W♥M

News: Jeff Hanson found dead

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:17:18 -0500

Jeff Hanson

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His voice was sweet enough to often be mistaken for a woman's, and his songwriting was strong eno...

Sorry for all the music-related news, but thanks to Andrew (who reviewed Jeff Hanson's Madam Owl last year) for passing this along.

According to Star Tribune, local musician, Jeff Hanson, was found dead yesterday:

Jeff Hanson's rising career came to a sudden end Friday, when he was found dead at his apartment in St. Paul.

Hanson, 31, likely died from a fall or other accident at the concrete-floored apartment, which he had just moved into days earlier, said his sister, Sara Hanson. He was found by his parents.

My own experience with Jeff Hanson, was the first time I put on Madam Owl and thought the angelic voice coming out of my car stereo was that it was a woman. I thought to myself, 'oh, it must be a guest vocalist'. Then when the same woman appeared on the song after, I thought 'maybe they printed the wrong label on this CD'.

I had no idea that it was indeed the voice of male singer Jeff Hanson. That is pretty amazing, I had to see him singing for myself last year at the Triple Rock.

I think the very same thing happened to his record label, Kill Rock Star. The record people from Washington loved his voice so much, they flew him to play and sign when the label in 2005.

Other musicians recently found dead includes Koko "Queen of the Blues" Taylor and Wilco's Jay Bennett.

06/06/2009 18:13:58 ♥ vu () ♥ jeffhanson.net ♥ myspace.com/jeffhanson ♥ killrockstars.com

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W♥M Podcast #20: Home Taping is Killing Music

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:59:36 -0500

08/24/2008 18:55:38 ♥ written by vu ()

NEVER GET OUT OF THIS

Spin - Not In Love

WOW, another epic podcast, with co-hosts Derek & Soup. Although this episode is more topics-centric (RIAA, MP3s, and state of music), I think the next podcast will be half-topic and half casual.

Download this episode (41 min)

Some topics we touched on:

RIAA vs Muxtape, CDs are too expensive, music blogs, internet radio royalties going up twice as much as traditional radio, taping off the radio, whatever happened to recording hunting?, Taping Kills Music, concerts, what we're listening to...

Music used:

♥ David Yazbek - Introduction (davidyazbek.com)
♥ Weird Al - Don't Download This Song (weirdal.com)
♥ Hellsongs - Breaking the Law (hellsongs.com)
♥ Le Tigre - Get off the Internet (letigreworld.com)
♥ S*M*A*S*H - Take Your Breath Away ( myspace.com/llyc)
♥ Spin - Not In Love (spinrocks.com)
♥ Ladyscraper - Gangbanger (hellsongs.com)
♥ Ironlung - Liar (myspace.com/lifeironlungdeath)
♥ Jeff Hanson - I Don't Quite Remember (jeffhanson.net)
♥ P. Hux - Wear My Ring (parthenonhuxley.com)
♥ Elastica - Operate (live)
♥ AIDS Wolf - Down, Holy Ground (myspace.com/aidswolf)

If you want to join us on the podcast, send me an email - I will need your telephone number or Skype username.

Links: weheartmusic.com weheartmusic.mypodcast.com

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Jeff Hanson

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:33:33 -0500

08/19/2008 00:31:02 ♥ written by andrew ()

Jeff Hanson - The Hills

Jeff Hanson

Tour Dates

08/23/08 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
09/15/08 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
09/16/08 Portland, OR @ Towne Lounge
09/17/08 Davis, CA @ The Old Firehouse
09/18/08 SF, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
09/24/08 Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
09/26/08 Boise, ID @ Neurolux

Discography

[Jan 2003] Son

[Feb 2005] Jeff Hanson

[Aug 2008] Madam Owl

Milwaukee-born, St. Paul-based Jeff Hanson is full of surprises. Having been briefly acquainted with him socially through a mutual friend some seven years ago I was amazed by the news: Jeff had signed with Kill Rock Stars. THE Kill Rock Stars? Yes; he mailed them a demo and they went nuts for it. Who knew THAT actually worked? My second surprise came some time later, in 2003 when my roommate walked in the door proudly holding a copy of Jeff's newly released debut. He immediately commandeered the living-room stereo and plugged the disc in. Having no idea what to expect, I was pleased with Jeff's folksy, stripped down, singer-with-guitar style. I liked it immediately. So, who's the woman singing? I asked. That's Jeff. No, no, the SINGER, I enunciated. No, no, that's Jeff. None of us spoke again for a good ten minutes; weighed down by the enormity of that concept and stunned into silence as song after song washed over us. Because, you see; Jeff sings in a whispery falsetto that would make angels weep. There. I said it. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, upon first contact with his über-soothing soprano, mistakes it for a woman's voice.

It's at this point that I'd like to take a step back and point out that I asked for this assignment, in fact I begged for it. But in many ways what I was seeking was an impossible mission. I can't describe Jeff Hanson's voice. And I've given up on trying. It simply must be experienced. Listen to the embedded track. Listen to it twice if you need to. Listen to it twice, go make yourself a cup of coffee, smoke a cigarette, or whatever your vice of choice, then come back and read the rest of this. Because if you still haven't wrapped your head around the fact that YOU ARE LISTENING TO A MAN SINGING, you really won't be paying any attention to anything else I have to say. If you think I'm overreacting: you probably haven't clicked on the embed yet.

It is my theory that Jeff Hanson has suffered somewhat as a result of his unique voice. Many see it as an oddity, an aberration. It attracts gawkers and curiosity-seekers their to pay their nickel to see The Amazing Man Who Sings Like A Woman, and having only given him a glimpse, they soon move on, presumably in search of Dogboy or The Bearded Lady.

Those people will soon realize their mistake.

Jeff Hanson has finally recorded an album - his third, "Madam Owl," released today - befitting his amazing vocals. This should in no way be construed as a knock on his previous two albums, but I firmly believe that this is the album that will finally launch him from "That Guy Who Sings Like A Girl" to "Jeff Hanson." Certainly, there still need to be a lot of introductions that will likely begin with "Check it out: this dude sounds like a chick," and from personal experience I can tell you it's quite a conversation starter. But honestly, it's past time for this guy to get some respect. It can't be easy for a falsetto-wielding folkster signed to a label known more for its Riot Grrrls than its soulful balladeers. But he's long ago made peace with that and this album is an engraved invitation for the rest of us to follow suit. The solo, man-with-guitar style that has become his signature is well-represented in Madam Owl, but unlike previous offerings, an ensemble backing band makes this album at times downright orchestral. Violin, cello, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, accordion, and… is that "saw" I see in the liner notes? As capable as The Voice is, increasingly varied instrumentation frames it in such a way that he no longer has to concern himself with the need to vocally carry the album, supported only by his single guitar. He has long done that bit well - extremely well - but much of this album shows a change of tactics that works beautifully.

I'm going to repeat myself: It simply must be experienced. Listen to the embed a third time. Download "If Only I Knew" free from the Kill Rock Stars site. Buy the album. Play it for a friend. If you're looking for a conversation starter, try: "Check it out: this dude sounds like a chick."

Links: www.jeffhanson.net myspace.com/jeffhanson killrockstars.com myspace.com/killrockstars5rc

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