:.. Mayer Hawthorne and The County at Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

Mayer Hawthorne

Mayer Hawthorne and The County at Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, New York, October 3rd, 2009

Oct 13, 2009 By Laura Leebove Photography by Laura Leebove Web Exclusive

For Mayer Hawthorne, it's all about love—lots and lots of love. And at the swanky Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on October 3 (part of his aptly named Lonely Hearts Club Tour), the DJ/multi-instrumentalist-turned-soul singer wanted to make sure everyone was getting some. A few songs into his set, he asked, "Brooklyn, are you feeling the love tonight?" Unsatisfied with the lukewarm response, he retorted, "We're gonna come back to that."

It was Hawthorne's last of three successful New York shows (the first two were sold out and this gig, announced only days in advance, had a healthy crowd too), and through his hour-long set he gave fans a look at "all the crazy things" he did for love. He searched for it ("Maybe So, Maybe No"), dated a high-maintenance honey ("One Track Mind"), and then realized that nope, she's not the one ("Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"). Oh yeah, and he also released his first single on red, heart-shaped vinyl last year.

Dressed in olive khakis, a dark cardigan, checkered bowtie, and thick-rimmed plastic glasses, Hawthorne could've passed for a '50s school kid, and he had the tunes to match, with just a little more attitude. His brand of timeless Motown soul is freshened up with traces of hip-hop beats—so fresh that producer and Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf offered him an album deal after hearing only two tracks.

The Ann Arbor, Mich., native, whose real name is Andrew Mayer Cohen (Canonball Cohen when he's bowling, as per his pre-show tweet), used his contagiously high energy and witty charm to prove early in the night that Wolf knew what he was talking about. Hawthorne's smooth falsetto was flawless, and he was quite clearly having a blast while he danced around with his tambourine. The backing band wasn't too shabby either: The County, as he dubs the quartet, brought every bit of the funk that defines A Strange Arrangement, and nailed the harmonies in a cover of Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky."

After "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'," a sunny track that channels The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," Hawthorne inquired again, "Are you feeling the love? It's very important." Still not good enough. It took until his "couple only, backward skate" number "I Wish It Would Rain" and The Isley Brothers' "Work To Do" for him to believe that his fans were truly feeling it.

The uplifting, tambourine-heavy track "The Ills" served as the encore, with simple-but-perfect advice for both life and love: "You know the ills of the world, they can get you down/But then you get back up."

Setlist:

1. Maybe So, Maybe No

2. Just Ain't Gonna Work Out

3. One Track Mind

4. Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra cover)

5. Green Eyed Love

6. Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'

7. I Wish It Would Rain

8. Work To Do (Isley Brothers cover)

9. When I Said Goodbye

10. Love Is All Right

Encore: