DJ Haircut

By MARTÍN CABALLERO

del.ico.us | digg it! | reddit!

print | email | 0 Comments

DJ Haircut has to be a little jealous of Mayer Hawthorne.

Haircut, aka 30-year-old Ann Arbor, Mich.-native Andrew Cohen , made all the right moves in his DJ career: He relocated to LA, got a regular gig spinning at a chic spot in Hollywood, began producing tracks for hip-hop soul outfit Now On and founded his own entertainment company, A-Side Worldwide, aimed at making him even more popular.

Then, Mayer Hawthorne, Cohen's doo-wop singing, argyle-sweater-wearing alter-ego came into the picture and stole Haircut's thunder like a vengeful Marcia Brady.

The critical success and international tour that followed Hawthorne's 2009 debut album, A Strange Arrangement—a collection of sparkling original soul songs with strong influences from Philly and Motown—made it tough for Haircut to get noticed, but he'll be making a comeback with his first-ever Boston set this Saturday.

"On the Stones Throw tour," says Cohen/Hawthorne/Haircut via email, "I would open a show with a DJ set and people would come up and ask me, 'When is Mayer Hawthorne performing?' It was pretty comical."

Regardless of his chosen moniker, Haircut keeps it real.

"I'm a terrible actor. If I tried to play a character, it wouldn't be believable. I'm just being myself—it's got to be genuine. Even before Mayer Hawthorne, I was wearing ties and argyle sweaters.

"I've been DJing my whole life, but I've only been singing for about a year. It's still one of my favorite things to do."

[DJ Haircut with DJs Knife & Tommee. Sat 1.30.10. Fresh Produce at Good Life, 28 Kingston St., Boston. 617.451.2622. 9pm/21+/free. goodlifebar.com]