With the release of his album Manning Fireworks, the young Asheville, North Carolina guitar slinger Jake Lenderman aka MJ Lenderman has experienced a meteoric rise. Lenderman has been chugging along for a handful of years with a reinvigorated interpretation of the sort of alt-country and indie rock that caught fire in the late 80s and early 90s with his band the Wind and as a core member of the grittier, thrashier Wednesday. But with Manning Fireworks, which ended up on numerous best-of-2024 lists (including Glide’s), Lenderman tapped into a hunger from listeners eager to ingest his guitar-forward approach and compelling slacker rock lyricism. When he announced a massive tour to kick off 2025, every single date sold out seemingly within minutes. This included the show in Portland, Oregon, where MJ Lenderman and the Wind landed on Thursday, February 20th for a show that only solidified the bond he has created with his fans.
For anyone following along, it’s been refreshing to see how MJ Lenderman and his band have been mixing up their setlist every night. This show was no exception as the band opened with the mournful, Neil Young-style guitar jam “Ghost of Your Guitar Solo.” The mostly instrumental tune felt like the band had simply started a casual jam session, and this version was awash in keys, pedal steel, and thick feedback as they gradually built up tension. This bombastic burst of instrumentation set the tone for what ensued over the next ninety minutes. While the songs from Manning Fireworks were clearly top of mind for the eager audience, Lenderman didn’t get tied down as he veered from the triumphant garage rock glory of “On My Knees,” the folksy title track with lyrics and vocals reminiscent of a countryfied Daniel Johnston, the easygoing twang of “Joker Lips,” and the vibrant flowing wah-wah guitar of “Rudolph” before dropping into the deadpanned depressing lyricism of “Toontown” that erupted into a cacophony of guitar shredding. “SUV” was another older highlight, hitting like a psyched-out Dinosaur Jr. tune with blistering guitar work, only to have the band bring everyone back down to earth soon after with a slightly reggae-tinged take on “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat.”
Perhaps credit goes to Lenderman’s sound person, but one of the best parts of the show was the fact that his vocals were mixed as crisply and loudly as the guitar. This allowed the audience to soak up every lyric on songs like the quieter, melancholy ramble “TLC Cage Match” and the new tune “Pianos.” The latter also saw Lenderman shining with a blissful, airy guitar solo and his band falling into the rhythm pocket as he built up momentum and once again affirmed his guitar god status. After the jazz-like ending courtesy of Ethan Baechtold’s piano work, the band steered into another highlight with the fiddle-soaked folk-rock of “Rip Torn” segueing straight into the infectious break-up anthem “She’s Leaving You” (the biggest “hit” of Manning Fireworks) backed by a jubilant crowd singalong, and the pedal steel-laden “Wristwatch.” These songs captured Lenderman’s penchant for writing lyrics that speak to our weirdly hopeless yet aimlessly fun moment in time. On the loping “You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In,” his ability to piece together vivid fragments to make songs with an odd and warming timeless quality was on full display. One of the strongest moments of the night came with the set-closing “No Mercy,” a dark and potent tune reminiscent of Jason Molina that sprawled out and saw Lenderman yelling out its final verses.
Lenderman has often cited Southern rockers the Drive-by Truckers as a personal favorite and inspiration and has included their material in his vast repertoire of cover tunes. On this very stage, he even covered “Women and Whiskey” with his band Wednesday last year (SHOW REVIEW). When the band invited Truckers frontman and Portland resident Patterson Hood to sit in for a cover of his older tune “Uncle Disney,” that inspirational connection felt even clearer. It also felt like a passing of the torch after Lenderman and his band had just enraptured a new generation of fans with the kind of thinkingman’s rock and roll that Hood and his band have been championing for three decades. Clearly, these fans can’t get enough of Lenderman, as he is already slated to return to Revolution Hall for a two-night stand in September. On this night, it was easy to understand why, as he and his talented bandmates delivered a performance that balanced exceptional guitar prowess with thoughtful songs and humble authenticity.
All photos by Greg Homolka.
One Response
Ah, the serendipitous convergence of raw talent and seasoned artistry. MJ Lenderman and the Wind’s performance at Portland’s Revolution Hall was nothing short of a masterclass in guitar-driven rock. The unexpected appearance of Patterson Hood elevated the evening, blending the vigor of youth with the wisdom of experience. Such moments remind us of the unpredictable beauty inherent in live music.