Mayer Hawthorne kept the funk alive at the Drunken Unicorn
October 7th, 2009 by Alejandro A. Leal in Music news
iPhone photos rule supremes
I hadn’t heard Mayer Hawthorne’s stuff until I downloaded the one of the most recent podcasts from KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.”
“I like your style, man” said the host, Jason Bentley. “Aw man,” said a young, subtle voice, with appreciation. The sounds that followed were not at all congruent with what I’m used to hearing from Stone’s Throw records – the epitome of an underground hip-hop label.
Conveniently, I learned via Twitter that Mayer Hawthorne and the County would be headlining last night at the Drunken Unicorn. So what the hell, I thought, let’s go.
Bentley was right, dude has style. Dressed in a V cashmere sweater, tie, slacks, and reading glasses, this Ann Arbor, Michigan native was on a one-man mission to bring some love to the ATL. Each song is an original piece (save for a few covers) that emulates the best of Motown’s heyday standards. Hawthorne channels a great mid seventies soul-vibe through a neo-romantic tip. Hipster love tunes if you will, but done with taste and in earnest.
Though the set-list was short, (his debut runs 12 songs long), Hawthorne kept the crowd engaged, and offered some variations – dubbing it down for “Green Eyed Love”– and covers, doing a choice rendition of the Isley Brother’s “Work to do.”
Hawthorne brought the love, and from the looks of it (via his Twitter feed), Atlanta responded in stride.
I cannot BELIEVE how hype Atlanta was last night. Totally blew me away! Possibly the best crowd of the tour! Thank you ATL!
(Photo by Molly Egan)
After the jump, see Mayer Hawthorne performing on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic”.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Yeah, dude’s falsetto and sound remind me of Curtis Mayfield when he was still with the Impressions. Def not the average blue-eyed soulster. Hate I missed (most of) the show!