Mayer comes to town on my special day

So there's this dude named Mayer Hawthorne from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He's this tall guy with thick rimmed glasses who's signed to Stones Throw Records (a very diverse and hip hop influenced record label). His music has got so much soul, you wouldn't even believe it. I loved his record so much that it ended up being the first piece of vinyl I ever bought (thus requiring me to purchase a record player IN ADDITION to that sweet, sweet heart shaped record).

Been meaning to blog about him (and many other things) for a while now, but I've just been catching up with a few things and thought now would be better than ever with this concert annoucement from REMG.

His first official vid here:


Maybe So, Maybe No





REMG ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
MAYER HAWTHORNE’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB TOUR
MAYER HAWTHORNE & THE COUNTY
with special guest BUFF 1

REMG Entertainment is proud to present Mayer Hawthorne & The County live in concert at The Drake Hotel on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Mayer Hawthorne was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. He vividly remembers driving with his father and tuning the car radio in to the rich soul, deep funk and swinging jazz the region provided. As he grew up, and his obsession with soul records grew into a passion, Hawthorne discovered that sweet soul existed on both sides of the commercial divide. He discovered the same beauty in the polished sound of Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield as he did in the deeper, darker grit of the obscure Symphonic Four and Detroit-cult soul slingers The New Holidays.

Mayer Hawthorne’s debut album set for release this fall, A Strange Arrangement grew out of a childhood steeped in Detroit soul. His album draws from the inspiration of Leroy Hutson, Smokey Robinson, and the legendary songwriting and production trio of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Eddie Holland Jr. At the same time it revels in the raw sounds of those independent musicians who aspired to achieve a level of success akin to their famous peers.

A Strange Arrangement is an album full of original compositions and one cover (he had to give The New Holidays “Maybe So, Maybe No” a whirl) that underlies a heartfelt nostalgia to the sweet soul of yesteryear with a clear desire to show that his Strange Arrangement is no passing fancy. “It’s old soul,” Hawthorne explains, without an ounce of irony. “But it’s new.”

MAYER HAWTHORNE & THE COUNTY
w/ special guest Buff 1
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West)
Tickets are $12.00 in advance and available at Rotate This, Soundscapes & Play De Record
19+, Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm