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04/22/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/22/2026 09:50

Lenny Kaye Announces Debut Solo Album ‘Goin’ Local’

Out July 17 (Yep Roc Records)

Collaborators Include Patti Smith, David Mansfield, Matthew Shipp, Lisa Burns, Jay Dee Daugherty & More

LISTEN TO TITLE TRACK HERE

READ MORE VIA ROLLING STONE HERE

Photo credit: Bob Gruen | Download high-res HERE

Wednesday, April 22:Lenny Kaye has announced his debut solo record, 'Goin' Local' out July 17 via Yep Roc Records. At 79, the bonafide punk pioneer and "godfather of garage rock" (NPR Music) steps forward with a deeply personal collection written over the course of many years - piecing together a lifetime of experiences and expansive musical language to find his truest voice. "I feel like I'm a new artist," says Kaye. "I think this album will surprise those who think they know me from what I've done previously."

In a career spanning more than half a century, Kaye has remained defiantly uncategorizable. The longest-serving member of the Patti Smith Group, he has also curated the game-changing garage rock anthology Nuggets - "one of the most influential compilations ever" (The Guardian) - co-wrote Waylon Jennings' autobiography, penned music toAllen Ginsberg's poetry alongside Paul McCartney and Philip Glass - and produced projects for Suzanne Vega, Soul Asylum, Jessi Colter and more.

On Goin Local', Kaye calls upon several longtime collaborators, including Patti Smith - who co-wrote "Solstice" - continuing a half-century-long creative partnership behind some of their most iconic work, from "Free Money" and "Ghost Dance" to "Radio Ethiopia" and "Southern Cross." Additional collaborators include jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, Railroad Earth's Tim Carbone, The Jayhawks' John Jackson and multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, T-Bone Burnett, Lucinda Williams).

The twelve song collection finds Kaye fully embracing his expansive musical sensibility, while marking his most autobiographical and introspective turn yet. " I've always loved the local, its intimacy and camaraderie... I feel that the truest 'Goin' Local' is the privilege to go inside my own head and hear how I sound to me ," he says of the title track, out today.

Listen to "Goin Local" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOY5yAN2O8

Pre-save 'Goin' Local' here: https://lennykaye.lnk.to/GoinLocal

Read more via Rolling Stone here: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/patti-smith-guitarist-lenny-kaye-solo-debut-1235551811/

'Goin' Local' follows Kaye's recent memoir Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll (Ecco), an insider's chronicle of twentieth century music, tracing pivotal scenes from Memphis and New Orleans to Liverpool, Seattle, New York and more. Kaye explores the moments and visionaries that shaped rock's evolution - all of which he carries through to the forthcoming record, reflecting on the "you-are-there and then taken somewhere" ethos that has defined his life in music.

This spring, Kaye will hit the road with Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore for a string of East Coast dates, with stops in New York City, Woodstock, Annapolis and more. He'll also be performing with the Patti Smith Group at CBGB Festival this September. For more information please visit: https://www.yeproc.com/

Lenny Kaye Tour Dates

April 25 - Avalon - Easton, MD*

April 26 - Rams Head - Annapolis, MD*

April 27 - The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA*

April 29 - City Winery - New York, NY*

April 30 - The Ardmore - Ardmore, PA*

May 2 - Levon Helm Studios - Woodstock, NY*

May 5 - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA*

May 6 - Bull Run - Shirley, MA*

May 8 - 3S Artspace - Portsmouth, NH*

May 9 - Opera House - Bellows Falls, VT*

June 26 - Dex Fest - Carrboro, NC

June 27 - Dex Fest - Carrboro, NC

* with Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore

'Goin Local' Track List

1. Goin' Local

2. This Love

3. If I Were You

4. Let's Make a Memory

5. A Friend Like You

6. Be That As It May (May Day)

7. Solstice

8. World Book Night

9. Pennsylvania Girls

10. Poppy

11. The Things You Leave Behind

12. Yes I Will

Photo credit: Bob Gruen | Download high-res HERE

FOR PRESS INQUIRIES:

Matt Hanks - [email protected]

Max Lefkowitz - [email protected]

Anna DeNelsky - [email protected]

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