CHAT TRANSCRIPTS

msn.com
29 June 2004
Hanson & Maria Mena

DISHDIVA: Welcome to MSN Live! Guys it's great to have you here! Maria, it's great to have you here! We are with Maria and Hanson live from the Underneath Tour. It's great to see you!

HANSON: Hey everybody, welcome to the chat. We're excited to get on the road and let you know what the tour is about.
TAYLOR: Hey, this is Taylor. It is great to have Maria here on the chat.
MARIA: Hi, this is Maria. I can't wait to go on tour with Hanson and my band. It is going to be cool to hear all your questions.

EARNYOURWINGS: Your two sounds are pretty different from one another, how did you end up touring together?
HANSON: We asked Maria to play with us. We've always loved getting to share all kinds of music with our fans. We heard Maria's music and we think she's great. We think the fans will really enjoy the combination of these two artists.
MARIA: I am actually very excited to be able to play live. The fact that Hanson is taking a chance on a new artist like me is great. I have toured Norway but nothing like this. I didn't know Hanson liked my music, so thank you.

¤NAIANNA¤: Maria and Hanson, what's the process you guys use to write the songs? Which comes first? The lyric, the melody or do they come simultaneously?
MARIA: I don't play instruments. Melodies just come to me. I have this book. A diary where I keep the sentences I collect. A guitar rift can trigger something. I put those words to music. I have a producer who knows me and helps me put music to it.
HANSON: It happens in a lot of different ways. The great thing is that we have three guys writing.
ISAAC: There are no boundaries when it comes to writing songs. You do often get a melody that will pop into your head. It is a real gift when you have those inspired moments. You don't know where they come from.

SWEET_GIRL_SARAH: What are you guys looking forward most to about the tour?
ISAAC: I am enjoying rehearsing because we are plugged in. We played acoustic last year. Having Zach on the drums all night long is really fun for us. We are excited about playing this new music as a five piece.
MARIA: I have toured Norway but I haven't done a tour big like this. I can't wait to meet ne fans in America or to see people who are there to see Hanson. I like to try and change people's perceptions with my songs. Maybe a song that they ignored on the album, a different view. In America it seems to be about commercials. To be able to play live gets me back to why I started to play music in the first place.

STARGIRL1244: Hi Maria! How does it feel to come all the way from Norway and become really famous and on tour with Hanson here in the United States?
MARIA: It is crazy but it is my job. I don't think I am really famous. It was never my goal to become famous. To wake up every morning to play music and share music that is all I want to do. To be able to come to a whole different country and do the same thing, it is exciting. I have been saying, "OH MY GOD, it is so exciting" but it is. I have been saying "AMAZING" (laughs)

PHILLY_KAREN: What city are you most excited to do a concert in?
TAYLOR: Never say you are most excited to play in any city because you make people feel sad. There are places like Chicago. The Tabernacle in Atlanta. We are excited to see fans around the world.
MARIA: I am just going to say ditto. I know I am going to play NY and I am excited about that. Sometimes the most intimate places are the best.
ISAAC: What I love about playing music is all the different places you get to go. To see places all around the world, it is a different experience every night. I personally like more intimate venues than larger venues. I think it is a better experience for the audience and a better experience for us as well.

BETA_BRAZILIANGIRL: When you they listen to the Brazil name, what it comes immediately in the mind?
TAYLOR & ISAAC: SAMBA!!!!!!!! It is a story too long for a chat. (laughs)
MARIA: I was going to say Samba too!
DISHDIVA: Do you have a story you can tell us?
MARIA: There is something about Brazil that scream Samba.
ISAAC: It is like Salsa is to Latin American culture.
MARIA: I wish I could samba.
HANSON: We can do that!
ISAAC: I really love dancing and any opportunity I get, I will go out and dance. If I am in Brazil I will samba with all of the Brazilian fans at the same time!

MUSICFAN406: Hi Hanson, can you give us any hint at when the next single will come out or which song it might be? Thanks, Shari.
HANSON: We are deciding on the second single right now. We are excited about this decision. We will announce it in the next several weeks. We hope you enjoyed "Penny & Me."

