Biography
Born in 1999, Mark Jacob Lenderman spent his childhood in Asheville, North Carolina, where an enthusiasm for televised athletics passed down from his father left an imprint that later surfaced in his songwriting through references to Michael Jordan, Dan Marino, and assorted professional wrestlers. During adolescence he absorbed the storytelling approach of Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia’s Jason Molina, finding added resonance in their Southern and Midwestern origins; Warren Zevon, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan figured among his other formative influences. At eighteen he began performing with local groups, then enrolled at the University of North Carolina in Asheville for three semesters before relocating to a shared house with Karly Hartzman and Colin Miller, two participants in the city’s underground music community. In 2017 he tracked the nine-song digital EP Him under Miller’s guidance as producer, engineer, and drummer, contributing eight original compositions alongside a reading of Molina’s “Boys.”
By 2018 Lenderman had taken the drum chair in Asheville songwriter Indigo De Souza’s band, appearing on the album Take Off Your Pants as well as a live Audiotree EP. Additional session work followed with Pretend Chess on 2018’s Crime, Scoutmaster on the 2019 Winter Ache EP, and Nash to Stoudemire on 2019’s Faucet EP, the last of which also involved housemate Hartzman. When she launched her new project Wednesday, Lenderman joined on lead guitar, contributing to the widely praised 2021 release Twin Plagues and accompanying the group on tours across the United States and Europe. Parallel to these commitments he issued his debut solo album, 2019’s MJ Lenderman, again produced and recorded by Miller, who also handled bass, with steel guitarist Xandy Chemlis adding parts. Philadelphia’s Dear Life Records subsequently released his follow-up, 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo. The label’s next outing, 2022’s Boat Songs, marked a critical turning point; recorded in a professional studio with Lenderman performing the majority of instruments and Miller supplying bass, keyboards, and trumpet, the album drew strong notice from indie outlets and prompted Anti- Records to offer a new contract. While Wednesday earned further acclaim for Rat Saw God in 2023, Lenderman delivered his first Anti- release, And the Wind (Live and Loose!).
March 2024 saw the arrival of Waxahatchee’s sixth album, Tiger’s Blood, on which Lenderman played lead guitar alongside Katie Crutchfield, multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook, and drummer Spencer Tweedy. That September he returned with his own fourth LP, Manning Fireworks, featuring contributions from Wednesday colleagues Ethan Baechtold, Xandy Chelmis, and Karly Hartzman; the record drew enthusiastic notices from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and the accompanying tour was lengthened into 2025 with extra dates added in several major cities. Lenderman also joined more than one hundred artists on the 2024 digital benefit compilation Cardinals at the Window, assembled to support flood relief in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
By 2018 Lenderman had taken the drum chair in Asheville songwriter Indigo De Souza’s band, appearing on the album Take Off Your Pants as well as a live Audiotree EP. Additional session work followed with Pretend Chess on 2018’s Crime, Scoutmaster on the 2019 Winter Ache EP, and Nash to Stoudemire on 2019’s Faucet EP, the last of which also involved housemate Hartzman. When she launched her new project Wednesday, Lenderman joined on lead guitar, contributing to the widely praised 2021 release Twin Plagues and accompanying the group on tours across the United States and Europe. Parallel to these commitments he issued his debut solo album, 2019’s MJ Lenderman, again produced and recorded by Miller, who also handled bass, with steel guitarist Xandy Chemlis adding parts. Philadelphia’s Dear Life Records subsequently released his follow-up, 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo. The label’s next outing, 2022’s Boat Songs, marked a critical turning point; recorded in a professional studio with Lenderman performing the majority of instruments and Miller supplying bass, keyboards, and trumpet, the album drew strong notice from indie outlets and prompted Anti- Records to offer a new contract. While Wednesday earned further acclaim for Rat Saw God in 2023, Lenderman delivered his first Anti- release, And the Wind (Live and Loose!).
March 2024 saw the arrival of Waxahatchee’s sixth album, Tiger’s Blood, on which Lenderman played lead guitar alongside Katie Crutchfield, multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook, and drummer Spencer Tweedy. That September he returned with his own fourth LP, Manning Fireworks, featuring contributions from Wednesday colleagues Ethan Baechtold, Xandy Chelmis, and Karly Hartzman; the record drew enthusiastic notices from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and the accompanying tour was lengthened into 2025 with extra dates added in several major cities. Lenderman also joined more than one hundred artists on the 2024 digital benefit compilation Cardinals at the Window, assembled to support flood relief in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene.
Albums
Singles
Live
