mayer-hawthorne-aka-haircut
Mayer Hawthorne grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, and vividly remembers, as a child, driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul and jazz history the region provided. “Most of the best music ever made came out of Detroit,” claims the singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, who counts Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, and Barry White among his influences, but draws the most inspiration from the music of Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and the legendary songwriting and production trio of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland Jr.
The “retro” tag is added to almost any contemporary work that sounds like it was originally recorded between 1966 and 1974, and Hawthorne, among the newest contributors to the genre, is aware of how trends come and go. After being introduced to Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf by mutual friend Noelle Scaggs of the Rebirth, even his current boss was skeptical. “He showed me two songs and I didn’t understand what I was listening to,” Wolf recalls. “I asked him if they were old songs that he did re-edits of – I couldn’t believe they were new songs and that he played all the instruments.”
And after meeting in person, it was even harder for Wolf to believe that Hawthorne was also the lead vocalist. Few expect such heartfelt sentiment to come from a 29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor, but he has caught the ear of his family at Stones Throw, as well as BBC Radio 1 host Gilles Peterson and producer/DJ Mark Ronson. Expectations are high for the admitted vinyl junkie who never planned on taking his crooning public. Hawthorne’s hanging-by-a-string falsetto and breakbeat production on his first recorded effort, the tender “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” are simultaneously Smokey and J Dilla – equal parts “The Tracks of My Tears” and “Fall in Love.” “It’s soul,” he explains, “But it’s new.”
Hawthorne has produced and played instruments for much of his life, but never intended to become a singer. He isn’t formally trained, and never sang in the church choir or in any of the bands he was in before founding the County (formerly the County Commissioners). But here he is, new school soul sensation, who has taken the Motown assembly-line production model and eliminated nearly every element but himself and a few hired hands. “I think Mayer is the only artist in the history of the label that I’ve signed after hearing only two songs,” says Peanut Butter Wolf. “Sometimes, you just know it’s the right thing to do.”
And for those willing to believe anything is possible, be grateful to have Mayer Hawthorne on the scene. It’s not just throwback music anymore – this revival is all about progression.
For all business inquiries contact:
A-Side Worldwide Management
Jackson Perry: jackson[at]asideworldwide.com
For live bookings contact:
NORTH AMERICA:
Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
JBeau Lewis: jlewis[at]caa.com
EUROPE/WORLDWIDE:
Creative Artists Agency (CAA), UK
Georgia Spencer Holmes: GSpencerHolmes[at]caa.com
Record Label:
Stones Throw
PRESS //
- Real Detroit Weekly (2009 Artist of the Year)
– iTunes France, iTunes Japan (2009 Best Soul Artist of the Year)
– Playboy Magazine (“2009 Breakout Artist” – March Music Issue)
– Rolling Stone (“Top Singles” – Issue 1079; “Breaking” – Issue 1090)
– URB Magazine (2009 “Next 100” Issue)
– Beyond Race Magazine (3yr Anniversary Issue/cover)
– The Oprah Magazine (October 2009)
– Entertainment Weekly (“Best of 2009” Issue)
– Wall Street Journal (Fall Music Preview 2009)
The debut album, A Strange Arrangement
– Peaked at No. 2 while spending 6 weeks on Billboard Heatseekers
– Reached No. 74 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
– Peaked at No. 9 on iTunes Top Music Albums
– Reached No. 2 on iTunes Top R&B/Soul Albums
– NPR “Song of the Day” (Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out)
– Starbucks instore “Pick of the Week” (Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out)
– iTunes “Single of the Week” (300,000 Downloads – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out)
“The fastest rising pop star in the Americas” – Detroit Metro Times
“We love, love, love it!” – PerezHilton.com
“Immaculate debut” – Spin.com
“A Strange Arrangement is a master class in soul music” – Esquire.com
“Hawthorne emerges with a jaw-dropping collection of classic soul” – RollingStone.com
“He’s an able singer, a gifted mimic and an arranger of astonishing precision” – NY Times
“A breath of fresh air for a world gone crazy” – Yahoo Music
“My favorite new artist is Mayer Hawthorne, he brings old skool to the new skool, ya dig” – Snoop Dogg
“He’s crazy. His music is fire.” – Ghostface Killah
“I loved Mayer Hawthorne’s album A Strange Arrangement; he’s got a great voice and songs and it sounds so big” – Lily Allen
“I have no idea what this is, old or new, but it’s fucking good!!!“ – Mark Ronson
“One of the biggest records of 2009!” – Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 1)
“Best record of the year goes to Mayer Hawthorne” – John Mayer
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News
Mar 10, 2010More Malice + Spin Review + Ford Models
Mar 07, 2010SXSW Events
Mar 03, 2010Mayer Hawthorne - "Thin Moon"
Mar 03, 2010MTVU Freshman 5: Vote Now!
Mar 02, 2010Mayer Hawthorne - "I Wish It Would Rain"
Feb 28, 2010Mayer Hawthorne Takes Over MTVu
Feb 26, 2010Style Section LA
Feb 13, 2010Stones Throw Podcast 56
Feb 09, 2010Bonnaroo 2010
Feb 01, 2010A Strange Arrangement - Instrumentals
Events
Jun 04, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Istanbul
May 29, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Birmingham
May 28, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Leeds
May 27, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Manchester
May 26, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Glasgow
May 25, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // London
May 23, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Münster
May 22, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Anwerp
May 21, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Vienna
May 20, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Berlin
May 19, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Munich
May 18, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Zurich
May 16, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Bilbao
May 14, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Madrid
May 13, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Marseille
May 11, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Paris
May 10, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Lille
May 08, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Nantes
May 07, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Mulhouse
May 05, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Amsterdam
May 05, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Groningen
May 01, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Bergen
Apr 15, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // San Francisco
Apr 14, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Davis
Apr 12, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Portland
Apr 11, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Vancouver
Apr 10, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Eugene
Apr 08, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Salt Lake City
Apr 07, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Denver
Apr 05, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Kansas City
Apr 04, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Minneapolis
Apr 03, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Milwaukee
Apr 02, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Chicago
Mar 31, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Columbus
Mar 30, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Cleveland
Mar 29, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // York
Mar 28, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Buffalo
Mar 27, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Toronto
Mar 26, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Detroit
Mar 24, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Louisville
Mar 23, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Nashville
Mar 22, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Oxford
Mar 18, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // SXSW
Mar 17, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Houston
Mar 16, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Dallas
Mar 15, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // New Orleans
Mar 13, 2010Mayer Hawthorne // Atlanta
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