KHAKI_KITTY: Hey guys, what was the hardest aspect of creating music for each of you?
MARIA: I first released an album when I was 14. It was a huge thing in Norway. I was in school and famous. I was nominated three times for an award. I thought maybe I was just lucky the first time. Just creating this album was a big challenge for me. When you write songs and you don't have a recording deal, there is no pressure. I am so proud of this album.
ISAAC: This last record definitely took blood, sweat, and tears as we said in the liner notes and that comes from pressure on yourself to make the right record. This made us a stronger band than we ever were. We found ourselves at the end of the day more satisfied. We formed a record company and produced a lot of it ourselves. We thought it would be the best record we ever made and we weren't going to stop until we got there.

DISHDIVA: Note: I am typing for Hanson and yes, I know Zac is spelled "Zac" and not "Zach." I was just typing a little too fast... So thanks to everyone who let me know that it was spelled incorrectly.

¤DARKANGEL¤07231: Hey everyone! What would you all consider the best in your life right now? ~Giselle
ISAAC: The best thing in my life right now? That would be getting on the road. It sounds cheesy but I am really, really excited about hitting the road and being plugged in. It will be really, really fun.
TAYLOR: The best thing is my wife and family. My wife is just amazing. I am a very lucky man.
ISAAC & TAYLOR: Zac's favorite thing right now is his Subaru WRX STi.
ISAAC: It is a driving machine.
MARIA: The best thing in my life is... I have been given this crazy opportunity to spend a year away from home and see the world and sharing my music with people. It is crazy because not a lot of artists especially from Norway get this opportunity.

TIGERLILLY87: Are you going to have meet & greets on the Underneath Tour? If so how can I get a pass? I can't wait to see you at Cain's in Tulsa! You guys rock, Lillian.
TAYLOR: It is really amazing to have Maria playing with us. Throughout the tour there will be other bands playing on the tour and we are proud to present that to fans. It is all about a community of artists and musicians and fans of music. We look forward to you guys checking out the show. It will be a really good time.

MUSICFAN406: For Hanson-It looks like you have some great people coming on tour with you. Did the three of you chose who is coming on the tour or does someone else do that? I look forward to seeing you at the Minnesota show in August. Shari.
TAYLOR: We are definitely choosing everyone who is playing on the tour. It is all about great music and young talented artists like Maria, like Ingram Hill, or Michael Tolcher.
ISAAC: It is important to take the chance and share your music with fans. It is great to grow friendships and affirm with each other what you are doing. We are excited to do what we are doing.
MARIA: I am sure these guys are going to teach me so much.
TAYLOR: We are going to teach you a lot.
MARIA: It is also about presenting your music. That is one of the most favorite things to do.

ÅNGÉLÏQÜE™: Are most of your songs autobiographical, or do you draw on the experiences of others you've seen as well?
MARIA: Right now, all my songs on my two albums are autobiographical. I can't think of where I tried to write from another person's perspective. Every time I write I song, I believe I grow as a songwriter. Right now, they are all about me.

LULLABELLE851: This is a question for Zac, what exactly does the song "Lulla Belle" mean?
ZAC: The song "Lulla Belle" is about letting go of something that means a lot to you. Loving something so much that you realize that you are what is keeping it from being so great for the world. Like the "Tale of Two Cities."

TONGUERING_TROUSDALE: Do you like living in NYC or Tulsa, OK better?
FANSINCE97: Do you ever get homesick?
TAYLOR: The one thing is that we get to see a lot of places and in some ways we have many homes in NY, LA, or Tulsa. Starting a record company in NY was a growing experience. It has been really great to launch a company and bringing a company together there.

DISHDIVA: Do get homesick?
TAYLOR: You try to take home with you.
MARIA: I embrace the fact that I can go somewhere else. I have an apartment at home. Right now, I don't get homesick. I try to make every place I am feel like home. My best friend will come on the tour with me because he is a great guy.
ISAAC: I bring my best friend with me too... my guitar. It is always there for me and it doesn't talk back.

DISHDIVA: From all of your fans from around the world, best of luck with the Underneath Tour.
MARIA: I cannot wait to go on tour with these guys. I am grateful that you guys are allowing me to do this with you. I think we are going to be able to do something really awesome.
ZAC: Love not war. Peace to your mother. Thank your mother. Don't do drugs. Thanks for being here. We are rehearsing now. We are looking forward to playing live. We'll be there and Maria will be there. What else do you need? (laughs)

DISHDIVA: Thanks to Hanson and Maria Mena for joining us today on MSN Live!