Bonnaroo Artist | MJ Lenderman
Bonnaroo History | Newbie
Stage & Time | Friday | This Tent | 5:15-6:15pm
Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2025 lineup. A festival that feels like it’s ever evolving (especially with some big tweaks and improvements in the past few summers post-pandemic), this year marks Bonnaroo’s 22nd installment (and 24th anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also some exciting additions like the brand new, high-tech Infinity Stage, billed as “the world’s largest 360-degree, immersive sound experience” and unlike anything that’s ever been showcased in North America. Back once again in its usual June 12-15 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.
As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend at the fest!
We’re told tickets are very low and on track to sell out, so grab those right here if you haven’t already (and don’t forget the camping or parking pass), and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!
LEARN
A native of Asheville, NC, Mark Jacob Lenderman, better known as MJ Lenderman, was raised in a musical household, exposed to a wide variety of artists from a young age, and finding, like many kids of the 2000s, a love for a wide breadth of rock thanks to the popularity of Guitar Hero. Jake- who was also a sports obsessive, youth basketball player, Catholic alter boy, and the second-to-youngest in a family of six- began to immerse himself in Asheville’s vibrant music scene as a teen, posting some early songs to Bandcamp, and eventually joining fellow Asheville indie artist Indigo De Souza’s band on drums (he has credits on her first two albums). After a brief stint UNC Asheville, Lenderman opted instead to move in with some friends and collaborators and focus on music, supporting himself in the early days by working at an ice cream shop. He’d release a fairly under the radar eponymous debut album in 2019, before joining local grungy, country-tinged indie and shoegaze outfit Wednesday on guitar soon after, a band he’s remained with, and has released several fantastic albums with since (though no longer has time to be a part of their touring lineup). The pandemic slowed things down, but also gave Jake the luxury of time, able to collect unemployment and focus on creative expression and songwriting with his friends and bandmates (you’ll often see him listed as MJ Lenderman & The Wind, who, though Linderman records most instruments in the studio, are an integral part of his sound and fantastic show, and appear on a fantastic live album). The result was 2021 sophomore album Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, a record which helped earn MJ further buzz, parallel to Wednesday’s growing acclaim. 2022’s Boat Songs, though, is the record that really helped Lenderman break out, perfecting his signature fusion of indie rock and alt country, laden with his sense of humor and pop culture musings, and at once approachable and unpretentious but also deeply personal and profound. The following few years would see bigger and buzzier tours, a record deal with popular label ANTI- ahead of that aforementioned live album (2023’s And the Wind (Live and Loose!)), and even an invite to play guitar on all of Waxahatchee’s acclaimed recent album Tigers Blood. Returning with a highly-anticipated fourth album, Manning Fireworks, fall, Lenderman managed to rise to the increased pressure of suddenly being a hot new artist, and to deliver his best, most earnest, and most self-assured record to date, dialing back the quirky humor a bit in favor of sincere, reflective, and exceptional songwriting, again leaning into his folky, southern roots and penchant for slacker rock, with timeless, lush production. It’s something of an instant classic, heralded as one of 2024’s best albums, and putting MJ Lenderman on the map as one of the best new artists making music today. If, somehow, you haven’t yet jumped on the bandwagon, and if our review of his stellar recent show at Brooklyn Bowl doesn’t convince you, make MJ Lenderman’s Bonnaroo debut a priority, and see what all of the hype is about yourself!
WATCH | “She’s Leaving You” (Official Video)
LISTEN | “You Have Bought Yourself a Boat”
