MJ Lenderman is one of the most prominent key players in the alternative country movement, and his September 11, 2025 performance at The Shrine Auditorium showed just how big of a name he is amongst younger people and country-folk enthusiasts alike.
I don’t believe there’s even a debate on whether country music is currently one of the most dominating cultural forces in America. It goes even beyond the music, with Southern aesthetics like mullets, flannels, showy belt-buckles, and cowboy boots taking over hipster-infested areas like Highland Park and Silverlake. While the love for the genre is actually on its way to becoming more equal between urban and rural America at this point in time, the artists respected between these two demographics could not vary more. While mainstream country artists like Morgan Wallen aren’t really talked about with reverence amongst music fans in LA, there is a new wave of alternative country artists with more emotional and poetic folk influence that are considered superstars amongst aspiring artists looking for a singer-songwriter scene to be part of.
featured image: Michelle Evans
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MJ Lenderman is one of the biggest names of this booming alternative country scene in both his solo project and the band Wednesday that he is part of, who was recently just announced to play Coachella 2026. In a world that’s so rapidly changing and with trends in music shifting even faster than that, it’s no surprise that people are looking for more meaning in what they listen to. Lenderman’s music gives us an opportunity to slow down a bit, and just listen to some poetry about everyday stories from a man we can relate to. It’s country music in the original sense, made from the perspective of an average American dealing with the struggles of living in the modern world. The recent popularity of alt-country is a clear reaction to the mainstream autotuned country singers that glamorize their grotesque amount of wealth, and this rebellion to that overconsumption has been needed for a long time.
The Shrine could not have been a more fitting venue for MJ Lenderman’s fanbase, located directly on USC’s campus and bringing an upcoming icon right to the doors of these aspiring musicians. While it was appropriate for the fanbase, I don’t think there could have been a worse environment for the nature of the music itself, with The Shrine being a No-Smoking venue and not having any sort of outside patio. With how many young adults there that were most-likely songwriters themselves, a space for people to converse and share stories about these ambitions is pretty essential to the experience. I know he’s far too popular to play at a coffee bar or the typical sorts of venues for folk and country music, but it would have been nice to have a bit more atmosphere for the energy that his sound creates.
The entire stage setup was incredibly barebones and minimalist, with the entire audience being laser-focused on Lenderman’s voice and his lyrics especially during the softer moments. He’s an incredibly skilled craftsman in knowing when to have his backing band The Wind start building a jam with noise and feedback, before they provide moments of quiet release for Lenderman to take over for his more impactful messages to be heard. The contrasting dynamic provides an entirely different sound from his studio works, reinventing the songs into much more intense experiences that feel absolutely cathartic during those moments of tranquility.
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Considering how much MJ Lenderman has blown up outside of the band Wednesday, I would not be surprised if the latter end up being considered a supergroup someday. He has such a natural skill for creating an intimate atmosphere along with a knack for engaging storytelling in his lyrics, that it’s shocking he wasn’t the main vocalist to begin with. In contrast to Wednesday’s more fuzzy slacker-rock sound, Lenderman has a much more somber tone that really expresses the vulnerability in his voice. Being involved in both projects really emphasizes just how wide his range of influence can be, and also the diversity of sound within this current wave of indie country music.
With all of the noise in the modern world, sometimes it feels like the only options for new music are equally loud or obnoxious. Even in popular country music with artists like Post Malone and Teddy Swims; it’s become a strange hyper-stimulating mess that’s more of a product than any form of art. For those who think of country music as a way to relax, the mainstream isn’t cutting it anymore. You won’t see independent artists like MJ Lenderman on the Stagecoach lineup, but there is a movement growing of artists that want country music to return to its roots of a human-being telling stories with their guitar.
If we start to see more independent and vulnerable artists emerging like Lenderman, it’s very possible that the average person will think of a completely different genre than they currently do when they hear the term “Country Music”. Authenticity is certainly a future worth fighting for, and MJ Lenderman’s one of the first on the frontlines.
Words by Danny Ryan
Photos by Michelle Evans
