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Mayer Hawthorne & The County , with opening set by DJ DREZ

What:

When we caught up with Mayer Hawthorne his tour bus had made its way to Niagara Falls following on the heels of a buzz-producing trip to Austin for SxSW. He was about to come back west — he’ll make a stop in Eureka for a show at the Red Fox Tuesday, April 14, before hitting Coachella next weekend where he’s set to perform at least twice: once with his band The County, and a set with his Stones Throw buddiest as DJ Haircut, spinning alongside Peanut Butter Wolf among others.  

Journal: You’re really on a whirlwind tour…

Mayer: It’s been a whirlwind career this past year.

What I’m wondering is, how did a guy from Ann Arbor end up playing at SxSW on a bill with Sharon Jones, Raphael Saadiq and Smokey Robinson? What was that like?

It was amazing. It was like, I can retire now and feel like I did it. Smokey Robinson is No. 1 — he’s my hero, as far as songwriting goes. The chance to perform with him was totally surreal.

Did you get to meet him?

Unfortunately I didn’t. I was low man on the totem pole at that show. But I got to ask him a question when I did an interview [for the show] and they said he answered it.

What was your question?

My question was, ‘How is it you are approaching 70 years old and you haven’t aged a day in 50 years? He was out there doing choreographed dance moves with 20-year-old girls — I just don’t see how that’s possible. I’m trying to figure that out, because I’d like to stay where I am right now too. If I could figure out his secret, that’d be great.

Back to how you ended up where you are — it started with a record…

I think it was because I made an album that had more to do with fun than with anything else. It was an album that I didn’t really make for usual reasons.

You mean just for money?

The usual reasons being like to sell records and to promote yourself and have a hit song. This was really something I did as a side project for fun. It was more of an experiment. Fun was the No. 1 rule behind everything.

Was the experiment to see if you could make music sound like the music you love, like your heroes?

That wasn’t realty it. Part of it was to see if I could do a whole album where I played everything on it and sang al the parts myself. That was the first time I’d ever done anything like that. And part of it was to see if I could write an entire album of songs myself that was any good, that anybody would want to listen to. And to see if I could take that music and update it, bring it forward without losing the magic.

You say this was a side project. What were you working on at the time? Now On?

Now On was my main focus. I was mainly a hip hop DJ and producer. I worked with a lot of different groups…

You were DJ Haircut…

DJ Haircut, that’s me. I still am, you know — I still DJ all the time.

Do you see the music you made as Mayer as an outgrowth of being a DJ/producer? There are hints of Mayer in some Now On tracks.

It’s definitely an extension, another side of my musical personality. It’s all me. It’s all the same guy. You can hear the hip hop in the soul music I make. You can hear rock in there and all my influences.

Can you explain the difference between DJ and producer? Of course a DJ plays records…

There’s more to DJing than just playing records, but the two things are extremely different. There’s an enormous difference between a DJ and a producer, just like there’s an enormous difference between a beat-maker and a producer. There’s a lot of guys who call themselves producers, who in actuality just make beats. There’s a lot more to being a true producer.

We’ll assume that your DJing was a major influence on the music you made on your own.

Oh, definitely. You know I’ve been collecting records since I was a toddler. I’m a huge vinyl junkie. I was collecting vinyl since before I could read the labels. That was all I ever wanted.

And you’re still digging?

Every day. Every day I can.

I was watching this video this morning, Secondhand Sureshots.

That’s J Rocc, my homey on Stones Throw. There’s an album that goes along with that, they did vinyl and everything.

I loved seeing them work the thrift stores. It took me back to when I was digging through 45s looking for labels I liked.

You learn certain producers and arrangers and certain labels that you love and that’s how you find new stuff.

Do you think of yourself as a retro kind of guy?

Naw, I wouldn’t say that at all. I live in the now. I’m a technology guy. I don’t live in the past ever. I’m always looking to the future trying to do something new and innovative, out of the box, to keep moving forward. Today is always the best day.

But sometimes making music that sounds like it comes from another time can be new.

I guess. That’s fair.

I’d have to say, with some of your songs, if someone played them for me and I had no idea who it was, I would not guess that it was music made in 2009.

