BY JESS MAKLER//
Woah! Two legendary artists taking the stage for an epic show at one of the oldest venues in the District? Hamilton Leithauser and Kevin Morby are headlining the 9:30 Club on November 23rd, and I couldn’t be more stoked to see two sonic powerhouses coming together.
Washington D.C. born and raised, James Hamilton Leithauser, formerly lead vocalist of indie rock band The Walkmen, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He’s done a bunch of stuff, from collaborating with Lucy Dacus, Angel Olsen, and my personal favorite: his duo with Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend. The duo released their debut album I Had a Dream That You Were Mine in 2016, and solo album The Loves of Your Life in 2020. Both were met with critical acclaim, and Leithauser’s writing shines through as one of a kind in his previous bands and his current projects.
Kevin Morby, former member of the noise-folk band Woods and punk band The Babies (hits like Mess Me Around still frequent my playlists), has released six (!) solo albums since his solo career began. Morby’s fascination with New York City colors his early solo work, but he’s delved into protest music (check out Beautiful Strangers, about the Paris 2015 attacks and death of Freddie Gray) and, like Leithauser, collaborates with many artists today.
Morby’s done a lot: some of my favorite works of his are a great cover of “After Hours” by the Velvet Underground in a duo with Waxahatchee and his standalone single called “US Mail”, where he shares his own P.O. box number and promotes the USPS!
Now, these veteran artists join together on tour after the release of their collaborative single “Virginia Beach”, a calming, surfy, folksy tune with ear-opening production.
I’m stoked to see what’s next for these two: and it all starts on November 23rd at the 9:30 Club. See you there.