H is for Mayer Hawthorne

Depending on your generational point of view, he looks a little like Rainn Wilson...or Elvis Costello...or Buddy Holly.

Whatever. All I know is that Mayer Hawthorne has an old school soul sound that's a nice change of pace from much of today's music. He can do slow (check out "Shiny And New" or "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out"),  he can do medium tempo ("Maybe So Maybe No" or "One Track Mind") and he can do fast ("Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'" below).

What's his story?

He's a 32-year-old dude from Ann Arbor, 45 miles west of Detroit, who grew up listening to Motown music. Clearly, that's a big influence in his retro sound but he's also a producer, rapper and DJ. His real name is Andrew Mayer Cohen and he's scheduled to play the Rose Garden on June 4, opening for Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae.

Missed him last year when he came through town. Wouldn't mind seeing him this time.