by Andrew Hertzberg (@and_hertz)
It’s hard to mention Lenny Zenith without going a bit over his résumé. He was born in New Orleans in the 70s before moving to California during his teenage years. He returned to New Orleans after graduating high school and started a punk band called RZA. Throughout his time in NOLA in the 80s, he opened for artists like Iggy Pop, The Replacements, Gun Club, X, and more. In the 90s, he moved to New York City and fronted the band Jennifer Convertible who recorded with (pre-LCD Soundsystem) James Murphy. Throughout the past few years, Zenith could be heard with the indie-rock band Tenterhooks.
Although performing for almost thirty years, Zenith has maintained a relatively low profile. But in June, Zenith will release What If The Sun?, the first album under his own name. The title track is the album’s second single, a Thermals-meets-Superchunk punk-pop anthem about dealing with anxiety. "Dealing with anxiety and watching others who suffer with it on a daily basis can be a painful {and occasionally illuminating} experience,” Zenith says about the song. “One of the hardest things is trying to explain to others what if feels like to over-analyze every single aspect of your day/self and the uncertainty of being on the edge of full-blown panic…. Imagining the worst case scenario (i.e., the sun falling out of the sky) and trying to move through that can help. What's the absolute worst that can happen? At least for me, it helps to recognize and appreciate an ordinary day."
In addition to the album, Zenith also has a memoir called Before I Was Me slated to come out later this year, which details his life and experiences as a trans musician and activist. Zenith was recently interviewed in Out where he talked a bit about life before and after transitioning in a time of little-to-no trans visibility. A portion of album proceeds will be donated to organizations like Trans Women of Color and Trans Lifeline. What If The Sun? will be released on June 22nd, but in the meantime, press play below and keep an eye out for the falling sun.