Sunday September 17th 1998

Daily Record

Morris County, New Jersey

HANSON PLAYER FROM MORRIS HAS PASSION FOR JAZZ

MOUNTAIN LAKES--

Scott Hogan shed his Mountain Lakes High School cap and gown last year and hit the road with Hanson.

After being hired a bass guitar player for the pop rock band in the Spring of '97, the 1997 graduate set off on a world tour, mostly clad in comfortable trousers, loose button down shirts, and a backwards white University of Delaware baseball cap borrowed from his older sister, Caroline.

His travels have taken him to Paris, London, Cologne, and numerous American cities. They also have landed him on stage at the 1998 Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall and on the set of "The Rosie O' Donnell Show" where the band performed it's #1 hit, "MMMBop".

And there's more to come. In November, the group will perform shows in Australia and Japan and release a live album--it's fifth CD, but the first with Hogan's name on the jacket.

"Performing in front of large crowds is nerve-wracking," 19-year-old Hogan said.

But he can't see well without his glasses and doesn't wear them during concerts, that way he can't focus on the audience. Before shows, he spends nervous energy kicking a soccer ball around with stage and sound crew.

"They're not here to see me, so I try not to think about it," he said of the audience.

The crowds may come to see the trio of brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, which the group is names for, but being associated with them has benefits. After one performance, Hogan left the hotel they were staying at to buy a few items at an adjacent mall when he was inundates with fans.

"They just bum rushed me, but it was cool. A cute girl gave me a hug and she was a little older than usual--about 17" said Hogan. "I wish I was around more girls my own age," he said adding that he hasn't been able to get involved with anyone since he left to go on tour.

Other than a few friendships with fellow musicians, maintaining close relationships with old school chums has been almost impossible.

"It seems easier to relate to them (musicians). I realize a lot of people who you thought are your friends are not always going to care," he said with a sigh. "I'm not good about calling people."

While being chased by girls is a perk, the life of a rock musician isn't all glitz and glamour. Dining out isn't always a culinary delight.

"A lot of it is like hot dogs on the bus," Hogan said, admitting that he often thinks about his mother's Irish potato pancakes when he's on the road.

Sometimes he would rather scramble his own eggs and not have to pay $15 for them
in a pricey hotel. But as Hogan talked about an album he made in April in Kansas City with Hanson's backup guitarist Josh Taylor, his eyes brightened as he asked, "Do you
want to hear it?"

He popped the tape into the player and the room was filled with a mix of rhythm & blues, jazz and rock, similar pop artist Joe Jackson's style. At the end of the song, Hogan's shyness evaporated and his real passion surfaced: jazz.

Hogan studied music in New York with John Pattitticci, a bass player who has played jazz with Chick Corea and recorded solo albums. Pattitticci recommended him for the job with Hanson.

Picking up his bass guitar and maneuvering through all the amplifier wires at his parents' Briarcliff Road home, Hogan plugged in the instrument and broke into the Marcus Miller tune, "The Blues".

In a pair of khaki shorts and a navy pullover, he plucked at the strings while his heel tapped the floor, keeping the beat. His long, blonde curls bounced under the baseball cap as he got into the music.

The room began to vibrate form the noise, but it's nothing like the sounds of the band's actual concerts.

The cries of devotion from fans during performances because so loud at one point during the tour that the band was forced to wear ear monitors that drown out noise. The devices were made-to-order by a technician who shot a play-doh like substance into each band member's ears to make individual molds.

"People were talking to me and I've just nodded and not comprehended anything," Hogan said of post-show conversations before the wearing the monitor. "It blocks out all the screaming. It definitely saves on your hearing."

Hogan enjoys playing back-up for Hanson, he said, but during brief stays at home, he writes his own music. As for aspiration of going solo, he said, "I'd rather be in a band. Everybody puts their ideas together. It's the most fun."