Really? Well, I think there’s definitely elements in there… hopefully people can tell that it’s new. It definitely was never my intention to create a throwback, a retro album. I mean, I’m obviously very influenced by soul, classic soul music and Motown, but it was really important to me to be updating it and moving it forward, doing things you wouldn’t necessarily hear on a record back then.

Clearly you use modern sounds, but the feel is what I’m talking about.

That’s exactly it. You hit it right on the nose. I wanted the feel of classic Motown, but I wanted it to also feel new.

The thing that makes you keep listening to classic soul and Motown is this timeless quality. I think that’s something you’ve hit on.

That’s the goal. Hopefully people will be digging for my records 30 years from now just like I’m digging for records from 30 years ago. That’s always the goal.

What’s next for you?

I’ll be on tour for pretty much the rest of the year. I’m doing Coachella, a lot of big festivals. And I’m constantly working on new music. I’m going to be releasing songs as soon as they’re done, as many as I can. I’m just going to try to keep making music, keep pushing the envelop — seeing what I can get away with really.

Are you able to do it while you’re on the road? For some it’s one or the other, either they’re holed up in a studio or they’re out performing.

I just recorded a new song yesterday on the bus. I just have so much music, it’s pouring out.

When you say you did it on the bus, do you mean working on your laptop assembling the pieces?

We have all the instruments with us you know. We’ll play everything. I plug in and play and sing.

“We” as in The County? Is The County a regular band at this point? I know it started out as something kind of nebulous.

They’re my backing band when I perform live.

Is it fluid, where different guys play, or is it a solid thing?

I try to keep it as solid as possible. Right now it’s mostly made up of guys that I grew up with in Michigan, friends that have been playing music with me or with my friends for years. It’s amazing that I happen to luck out and grow up with al these incredible musicians. These are the guys I’d want if I could pick anyone. They all just happened to grow up with me.

Sounds like you live a charmed life.

It couldn’t be much more storybook.

You seem to be one of the few able to make it work as a living…

Well I’ve been trying for a long time. A lot of people see this as an overnight success thing, but you know I’ve been making music and sleeping on people’s couches for the past 10 or 12 years. And I’m still not exactly rich.

Now you get to sleep on the tour bus… Anything else you want to add?

Follow me on Twitter. I’m really on there. It’s really me.

What’s your Twitter handle?

Just MayerHawthorne. Tell everyone to check it out. I give away tickets for shows and I tell people about my favorite restaurants, I leak new songs out and tell people about new records I’ve found. I have a lot of fun on there.

What have you found lately?

Oh man, there’s been so many. I’ve been digging in every city. What did I just pick up that I really like? I’m absolutely fascinated with Carnival Records right now. Especially Lee Williams and the Symbols. Anything by Lee “Shot” Williams — that guy is an absolute genius.

What about new musicians?

I’m obsessed with this girl from Norway, Hanne Hukkelberg. It’s one of those things where the first couple of times you listen to it, you don’t really get it. Then all of a suddenly it just clicks. Check out a track called “Do Not As I Do.” That’s the one that got me hooked, then I moved on to the weirder stuff. I just think she’s an unbelievable harmonizer and composer.

You’re in New York, almost in Canada, a long way from the West Coast. Are you driving all the way here or will you get on a plane at some point?

We’re bussing it all the way; we’ve got shows all the way there; 16 more dates before we get to where you are. We’ve been everywhere.

I should let you go.

Yeah, it’s time to get something to eat.

See you in Cali.

Take care. Peace.

http://www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne

opening set by DJ DREZ DJ Drez is one of the most prominent, diverse and influential DJs in the LA underground music scene. Drez explores boundaries by combining yesterdays roots with the ingenuity of todays hip hop. Although Drez is primarily known as a Hip Hop DJ and producer, those who know him have experienced his talents for jazz, soul and world music. From mix tapes to full length albums, festivals performing for audiences of 30 thousand and yoga classes of 30 Drez contributes his multidimensional sound to the world of music with style ,grace and consciousness.

http://www.djdrez.com

Tickets 15$ advance 20$ day of show

21 and up

doors at 9:30 showtime 10pm come early!!!!

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