Hanson Brothers Prefer A Rough Act
Don’t be fooled by today’s rhetoric that the brutish image of “old-time” hockey is but an infamous part of the past.
The National Hockey League says it has cleaned up its act, assuming a less violent semblance.
Bull puckies.
Hockey is about squashing limbs, dislodging teeth and bloodying faces, all in the name of victory. It ain’t for wimps.
While the NHL might not embrace “old-time” hockey, a Vancouver, B.C. punk-rock band by the name of the Hanson Brothers does.
Like the original Hanson Brothers from the 1977 hockey flick “Slapshot,” the punk Hansons administer a heck of a rib-splintering body-check on their second album, “Sudden Death” (pun intended). The band will perform along with Zeke and the Fumes at Ichabod’s North on Friday.
Nothing rouses up the four Hansons more than the good ol’ sport of hockey. It isn’t by coincidence that the band chose the moniker Hanson. Neither is it coincidental that members don hockey jerseys and whip out swift-moving three-chord romps - or puck rock.
Incidentally, the original Hanson Brothers are actually retired NHL players Steve Carlson, Jeff Carlson and Dave Hanson. They appear inside the booklet of “Sudden Death” and have made appearances at concerts with the punk Hanson Brothers.
The punk Hansons were born in 1992. The band began as a part-time side project for members of Vancouver bands NoMeansNo, Showbiz Giants and D.O.A. Today, the troupe draws from NoMeansNo and the Showbiz Giants.
The band members - singer John Wright, bassist Rob Wright, guitarist Tom Holliston and drummer Ken Kempster - are fans of the Ramones, “Slapshot” and, of course, hockey. Eager to spend time in a less arduous diversion, they started the Hanson Brothers.
“It was sort of an antidote to always playing NoMeansNo,” explains guitarist Tom Holliston (a.k.a. Tommy Hanson) during a recent telephone interview from his Vancouver home. NoMeansNo is known for its highly complex song structures and nods to jazz.
“I think it was just a flash of inspiration, because I think the melding of hockey and the Ramones is a really good idea. And if you’re going to steal from anybody, why not the Ramones?” he chuckles.
Similar to the Ramones, band members all took the name Hanson. They don leather jackets over their jerseys, and just like the original Hanson Brothers, they wear taped-up, black horn-rimmed glasses and brawl with each other on stage.
What’s ironic is only one punk Hanson actually plays hockey. John competes in various pick-up leagues.
Lately, the Hanson Brothers have been gaining all kinds of notoriety in both their homeland and the United States. Turns out franchises from the minors to the NHL have been rallying fans at games behind the video for “Hockey Song,” the first cut off “Sudden Death.” The video was even shown at the Spokane Arena during Chiefs games this season. Now the Hansons receive invitations from various teams to make appearances at games.
“The NHL didn’t really want to have anything to do with us because they said we were promoting violence,” says Holliston. “They thought it was a crass effort to cash in on hockey’s name. Which, of course, is absolutely true. Then suddenly they started showing this video at a lot of games.
“I’m sort of happy because we’ll sell a lot of records, I hope. But on the other hand, it’s like, I’m going to stop going to hockey games because I hate seeing videos; I just want to see the … game.”
The Hanson Brothers also have invited attention for a little ploy they pulled on “Sudden Death.”
Included in the disc’s booklet is a petition pleading for the admission of Tiger Williams into the NHL Hall of Fame. The four even pay tribute to the legend with a song called “He Looked A Lot Like Tiger Williams.”
Williams, who retired in the ‘80s, single-handedly embodies “oldtime” hockey. As a player who made mincemeat out of his adversaries, Williams holds the record for most career penalty minutes.
According to the band’s label, Virgin, thousands of fans have sent in signatures.
“Part of the thing about Tiger Williams was not just getting him into the Hall of Fame but pointing out how important a lot of players are to fans despite the fact that they may not score 500 goals,” says Holliston. “But they work hard. It’s what keeps them there. Fans can identify with that a bit more because a lot of people work really hard so they can go to a hockey game.”
After the band’s West Coast road trip, the Hanson Brothers will return to Vancouver and hang up their skates.
Will they return?
“When we put out our first record (‘Gross Misconduct’), I don’t think anybody had thought about doing another one,” says Holliston. “We might put out another Hanson Brothers album sometime in the next couple of years. But not in the near future. I don’t think any of us wants to live the persona we’ve created more than part-time.”
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT The Hanson Brothers will perform Friday at Ichabod’s North, 1827 N. Division. Showtime is 9:30 p.m. Cover is $5. Bring ID; you must be 21 and older.