MJ Lenderman

Manning Fireworks

MJ Lenderman

9 SONGS • 38 MINUTES • SEP 06 2024

  • TRACKS
    TRACKS
  • DETAILS
    DETAILS
TRACKS
DETAILS
1
Manning Fireworks
03:00
2
Joker Lips
E
03:01
3
Rudolph
03:31
4
Wristwatch
03:42
5
She's Leaving You
04:38
6
Rip Torn
03:32
7
You Don't Know The Shape I'm In
03:36
8
On My Knees
E
03:52
9
Bark At The Moon
10:01
℗© 2024: Anti

Artist bios

A singer and songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina, 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. 2024's Manning Fireworks was a breakthrough release that made room for his contemplative acoustic and raucous electric work.

Born in 1999, Mark Jacob Lenderman grew up in Asheville, 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 begun 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 was touring the United States and Europe. Despite his busy schedule, Lenderman had already begun 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, which 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!).

March 2024 brought the release of Waxahatchee's sixth album, Tiger's Blood, which featured Lenderman on lead guitar, joining leader Katie Crutchfield, multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook, and drummer Spencer Tweedy. The album was a critical and commercial success, and Lenderman's star rose even higher when he issued his fourth LP, Manning Fireworks, the following September. Including contributions from his Wednesday bandmates Ethan Baechtold, Xandy Chelmis, and Karly Hartzman, the album received rave reviews from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and Lenderman's supporting tour was extended into 2025, with several major cities adding addition shows to meet demand for tickets. Lenderman was also one of over 100 artists who contributed a song to 2024's Cardinals at the Window, a digital benefit compilation produced to raise money for flood relief in North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastating impact. ~ Mark Deming

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Language of performance
English
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