Har Mar Superstar Releases RAD New Video / Minneapolis Honors Him w/His Own Official Day

We are big supporters of the Owatonna, Minnesota native, who derived his name from the Har-Mar shopping center in Roseville, MN and has gone on to gyrate his way into countless hearts across the globe.  And Sean “Har Mar Superstar” Tillmann truly has made his mark all over the world, throwing down his patented R&B soul-dance grooves and winning over crowds from Idaho to Ibiza.  But no matter where lives (currently Brooklyn, via Los Angeles), he has been a consistent and proud representative of his home state of Minnesota since the beginning.  In 2010, Tilmann reformed the hardcore trio Calvin Krime, which he originally formed as a teenager attending the Minneapolis‘ Perpich Center For Arts Education, so that they could perform at the 25th anniversary celebration for Amphetamine Reptile, the highly influential local label that signed them.  And, living in California, collaborating on big shot Hollywood projects with friends like Drew Barrymore or Ellen Page, never prevented him from continuing to collaborate with other Minnesota natives as part of super groups like Gayngs and Marijuana Deathsquads.  Har Mar may spend the majority of his time outside of “The Gopher State” these days, but there’s never any doubt about where he’s come from, or the love that he has for his roots.  In appreciation for his work as a consistent ambassador for the area, Minneapolis mayor, Raymond, “R.T.” Raybak, has officially declared today, September 20th, 2013, to be Har Mar Superstar Day in the city of Minneapolis.  Subsequently, this is leading many to declare Raybak as one of the coolest mayor’s of all time (us included).

Here’s a copy of the official proclamation below [click image to enlarge]:

To celebrate, my 2year-old son, Ronin and I are listened to our vinyl copy the 2004, Har Mar Superstar release, The Handler, while we ate our (power) lunch.  [note: the song “Power Lunch” actually appears on 2002’s You Can Feel Me].  While the track “Cut Me Up” (featuring Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) played, I cut up his California roll into smaller bites.  The album also features Nick Zinner of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a band that Har Mar has been touring in support of over the last month or so.  But, tonight, the Superstar will be celebrating his own day by headlining his own sold out show at the legendary Minneapolis venue, First Avenue.  It’s a venue that’s incredibly close to his heart and the day that they added his name to one of the many painted stars that adorn the outside of the building, has to mean about as much to him as any other milestone that he’s reached in his career.  For those unfamiliar with the First Ave, it was actually used during several scenes for Prince‘s classic 1984 film, Purple Rain.  During our 2010 interview with him, Tilmann informed me that, beyond all of the great music and images of Minneapolis, Purple Rain held a special place in his heart for another reason, as well; of the scene where Apolonia appears topless, he said “It was probably like my first boner.”

So, our congratulations to Sean Tilmann, because no one has worked–or partied–harder than he has to get where he is, and this honor is not only definitely deserved, but a long time coming.  It’s not the easiest thing to do to get a room moving, and people seem to mistake joy for a lack of work ethic, or simply joking around.  With Sean, nothing could be further from the truth.  Many people would also rather focus on the fact that there’s a man doing neck-stands in briefs first, and acknowledge his raw songwriting and vocal talents second.  For the release of his 5th and latest full-length release, Bye Bye 17, earlier this year, Har Mar presented the soulful, Sam Cooke-inspired “Lady You Shot Me” single first, forcing everyone to appreciate his magnificent vocal abilities, first and foremost–trousers or no trousers.  And with Thomas F. Wilson, the actor who played Biff Tannen in the Back To The Future franchise, making a surprise on-stage appearance at one of his shows a few months back, 2013 has been a good year for Tilmann so far.

Yesterday also saw the release of a brand new video for the Bye Bye 17 track, “Prisoner,” which is based off of the infamous BMX dance sequence from the 1986 film RAD, that featured gold medal gymnast and husband of Nadia Comăneci, Bart Connor, playing the role of the blonde 80s villain.  In all honesty, I’m surprised that nobody has bothered to tackle this film sequence in this manner before, but Har Mar and crew undeniably do it right, even making sure to include the twins, who are like the real-life incarnation of GI Joe‘s Tomax and Xamot (leaders of Cobra Commander’s Crimson Guard).  In this video, Har Mar doesn’t have to wait long for someone to “send him an angel,” as the role that Lori Loughlin (Full House, Back to the Beach, Amityville 3D) played in the original is handled smashingly by former I Married Dora star, Juliette Lewis.  Enjoy it below, it’s a HELL of a TRACK.

Obviously, this video is amazing, but if he ever does decide to take on another video based around a 1980s Lori Loughlin project, I’d like to suggest the film The New Kids, co-starring James Spader.  [Patrick knows what I’m talking about.]

HAPPY HAR MAR SUPERSTAR DAY EVERYONE!   CONGRATULATIONS, SEAN!