::RECAP:: MAYER HAWTHORNE & QUADRON LIVE AT 9:30 CLUB
Post and photos by Kike Aluko
A snow day in DC didn't stop the show from going on at the 9:30 Club on March 3, 2014. After trekking through the freezing cold weather, the audience was welcomed into the venue with beats provided by DJ Kurse who was spinning an eclectic mix of funky grooves to start the night off right with Mos Def, Common, The Roots, Dennis Edwards, Mary Jane Girls, 2Pac and more.
Quadron & Mayer Hawthorne were the perfect combination to bring out a hugely diverse crowd, filled with a range of ethnicities, styles, and ages, from people watching alone to couples, pairs and groups of friends. As Quadron started off the show, lead singer Coco O's beautiful, strong & clear voice hit all of her notes effortlessly as she moved up & down through her songs. "Favorite Star" started the set off strong, followed by crowd favorite "Sea Salt," drawing cheers as soon as the first chord struck.
The band then moved to an insanely gorgeous cover of Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," revealing Coco's chillingly familiar experience dealing with feelings of loves lost. Quadron continued their set with two of my personal favorites, "Neverland" and "It's Gonna Get You" and dedicated the last song, "Pressure," to an audience member who had already seen them in Boston and NYC! Coco BLEW the house down with a voice that's out of this world!
After Quadron left the stage, DJ Kurse came back to keep us company for a while again until Mayer Hawthorne came on asking the audience if we were ready to have the "greatest night of our entire life" and kicked it off with "Backseat Lover" followed by "Reach Out Richard." With a stage set reminiscent of a 90s Prom, people were GETTING IT & dancing nonstop everywhere I looked, from the floor to the balcony. "Wine Glass Woman" & "Designer Drug" came next, which, combined with the heavy drum sequences and a seamless mashup of the latter with BBD's "Poison," definitely made the show feel like an awesomely fun rave party.
Mayer Hawthorne then took it back to some of his older jams with "No Strings" and "Green Eyed Love." Bringing it back to his most recent album, the band gave us a little tease of the beat behind Bob Marley's "Get Up Stand Up" before transitioning to "Allie Jones." Next came one of my favorites, "Crime," before he slowed it down with "Get To Know You." Then Mayer Hawthorne took a set break for "Picture Time" where he took a picture with everyone in the audience and then struck some hilariously crazy poses for us to capture!
After giving us a dedicated time to snap photos of him, he then declared that "Picture Time is officially over" and told us to put our electronics away so we could actually experience the show through our own eyes and not our camera lenses. Clearly it was only a matter of minutes before myself and the rest of the audience members disobeyed him -- we couldn't resist our phones! Next he introduced the band (who's electric guitarist was crazy good) with "Do It," officially confirming that there is truth to the rumors about Mayer Hawthorne also secretly being behind the incognito band Tuxedo. Then came another great mashup of "Walk This Way," leading into "The Walk." The pre-encore set wrapped up with two of my personal favorites, "The Stars Are Ours" and "Corsican Rose."
After a brief break from the stage, Mayer Hawthorne returned for his encore with yet another wonderful mashup leading with Barry White's "Playing Your Game" and finally ending with "Her Favorite Song." With Quadron & Mayer Hawthorne's unique combination of funk, soul, pop, and rock that gave the audience a brief escape to dance the night away, this show was definitely worth venturing out into the Winter Storm for!
Our special thanks to Jeff Klein for the media access.
Post and photos by Kike Aluko
Quadron & Mayer Hawthorne were the perfect combination to bring out a hugely diverse crowd, filled with a range of ethnicities, styles, and ages, from people watching alone to couples, pairs and groups of friends. As Quadron started off the show, lead singer Coco O's beautiful, strong & clear voice hit all of her notes effortlessly as she moved up & down through her songs. "Favorite Star" started the set off strong, followed by crowd favorite "Sea Salt," drawing cheers as soon as the first chord struck.
The band then moved to an insanely gorgeous cover of Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," revealing Coco's chillingly familiar experience dealing with feelings of loves lost. Quadron continued their set with two of my personal favorites, "Neverland" and "It's Gonna Get You" and dedicated the last song, "Pressure," to an audience member who had already seen them in Boston and NYC! Coco BLEW the house down with a voice that's out of this world!
After Quadron left the stage, DJ Kurse came back to keep us company for a while again until Mayer Hawthorne came on asking the audience if we were ready to have the "greatest night of our entire life" and kicked it off with "Backseat Lover" followed by "Reach Out Richard." With a stage set reminiscent of a 90s Prom, people were GETTING IT & dancing nonstop everywhere I looked, from the floor to the balcony. "Wine Glass Woman" & "Designer Drug" came next, which, combined with the heavy drum sequences and a seamless mashup of the latter with BBD's "Poison," definitely made the show feel like an awesomely fun rave party.After a brief break from the stage, Mayer Hawthorne returned for his encore with yet another wonderful mashup leading with Barry White's "Playing Your Game" and finally ending with "Her Favorite Song." With Quadron & Mayer Hawthorne's unique combination of funk, soul, pop, and rock that gave the audience a brief escape to dance the night away, this show was definitely worth venturing out into the Winter Storm for!
Our special thanks to Jeff Klein for the media access.
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