Photo by Bob Gruen

Lenny Kaye has announced his debut solo record, Goin' Local out July 17, 2026 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 to Allen 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. 

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.

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