Entertainment :: Music
The never boring Mayer Hawthorne by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorThursday Oct 8, 2009
Ann Arbor-born, Los Angeles-based songster Mayer Hawthorne may be a lot of things - singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ, producer and a player of more instruments than you could easily count - but there is one thing he is not: A boring interview.
When EDGE caught up with Hawthorne, whose debut full-length record A Strange Arrangement was released last month, he was in the car en route to a photo shoot with Rolling Stone. His voice rang with the after-glow of the previous evening’s sold-out show at Brooklyn’s The Knitting Factory, as he looked ahead to an afternoon filled with more interviews before another sold-out show at the Mercury Lounge in New York.
The level of attention he’s received in such a short period of time - he’s been tweeted about by Justin Timberlake, John Mayer and even Jack Dorsey, co-founder of the trend machine itself - feels surreal to the 30-year-old. Before legendary hip-hop producer Peanut Butter Wolf caught wind of his sound just last year, he’d had no plans for a full-length release of his music.
"I don’t think anybody, including myself or Peanut Butter Wolf or [his label] Stones Throw [Records] or my parents, would have anticipated this kind of reaction to my music," Hawthorne said. "It’s sometimes hard to wrap your head around it."
Far from glamorous... not yet
But despite the admiration from celebrities and his successful headlining tour, which continues in the States and Europe through late Nov., Hawthorne said his life was far from "glamorous" - at least not yet.
"We’re just driving around the country, trying to make ends meet and break even with this tour," he shared, noting his schedule was "grueling," perhaps a contributing factor to his recent bout with a sore throat. "We’re leaving it on stage every single night and it takes a lot out of you. It’s tough to stay healthy, but it’s been an incredible amount of fun."
Hawthorne’s musical creations tell his story better than any words could. Born into a musical family, he learned the guitar at a young age from his father, who still plays bass for a band back home in Michigan. Soon after, he learned piano and drums before he was hooked on music as divergent as early new wave (The Police), metal (Megadeth, Iron Maiden) and hip-hop. And soul, including classics like Curtis Mayfield and Smokey Robinson, clearly resonated deeply - their influence is heavily felt on the performer’s debut.
"I think having all of those influences smashed together in an album is what makes it a little ’strange,’" Hawthorne said, responding to a question regarding the album’s title. "I’ve always been a fan of strange but catchy music ... Not your typical pop structures."
Lyrically, Hawthorne’s songs address largely unsuccessful romantic endeavors, something any listener, gay or straight, could relate to. And he doesn’t mince his mostly-autobiographic words, such as "I guess that I don’t love you anymore / And I’m sorry" on his first single "Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out."
"All these romantic songs are dealing with feelings about relationships - the love and heartbreak - that have been building up for the past 10 years since I began making music and now all of a sudden, I have an outlet for them," Hawthorne, who, disappointingly for some of our readers is straight, shared. He said he’s had a former lover or two mistakenly identify themselves as lyrical muses.
Thus are the trials faced by a budding pop star. But that concern is nothing compared to facing the sometimes harsh words of critics. In response to some who have called his music "retro" or a "throwback," Hawthorne does not back down from telling them where they should be sticking their headphone plugs.
"It was never my goal to create a ’throwback’ record. Obviously, it’s heavily inspired by Motown and classic soul, but it’s new music for a new generation. If you can’t hear that on my album, you’re not listening," he said. "Anyone that is not feeling my music doesn’t need to listen to it, they can listen to something else."
And with his penchant for clever hooks and addictive beats, it seems Hawthorne won’t be running short on those "feeling" his music anytime soon.
Logon to www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne for more information on Hawthorne’s remaining U.S. tour dates, including stops in Austin and San Diego; and his European trek.
Joseph covers news, arts and entertainment and lives in Chicago.
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