The soul stirring hip-hopper from Michigan checks in with ATG before Austin, Texas stop of fall tour.
Even the most resentful, worn, blog-trolling cynic paused upon hearing "Just Ain't Gonna Work."
Mayer Hawthorne's lead single was unpretentious; was so instantly-pleasing, warm, soulful and genuine. An instant get moment: it's a Smokey Robinson-appreciating white dude lacking the expected richness and vibrato of great black tenors but compensating with melody, genre familiarity through a minimalistic gem bursting with delectable, layered harmonies. Mostly, the song felt effortless.
"For the longest time, Mayer Hawthorne was honestly a project I put little thought into," said Andrew Cohen, today praised as Mayer Hawthorne, Stones Throw's premier, emerging balladeer.
If the statement strikes you as arrogant or detached, it's because Hawthorne, the twenty-something revivalist from Michigan who took his stage name via the tried and true porn star approach (first name is your middle name and last name is the street you grew up on), really wanted to make hip-hop.
"I've just always been a producer and a DJ first," Hawthorne said, "[Success is] definitely a surprise, after going from hip-hop groups all of a sudden I get asked to do a full plate of these silly songs we've been doing for fun. The task seemed daunting."
For years, Hawthorne had been plugging away at a rap career. He was part of a six-member Ann Arbor-based group, Athletic Mic League, and spent 1999 touring the East Coast. AML caught the attention of an entertainment lawyer with put on capabilities and Hawthorne enjoyed a taste of success.
Most recently, under the moniker Haircut, dude formulated Madlib and J Dilla-inspired, meaty beats while consistently sprinkling playful R&B vocals before ceding the floor to his brethren in Now On. This Los Angeles-based collective wears track suits, houses a dude with long dreadlocks, and churns out the sort of organic, conscious, no smiles West Coast parchment Stones Throw is known for printing.
"I moved [to Los Angeles] with Now On," Hawthorne said, "this was the goal and this turned out to be the segue: more melodic, electro soul. Now On was that bridge between hip-hop and the Mayer stuff. We went from rapping over thrown on beats to letting songwriting drive material."
Of course, none of this mattered to Stones Throw founder, Peanut Butter Wolf, who met Hawthorne at a nondescript Los Angeles party, heard the retro demos and wanted more cowbell; more era-specific, region-specific, time capsule records.
"Luckily this is where I'm from, what I grew up with," Hawthorne said, "Motown, '60s soul with a clear hip-hop influence. Songs built on drums, they just came naturally. They keep coming, actually, still recording more."
As the material crystallized, he ran with the project's conceptual linchpins. "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" was released on heart-shaped, pink vinyl. The accompanying video is black and white, set in nuclear suburbia and Hawthorne hams up his lovesick, bespectacled protagonist's body language like he's been here before while aimlessly wandering; dispensing his tangible heart to willing participants.
"I came up with the [video's] treatment. I wanted to use the heart-shaped vinyl as the centerpiece. From stepping out of my comfort zone, [Mayer Hawthorne] became all I wanted to do. I stepped into the character with full force, it's silly but it helps circulate the music."
Since then it's been about spreading the word to the right people. The BBC noticed. Mark Ronson noticed. South by Southwest was accommodating ("Been to a couple South by Southwests, love the city but it's so frustrating because I never get time to see anyone and everyone I'd want to see is playing.") and his freshly minted debut, A Strange Arrangement, was cheerfully if begrudgingly praised by the Village Voice, Washington Post, Pitchfork, etc.
Despite composing and performing, like, 95% on this disc, expect the live show to hit hard with fully orchestrated realizations of this studio nerd's throwback offerings.
"People can throw around whatever label they want," Hawthorne said, "This is new music for a new generation. It's exciting. It's dynamite.We just leave it all on the stage every night."
- Ramon Ramirez
Mayer Hawthorne plays Red 7 on Saturday, October 10. Doors at 10 p.m.
Mayer Hawthorne's lead single was unpretentious; was so instantly-pleasing, warm, soulful and genuine. An instant get moment: it's a Smokey Robinson-appreciating white dude lacking the expected richness and vibrato of great black tenors but compensating with melody, genre familiarity through a minimalistic gem bursting with delectable, layered harmonies. Mostly, the song felt effortless.
"For the longest time, Mayer Hawthorne was honestly a project I put little thought into," said Andrew Cohen, today praised as Mayer Hawthorne, Stones Throw's premier, emerging balladeer.
If the statement strikes you as arrogant or detached, it's because Hawthorne, the twenty-something revivalist from Michigan who took his stage name via the tried and true porn star approach (first name is your middle name and last name is the street you grew up on), really wanted to make hip-hop.
"I've just always been a producer and a DJ first," Hawthorne said, "[Success is] definitely a surprise, after going from hip-hop groups all of a sudden I get asked to do a full plate of these silly songs we've been doing for fun. The task seemed daunting."
For years, Hawthorne had been plugging away at a rap career. He was part of a six-member Ann Arbor-based group, Athletic Mic League, and spent 1999 touring the East Coast. AML caught the attention of an entertainment lawyer with put on capabilities and Hawthorne enjoyed a taste of success.
Most recently, under the moniker Haircut, dude formulated Madlib and J Dilla-inspired, meaty beats while consistently sprinkling playful R&B vocals before ceding the floor to his brethren in Now On. This Los Angeles-based collective wears track suits, houses a dude with long dreadlocks, and churns out the sort of organic, conscious, no smiles West Coast parchment Stones Throw is known for printing.
"I moved [to Los Angeles] with Now On," Hawthorne said, "this was the goal and this turned out to be the segue: more melodic, electro soul. Now On was that bridge between hip-hop and the Mayer stuff. We went from rapping over thrown on beats to letting songwriting drive material."
Of course, none of this mattered to Stones Throw founder, Peanut Butter Wolf, who met Hawthorne at a nondescript Los Angeles party, heard the retro demos and wanted more cowbell; more era-specific, region-specific, time capsule records.
"Luckily this is where I'm from, what I grew up with," Hawthorne said, "Motown, '60s soul with a clear hip-hop influence. Songs built on drums, they just came naturally. They keep coming, actually, still recording more."
As the material crystallized, he ran with the project's conceptual linchpins. "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" was released on heart-shaped, pink vinyl. The accompanying video is black and white, set in nuclear suburbia and Hawthorne hams up his lovesick, bespectacled protagonist's body language like he's been here before while aimlessly wandering; dispensing his tangible heart to willing participants.
"I came up with the [video's] treatment. I wanted to use the heart-shaped vinyl as the centerpiece. From stepping out of my comfort zone, [Mayer Hawthorne] became all I wanted to do. I stepped into the character with full force, it's silly but it helps circulate the music."
Since then it's been about spreading the word to the right people. The BBC noticed. Mark Ronson noticed. South by Southwest was accommodating ("Been to a couple South by Southwests, love the city but it's so frustrating because I never get time to see anyone and everyone I'd want to see is playing.") and his freshly minted debut, A Strange Arrangement, was cheerfully if begrudgingly praised by the Village Voice, Washington Post, Pitchfork, etc.
Despite composing and performing, like, 95% on this disc, expect the live show to hit hard with fully orchestrated realizations of this studio nerd's throwback offerings.
"People can throw around whatever label they want," Hawthorne said, "This is new music for a new generation. It's exciting. It's dynamite.We just leave it all on the stage every night."
- Ramon Ramirez
Mayer Hawthorne plays Red 7 on Saturday, October 10. Doors at 10 p.m.
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