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MJ Lenderman in Washington DC

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MJ Lenderman
The Anthem — Washington, DC
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About MJ Lenderman

MJ Lenderman is a North Carolina-based indie rock songwriter who makes guitar-driven songs that feel both lived-in and meticulously crafted. His work sits somewhere between the introspective tradition of '90s alt-rock and contemporary indie sensibilities, with lyrics that tend toward specific, observational details rather than broad emotional statements. He's released a handful of EPs and full-lengths that have gradually built him a devoted following outside the usual music industry machinery. His songwriting favors understated hooks and arrangements that know when to pull back, letting silence do as much work as the instruments themselves. Lenderman performs regularly in the Southeast and beyond, maintaining the kind of career trajectory that suggests he's more interested in making music on his own terms than chasing trends or breakthrough moments.

His shows have the feel of someone who'd rather talk to three people who really get it than play to a thousand who don't. Sets are tight, guitar work is precise, and there's a noticeable absence of between-song chatter. Crowds tend quiet and attentive, which says something about both the music and who shows up to hear it.

Known for Linger, She Rides Horses, Wristwatch, Underlow, Bombsquad

MJ Lenderman + Washington DC

MJ Lenderman brought his idiosyncratic brand of guitar-driven indie rock to the 9:30 Club on May 16, 2025, running through 19 songs that mixed the absurdist and the intimate. Early in the set, tracks like "Six Flags" and "Wristwatch" established his particular sense of humor—songs that sound like they're about nothing and everything simultaneously. By the time he reached "You Have Bought Yourself a Boat," the room had locked into his wavelength. "Tastes Just Like It Costs" closed things out, a fitting finale for an artist whose music trades in the mundane made strange. Lenderman's relationship with DC's venues has grown steadier over time, and this show felt like an artist comfortable in a room that gets him.

MJ Lenderman in Washington DC News

Live Music in Washington DC

Washington DC's indie and alternative rock scene has long been a place where weirdness is currency. From post-hardcore roots to contemporary indie acts, the city favors artists who don't fit neatly into boxes. Lenderman, with his obtuse song titles and guitar work that refuses obvious resolutions, sits comfortably in that tradition. The 9:30 Club specifically has hosted countless artists mining similar territory—musicians interested in texture and oddness over immediate hooks. It's a crowd that rewards the oblique.

Washington DC road trip to see MJ Lenderman?

Stay in Georgetown or Capitol Hill, both walkable neighborhoods with excellent restaurants and bars. Book a table at Kinfolk in Capitol Hill for refined New American cooking, or head to Pineapple and Pearls for something more elaborate if you want to splurge. During the day, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden offers world-class contemporary art without the crowds of the main Smithsonians. Walk the C&O Canal towpath if the weather cooperates. Hit up one of the city's serious record shops like Smash! Records before the show.

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