See MJ Lenderman Bring 'Joker Lips' to 'Kimmel'

MJ Lenderman completed the unofficial late-night trifecta Wednesday by appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform “Joker Lips.”

The promotional tour before and after the release of Manning Fireworks previously brought Lenderman to The Tonight Show (where he played “Wristwatch” in his late-night TV solo debut) and The Late Show (where he joined Waxahatchee for their “Right Back At It” collaboration), and on Thursday Lenderman completed his sweep of the 11:30 p.m. programming block with a breezy take on “Joker Lips.”

Outside the late-night hour, Lenderman also delivered a short set of Manning Fireworks tracks for NPR’s Tiny Desk concert last month.

Lenderman recently announced a new slate of North American tour dates, scheduled to kick off Sept. 3 at Mission Ballroom in Denver and wrap Sept. 19 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. During the run, he’ll play his biggest headlining show to date at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles on Sept. 11.

Ahead of Manning Fireworks’ arrival, Rolling Stone spoke to the indie rock’s favorite guitar hero about his new album. “I’m not trying to go out there and sing about me being a bad person. If you’re doing something wrong, I don’t think that’s the healthiest way to attack that. It’s more like, what would you do in certain situations? That’s the most you can put yourself into it,” he said of his songwriting. “That’s why these subjects are fun to attack. Maybe that’s why people resonate with it, because there’s a part of that there for everyone.”