Upcoming artist Mayer Hawthorne headlined the Mazda 2 Music Tour through 2011, bolting his career in music
Mayer Hawthorne and the County,
the name the artist uses when he performs with several other artists, headlined the Mazda 2 Music Tour between late 2010 to late 2011. The tour took several musicians across the United States to play various shows, all sponsored by auto giant, Mazda.
The tour began in October 2010, taking Mayer Hawthorne and the County from the east coast of the United States and then through the south. By week four of the tour, the musicians made way through Birmingham, Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee, Asheville, North Carolina, and later through the Midwest. Some of the Midwest dates included Chicago, Columbus, and Cleveland.
The latter wing of the Mazda 2 Music Tour took the band on several Rocky Mountain and West Coast dates before concluding in late October 2011. By mid-2011, Mayer Hawthorne and the County would visit everywhere from The Vogue in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas, and the Urban Lounge in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sponsored by the auto giant, Mayer Hawthorne truly got some exposure on this tour. At 28 years old, the artist has been making music professionally since 2008. Hawthorne's real name is Andrew Cohen, and the name Mayer Hawthorne is an amalgamation of his middle name and a street he grew up on as a youth. Hawthorne often performs soul and what is commonly referred to as "neo-soul", but the artist also performs as a DJ and hip hop shows under the stage name, "Haircut".
As far as his list of occupations and accolades, the musician has at one point or another been described as a singer, audio engineer, rapper, and producer. As a multi-instrumentalist, Hawthorne has come a long way in his career, but the Mazda 2 Tour enabled the young artist much exposure. It also allowed those who came along with him on the tour much more exposure, as many artists in The County were never heard of before outside of major cities on the east and west coast.
Some of these artists included, but were not limited to, Childish Gambino, Jazzy Jeff, Unequal People, Tina Farris, The Heavy, Gordon Voidwell, and more. With support of these artists and others who followed Hawthorne around the United States, over twenty independent and labeled musicians were able to receive exposure through this Mazda sponsored tour. These large corporate sponsored tours are some of the best way less popular musicians and artists can get around many cities in the United States and around the globe.
Since this time, many of the musicians have gone on to other tours. Hawthorne himself continues to rap, sing, play instruments, and produce music for many other artists. Constantly touring and recording, Mayer Hawthorne is sure to continue bringing music to his fans through his own label or via these corporate sponsored tours. With three albums recorded and eight singles released to date, Hawthorne is very likely to continue to make music, especially as positive reviews continue to be written.
