As Mayer Hawthorne gets ready to release his second album, How You Do, the singer/producer has launched “Mayer Mondays,” a Twitter-initiated series of free MP3s. You can grab the first one—a glitter-doused Chromeo remix—after the jump, alongside the song’s original video…
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Mayer Hawthorne, live at Brooklyn Bowl with the Roots
It’s been a while since we last heard from Mayer Hawthorne, unless you count this now sold-out Bobble Head. Not to mention some upcoming ‘Hooligans In Wonderland’ dates with Janelle Monae and, um, Bruno Mars.
At any rate, we’re pretty sure a new album’s on the way this year, as first hinted at in Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stones Throw podcast a couple months ago. Now we’ve got the following mix—the third installment in the “Hawthorne Radio” series—to remind us that the singer/producer/DJ is still obsessed with golden oldies records and your grandfather’s favorite commercials…
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Peanut Butter Wolf on tour in Japan
Sample some of Stones Throw‘s 2011 releases after the jump, including freshly pressed tracks from Madvillain, Dam-Funk, CX-Kidtronik, and Mayer Hawthorne…
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See, this is why we don’t work a 9-to-5 job…Oh, and once you’re done watching Mayer Hawthorne‘s new music video, you might want to check out our extensive interview with him from last year.
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[Portrait by Schiko; Live Photo by Sarah Meyfroi]
By J. Bennett
To the casual listener, it might seem like Mayer Hawthorne sprang fully formed from the afro of some ancient R&B god, dropping sweet, sweet falsetto and playing almost all the instruments on his debut LP, A Strange Arrangement. That’s the impression we got after listening to the album on psychotic repeat when it came out back in September, and we’ve been listening to it that way ever since. A deliriously infectious platter of seemingly vintage soul that drips Motown and Courvoisier at every turn, it’s made enthusiastic converts of everyone from Justin Timberlake and John Mayer to Snoop Dogg and Ghostface Killah.
As it turns out, Hawthorne isn’t black or old. He’s a nice young Jewish boy from Ann Arbor, Michigan—a white boy who used to spin hip-hop at parties and cut records with local hip-hop crew the Athletic Mic League under the name DJ Haircut before moving to Los Angeles, where his secret soul persona was ‘discovered’ by Stones Throw‘s main man Peanut Butter Wolf.
self-titled caught up with Hawthorne on the New Orleans stop of his first-ever US tour.
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[Photo by Doug Coombe]
If you’re as worn out from this week as we are, you might wanna skip right to the “read more” link up ahead. After all, it points to a hefty handful of free Mayer Hawthorne MP3s, including a stellar Stones Throw podcast that sounds like a stolen transmission from the ’60s or ’70s—enough golden oldies to give you flashbacks or a serious case of the chills—and a Classixx remix that drops Hawthorne on the same dancefloor as Soft Cell. It’ll be officially pressed on a green slab of wax later this month. Until then, enjoy the first sign of Hawthorne’s future as a darkwave guest star and be sure to check out his $5 show at Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow if you missed out on his other two NYC area shows.
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Look, we realize the Roots will always be a Philly band, through and through. That said, it’s hard not to claim them as ‘ours’ when ?uestlove and company spend half of their time in New York City, either on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show or at special $10 “Jam” shows. Last night was a first in that department, as the Roots moved their usual Highline Ballroom residency to Brooklyn Bowl for a one-off performance.
While the open-eneded bill began in round robin style at 10 p.m., the group didn’t appear the least bit tired at 12:30, as they backed Ursula Rucker for a pair of fiery slam poetry pieces. Things kicked into high gear soon after that, with a short Roots set and guest appearances by Talib Kweli and our boy from a post ago, Mayer Hawthorne. Here are clips of four songs from this part of the night…
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Words and Photos by Andrew Parks
The Artist and Their Latest Album: Mayer Hawthorne, A Strange Arrangement (Stones Throw)
What’s Been Said: “Mr. Hawthorne is deadly serious. He’s an able singer, a gifted mimic and an arranger of astonishing precision. Working largely alone in his Los Angeles studio, he’s pieced together some stunning simulacra—not just in lyric and sound, which are unremittingly loyal to the classic soul that serves as his template, but also in tone. Most songs here emerge through fog, slightly distant and slightly obscured.” — The New York Times
“Hawthorne (né Andrew Cohen) is trapped in a time-stop circa 1976, and his immaculate debut is replica music, constructed and buffed to a high sheen. Drawing on Holland-Dozier- Holland’s crisp, 180-second soul classics, the Michigan-born Hawthorne gorgeously apes the Temptations on ‘I Wish It Would Rain’ and ‘Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out.’ There’s hardly an original thought here, but with arrangements so expertly composed, who’s complaining?” — SPIN
“They call it neo-soul these days, and for once, the label is exactly right. Neo-soul is exactly what Cohen does. And he does it in stunning style. His debut album as Mayer Hawthorne, A Strange Arrangement, is a wonderful, joyous delight from start to finish, managing to be both a nostalgic-sounding soul facsimile and a fresh urban retro dance listen all in one package.” — Allmusic.com
“It’s Tuesday: You are feeling tranquil and a little bit loose. You’re looking for a song that reminds you of 1950s soul on Sundays appropriate for cooking waffles with strawberries with the fam (or friends you consider family.) Even if that never really happened. The perfect song? Mayer Hawthorne—’Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out.’” — Justin Timberlake
Our Take:
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Throbbing Gristle
We sift the ‘net for today’s top stories so you don’t have to…
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Zomby
And our video of the day—related to this post—just made us feel really out of shape…
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