AIDS in South Africa and Mozambique. The brothers have said in recent interviews they felt the journey was something they needed to do.
In Africa, Hanson made recordings of a pair of children’s choirs that found their way onto several tracks on the new album. The album features the a charity single “Great Divide.” Proceeds from downloads of the single will benefit HIVSA, an African AIDS relief charity.
The band will also host a one-mile walk in each market they stop in along their tour to help raise awareness of poverty and AIDS in Africa. The location of each walk is announced on the group’s web site daily.
In addition, the trio has partnered with TOMS Shoes with the goal of delivering 50,000 pairs of shoes to needy children in Africa. For every pair of shoes purchased at each stop on Hanson’s tour, TOMS will donate an equal pair.
The brothers explained their goal is to show people it really doesn’t take much effort to begin changing things.
“We want to inspire others to look for simple, tangible and fun ways to make a difference,” Taylor Hanson said. “It is easy to be halted by the great hurdles of poverty and AIDS, but making an impact can begin as simply as giving someone a pair of shoes or buying a song.”