MJ Lenderman is back in Chicago again. These two Thalia Hall shows take place just months after the Asheville artist’s headlining set at the Logan Square Arts Festival (and Sleeping Village show) in late June. This time around, he’s touring in support of his acclaimed new fourth record, Manning Fireworks, which follows 2023’s And the Wind (Live and Loose!), a live album partly recorded at Lincoln Hall.
Like many musicians of his generation, the 25-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist was inspired to pick up his instrument after playing the video game Guitar Hero—which he references in Manning Fireworks closer “Bark at the Moon.” He released his self-titled debut album in 2019 and rose to prominence with the release of his third record, Boat Songs, in 2022. In the chaos of the post-COVID touring industry, he built a reputation as a live performer.
Why is Lenderman so popular with Chicagoans? It might be the feel of his music. He infuses his lean, limber, guitar-forward rock with a little swing, creating a versatile southern-rock sound that recalls Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Outside his own work, Lenderman plays with friends in Asheville indie-rock band Wednesday, and he has lent his voice and fingerstyle guitar to fellow songwriter Katie Crutchfield, who makes music as Waxahatchee. They’re all part of a newish wave of bands who combine laid-back rhythms and rock distortion to create what you might call “post-country”; the racket doesn’t remedy your troubles, but it does make them easier to carry.
Ultimately, though, I think it’s the songwriting. Lenderman has a knack for portraying pathos in his lyrics: the narrator in “Wristwatch,” for instance, boasts about owning a beach house in Buffalo. As Lenderman told the Guardian in July, “When you’re observing someone at their lowest, certain truths come out. Seeing people at their rawest, it’s easier to get in there and illuminate things about being alive.” Lenderman’s empathy for lovable losers was bound to resonate with plenty of listeners in a city whose neighborhood bars are filled with people partying past the point of pride, much like the characters in his songs. I expect enthusiastic sing-alongs at both of these sold-out shows.
Originally published on Chicago Reader.