James Hamilton Leithauser (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. From 2000 to 2014, he was the lead vocalist of the American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

The Walkmen The Walkmen is an American indie rock band. Active from 2000 to 2013, they are known as part of the 2000s-era post-punk revival in New York City, particularly for their critically acclaimed single "The Rat (song), The Rat." The band is made up o ...

, with whom he recorded seven studio albums. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Leithauser and bass guitarist and organist

Peter Matthew Bauer Peter Matthew Bauer is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the bass guitarist and organist of the indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he recorded seven studio albums. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, ...

were both members of The Recoys. Leithauser was born and raised in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, and has lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

since the 1990s. Leithauser embarked upon a solo career in 2014, releasing his debut studio album, '' Black Hours'', on June 3, written and recorded alongside his Walkmen bandmate Paul Maroon. In 2016, Leithauser collaborated with former

Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson, ...

multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij on the studio album, ''

I Had a Dream That You Were Mine ''I Had a Dream That You Were Mine'' is a collaborative studio album by Hamilton Leithauser, the former frontman of The Walkmen, and Rostam, the multi-instrumentalist and former producer of Vampire Weekend. It was released on September 23, 2016 on ...

''. It was released to widespread critical acclaim later that year. He released the studio album ''

The Loves of Your Life ''The Loves of Your Life'' is a studio album by Hamilton Leithauser, the former frontman of the Walkmen. It was released on April 10, 2020, on Glassnote Records Glassnote Records (also known as Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC) is a record l ...

'' in 2020.

Early life

Leithauser was born in

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to Mary Bryan and Mark Leithauser, an artist and former

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

at the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

. His sister Anna is also an artist. His paternal uncle is poet and novelist

Brad Leithauser Brad E. Leithauser (born February 27, 1953) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and teacher. After serving as the Emily Dickinson Lecturer in the Humanities at Mount Holyoke College and visiting professor at the MFA Program for Poets & Writ ...

. Leithauser attended St. Albans School where he was close friends with future bandmate Paul Maroon. As a teenager, he had a summer job at

Inner Ear Studios Inner Ear Studios is a recording studio founded in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia that has been in operation since the late 1970s. Originally started in founder Don Zientara's basement, the studio spent many years on South Oakla ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

where he helped engineer

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

's ''

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''. He attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

for two years, before transferring to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy.

Career

The Recoys

The Recoys were an

band from Boston, Massachusetts formed in 1996 by Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar), Peter Bauer (guitar), Damon Hege (guitar), Mike Sheahan (bass) and Hugh McIntosh (drums). The band did release a three-song (now out-of-print) EP of material, ''The Recoys'', while the band was still playing together. The post-breakup LP included the three songs from the EP as well as seven songs meant for a future LP and a tribute song performed by The Lil' Fighters. Three of the songs on ''The Rekoys'', "That's the Punchline," "The Blizzard of '96," and "Look Out Your Window," were rerecorded by

for various albums and EPs. Following The Recoys' breakup, Leithauser and Bauer formed

, while Hugh McIntosh joined

The French Kicks French Kicks are an American indie rock group from New York City, United States. Their sound is a mix of garage rock, post-punk, and modded pop. History Three of the original four band members, bassist Jamie Krents, vocalist/drummer Nick Stumpf, ...

and the Child Ballads as the bands' drummer.

The Walkmen

Solo and with Rostam

Following the hiatus of The Walkmen in late 2013, Leithauser began a solo career. His debut full-length, '' Black Hours'', was released June 3, 2014. In 2016, he formed Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam with Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of

. They released the single "A 1000 Times" in July 2016, which they performed on ''

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'' on September 12, 2016. Their song "In a Blackout" was featured in the commercial for the Apple

iPhone 7 The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Fr ...

and series

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...

, in the episode "God Johnson" (2nd Season, 16th Episode). Their debut album, ''

'', was released on September 23, 2016. His solo album ''

'' was released on April 10, 2020. On September 4, 2020, he released the live album ''Live! at Café Carlyle'', collecting 10 recordings made during his residency at the New York City Cafe Carlyle. It includes covers of

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...

's " The Greatest",

Big Thief Big Thief is an American indie rock band with folk roots based in Brooklyn, New York. Its members are Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar, backing vocals), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums). The band's debut ...

's " Not", and

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...

's "Miami".

Personal life

Leithauser is married and has two children. Over the years, Leithauser has performed and recorded with a number of his extended family: Stumpf, who occasionally performs live with her husband and has contributed to records by Leithauser and The Walkmen; brothers-in-law Nick Stumpf, a producer and keyboardist, and Hugh McIntosh, a drummer and former bandmate in The Recoys; his father Mark who plays harmonica; as well as his children and nieces. Of note, The Walkmen bandmate Walter Martin is his elder cousin.

Solo discography

Albums

*'' Black Hours'' (2014) *''Dear God'' (2015) (with Paul Maroon) *''

'' (2016) (with

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) *''

'' (2020)

EPs

*''I Could Have Sworn'' (2015) (with Paul Maroon)

Live albums

*''I Won't Let Up: Live At Music Hall Of Williamsburg'' (2017) (with

) *''Live! at Café Carlyle'' (2020)

Singles

* "Room For Forgiveness" (2014,

Ribbon Music Ribbon Music is an American-based independent Music Publishing Company, representing a diverse roster of international writers working across a multitude of genres including rock, country, punk, metal, dabke, electronic, Latin and folk. For a com ...

) * "Alexandra" (2014, Ribbon Music) * "I Don't Need Anyone" (2014, Ribbon Music) * Hamilton Leithauser + Paul Maroon – "My Reward" (2016, Leithauser & Leithauser) * Hamilton Leithauser +

– "A 1000 Times" (2016, Glassnote) * "Heartstruck (Wild Hunger)" feat.

Angel Olsen Angel Olsen (born Angelina Maria Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: ''Half Way Home'' (2012), ...

(2016, Glassnote) * "Here They Come" (2020, Glassnote) * "Isabella" (2020, Glassnote) * "Check the Score" (2020, Glassnote) * "Virginia Beach" with

Kevin Morby Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and the Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: ''Harlem River'' (2013), '' Still Life'' (2014), ''Singing Saw'' (20 ...

(2021,

Dead Oceans Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of Secretly Group, which also ...

)

Music videos

* "Alexandra" (2014) * "I Don't Need Anyone" (2014) * "11 O'Clock Friday Night" (2014) * "Heartstruck" (2016) * "A 1000 Times" (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leithauser, Hamilton American rock singers Living people 1978 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Glassnote Records artists