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 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 music they produc ...
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." The band is made up of drummer Matt ...
, 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
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
Washington, D.C.
)
, 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, ...
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.
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, 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 Oakland St. in Arlington. The s ...
in
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 ...
where he helped engineer
Fugazi's ''
Red Medicine
''Red Medicine'' is the fourth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi, released on June 12, 1995, by Dischord Records. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number 126 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and ...
''.
He attended
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, 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 ...
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, th ...
, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy.
Career
The Recoys
The Recoys were an
indie rock
Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...
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
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." The band is made up of drummer Matt ...
for various albums and
EPs. Following The Recoys' breakup, Leithauser and Bauer formed
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." The band is made up of drummer Matt ...
, 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
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 ...
. They released the single "A 1000 Times" in July 2016, which they performed on ''
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second ...
'' 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 passa ...
, in the episode "God Johnson" (2nd Season, 16th Episode). Their debut 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 ...
'', was released on September 23, 2016.
His solo 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 ...
'' 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 r ...
's "
The Greatest",
Big Thief's "
Not", and
Randy Newman'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)
*''
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 ...
'' (2016)
(with Rostam
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a w ...
)
*''
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 ...
'' (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 Rostam
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a w ...
)
*''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 +
Rostam
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a w ...
– "A 1000 Times" (2016,
Glassnote)
* "Heartstruck (Wild Hunger)" feat.
Angel Olsen (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