MJ Lenderman

A singer and songwriter from Asheville, NC, MJ Lenderman melds indie folk, roots rock, and skronky guitars with tunes that deal with random details of everyday lives, both past and present. Lenderman had already developed a solid reputation as a sideman – playing drums behind Asheville songwriter Indigo de Souza and handling lead guitar for noisy indie rockers Wednesday – when he released his first solo album, 2019′s MJ Lenderman, which introduced his mix of noisy and rootsy sounds. 2022′s Boat Songs dug deeper into the twangy side of Lenderman’s music, and 2023′s And the Wind (Live and Loose!) captured the sound of him and his band in full flight. Born in 1999, Mark Jacob Lenderman grew up in Asheville, NC, where he shared his father’s passion for televised sports (Michael Jordan, Dan Marino, and various professional wrestlers have all appeared in his lyrics). In his teens, Lenderman discovered the music of Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse and Jason Molina of Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia, and he was fascinated by their musical storytelling, as well as the fact they came from the South and Midwest, which allowed him to feel a greater connection to their work. (He’s also cited Warren Zevon, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan as early influences on his music.) Lenderman was drawn to the lively music scene in Asheville, and by the time he was 18 he’d began playing in local bands. After finishing high school, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina in Asheville, where he lasted for three semesters. After moving out of the UNC dorms, he was soon sharing a house with two fellow members of the city’s underground music scene, Karly Hartzman and Colin Miller. In 2017, Lenderman recorded a nine song digital EP, Him, with Miller pitching in as producer, engineer, and drummer; it featured eight originals from Lenderman, and a cover of Jason Molina’s “Boys.” In 2018, Lenderman joined Asheville songwriter Indigo De Souza’s band as a drummer, appearing on the album Take Off Your Pants and a live EP for Audiotree. He also sat in on sessions with the groups Pretend Chess (2018′s Crime), Scoutmaster (2019′s Winter Ache EP), and Nash To Stoudemire (2019′s Faucet EP). The latter project featured housemate Karly Hartzman, and when she began ramping up her new band, Wednesday, she invited Lenderman to play lead guitar. He performed on Wednesday’s critically celebrated 2021′s LP Twin Plagues, and soon the group were busy touring in the United States and Europe. Despite his busier schedule, Lenderman had already been promoting his solo career with the release of 2019′s MJ Lenderman, which was once again produced and recorded by Colin Miller, who also played bass; Xandy Chemlis, who played steel guitar with Wednesday, also appeared on the album. The Philadelphia-based indie label Dear Life Records took notice of Lenderman, and they issued his next solo album, 2021′s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo. His next release for Dear Life, 2022′s Boat Songs, would prove to be his critical breakthrough; Lenderman’s first album recorded in a professional studio, he played all the instruments except for bass, keyboards, and trumpet, all of which were handled by Miller. Boat Songs’ strong reception in the indie music press led to him being approached by Anti- Records, who signed him to a new record deal. In 2023, as Wednesday were winning acclaim for their album Rat Saw God, Lenderman delivered his first album for Anti-, And the Wind (Live and Loose!). ~ Mark Deming