Hamilton Leithauser | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | James Hamilton Leithauser |
Born | [1] [2] [3] Washington, D.C., U.S. | April 15, 1978
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Glassnote |
Member of | The Walkmen |
Formerly of | The Recoys |
Website | hamiltonleithauser |
James Hamilton Leithauser (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he wrote and recorded seven studio albums from 2000 to 2014. Prior to The Walkmen's formation, Leithauser and bass guitarist and organist, Peter Matthew Bauer, were both members of The Recoys. Leithauser was born and raised in Washington, DC, and has lived in New York City 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 multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij on the studio album, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine . It was released to widespread critical acclaim later that year. He released the studio album The Loves of Your Life in 2020.
Leithauser was born in Washington, D.C. to Mary Bryan and Mark Leithauser, an artist and former curator at the National Gallery of Art. [4] [5] His sister Anna is also an artist. [6] His paternal uncle is poet and novelist Brad Leithauser. [4]
Leithauser attended St. Albans School where he was close friends with future bandmate Paul Maroon. [7] [8] As a teenager, he had a summer job at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, Virginia where he helped engineer Fugazi's Red Medicine . [9] He attended Boston University for two years, before transferring to New York University, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy. [8] [9]
The Recoys were an indie rock 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. [10] 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 for various albums and EPs. Following The Recoys' breakup, Leithauser and Bauer formed The Walkmen, while Hugh McIntosh joined The French Kicks and the Child Ballads as the bands' drummer. [11]
Following the hiatus of The Walkmen in late 2013, [12] Leithauser began a solo career. His debut full-length, Black Hours , was released June 3, 2014. [13]
In 2016, he formed Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam with Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend. They released the single "A 1000 Times" in July 2016, which they performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 12, 2016. [14] Their song "In a Blackout" was featured in the commercial for the Apple iPhone 7 and series Lucifer, in the episode "God Johnson" (2nd Season, 16th Episode). Their debut album, I Had a Dream That You Were Mine , was released on September 23, 2016. [15]
His solo album The Loves of Your Life was released on April 10, 2020. [16] 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's "The Greatest", Big Thief's "Not", and Randy Newman's "Miami". [17] [18]
Leithauser is married and has two children.
Over the years, Leithauser has performed and recorded with a number of his extended family: his wife, Anna Stumpf, who occasionally performs live with him and has contributed to records by Leithauser and The Walkmen; [19] brothers-in-law Nick Stumpf, a producer and keyboardist, [20] [21] and Hugh McIntosh, a drummer and former bandmate in The Recoys; [22] [23] his father Mark who plays harmonica; as well as his children and nieces. [24] [22] Of note, The Walkmen bandmate Walter Martin is his elder cousin. [9]
The Walkmen is an American indie rock band formed in New York City, in 2000. The band consists of Hamilton Leithauser (vocals), Paul Maroon, Walter Martin, Peter Matthew Bauer and Matt Barrick (drums) - all former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater and the Recoys.
A Hundred Miles Off is the third album by The Walkmen, released on May 23, 2006 in the United States.
Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone is the debut studio album by the American indie rock band The Walkmen, released on March 26, 2002, on Startime International. The Walkmen celebrated the album's release by performing at the Knitting Factory on April 6, 2002. The album received generally positive reviews, especially from independent music reviewers. The song "We've Been Had" was featured in commercials for the Saturn Ion.
"Pussy Cats" Starring the Walkmen, often referred to as just Pussy Cats, is a cover album by The Walkmen, released in 2006. The album is a song-for-song cover of the 1974 Harry Nilsson album Pussy Cats which was produced by John Lennon. The decision to cover the Pussy Cats album, which is a band favourite, started off as a joke that evolved into a full-fledged album released only 5 months after their previous record, A Hundred Miles Off. The album also served as a last project for the band's studio, Marcata Recording. Marcata, which band members Matt Barrick, Paul Maroon and Walter Martin built in 1999, was located in a building owned by Columbia University, which took the property back in 2006. The making of the album, which took "about ten days," was filmed by Norman "Rockwell" Coady and the footage was made into the documentary In Loving Recognition, included on the album's accompanying DVD.
White Rabbits is an American six-piece indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, originally from Columbia, Missouri. The band released its debut studio album, Fort Nightly, on May 22, 2007. Their second album, It's Frightening, was released on May 19, 2009. They released their third album, Milk Famous, on March 6, 2012. The band is signed to TBD Records.
You & Me is the fourth album by indie rock group The Walkmen. It was released commercially on August 19, 2008 by Gigantic Music in the United States, and on September 29, 2008 by Fierce Panda in the United Kingdom.
"I Need a Lover" is the debut single by John Mellencamp, first released in 1978 under the stage name "Johnny Cougar".
"The Rat" is a song by American indie rock band the Walkmen. It was released as the first single from their second studio album, Bows + Arrows (2004), on April 19, 2004. The song peaked at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart.
Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.
Glassnote Records is a record label that was launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. With a lineup of primarily indie rock and alternative rock artists, the New York-based independent label has an enviable roster, including Grammy Award winning acts Phoenix, Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino and Silvana Estrada, and standouts AURORA, Chvrches, Grouplove, Tors, bby, Jade Bird, Patrick Martin, Talia Rae, Gracey, Two Door Cinema Club. The label is distributed by The Orchard as of 2022. and partnered with How Good for Australian representation in 2024. Glassnote also has a strong Australian connection, having released recordings from the likes of Flight Facilities, The Teskey Brothers and The Temper Trap.
Lisbon is the fifth studio album by the New York–based group The Walkmen. It was released on September 14, 2010, in the US. John Congleton produced and engineered the album. The band recorded nearly thirty tracks before settling on the eleven that comprise the album. The album is a tribute to the city of Lisbon in Portugal.
Bows + Arrows is the second album by The Walkmen, released in 2004. The album was self-produced aside from one song, "The Rat," produced by Dave Sardy. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim, appearing on several critics' year-end lists.
Heaven is the sixth and final studio album by American indie rock band The Walkmen, released on May 29, 2012, on Fat Possum Records and Bella Union.
"Diane Young" is a song by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, taken from their third studio album Modern Vampires of the City. It was released as the lead single from the album on March 19, 2013. A promotional video of the single, which features two Saab 900s burning throughout the duration of the song, was uploaded to Vevo and YouTube on March 18, 2013. The official video to the single was uploaded on June 3, 2013.
Black Hours is the debut solo studio album by The Walkmen's singer Hamilton Leithauser. The album was released on June 3, 2014. It features collaborations with Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend, Amber Coffman from Dirty Projectors, Richard Swift from the Shins, Morgan Henderson from Fleet Foxes, and Paul Maroon from the Walkmen.
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, Bauer and lead vocalist Hamilton Leithauser were both members of the indie rock band The Recoys.
Walter Martin is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the New York City indie rock bands The Walkmen and Jonathan Fire*Eater. Following the Walkmen's break-up in 2013, Martin launched a critically acclaimed solo career and has subsequently released seven studio albums.
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 Glassnote Records, and preceded by the singles "A 1000 Times", "In a Black Out" and "When the Truth Is..."
Half-Light is the debut solo studio album by American musician Rostam, released on September 15, 2017. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and received generally favorable reviews.
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, and preceded by the singles "Here They Come", "Isabella", and "Don't Check the Score".