Premiere: Lenny Zenith steps out on his own with new album, ‘What If the Sun’

Lenny Zenith is in complete control. His 30+ years of blustering rock ‘n roll music, from his work with such staples as Jenifer Convertible, Tenterhooks, Minor Planets and RZA, has led to this moment. His new record, What If the Sun, a furious and hyper-active collection on life, confusion and pain, is his first under his own name. “I am very proud of the work I did in all the bands I led and the contributions of all the musicians that worked on those with me then (and now). I felt that now was time to put out my music under my own name,” he tells B-Sides & Badlands, premiering the new LP today, ahead of its June 22 drop date.

Produced by Ray Ketchem, predominantly known for his work with Elk City, the viscerally-calibrated album is stacked with long-time friends and collaborators of bygone eras of Zenith’s life. Tempered with a frenetic and frazzled energy, many of the songs rather sticky in tone and presentation, you’ll find such names as Jenifer Convertible and Tenterhooks bass player James Pertusi, Tenterhooks drummer Scott Campbell, Elk City keyboardist Carl Baggaley, singer Renée LoBue, violinist Claudia Chopek, minihorse guitarist Ben Collins and Minor Planets’ Leah Diehl who all dance along in the background in varying capacities, lending their incomparable well of talents to a lineup that is both personal and unbound from galavanting across the globe. Zenith has a way of extending an emotional weight that culls compassion and painstaking understanding for a wide swath of potential consumers, perhaps even stout detractors.

More than ever, Zenith is soaring higher than he could have imagined, owed in large part to a more extensive budget. “I wanted to make sure it came out as good as possible. All of the records I’ve put out before were primarily funded by myself and bandmates, but I paid for this fully,” he says, noting a Kickstarter campaign which picked up the slack. “That gave me more time to get little things right, and pay more attention to details.”

“Sunday Dress” launches the record with a scratchy, aggressive and flittering vitality in observing the crumbling industrial scene in Detroit, soaked in a flushed pop-punk. “Wish” then tugs at the heartstrings and draws out an outpouring from the tear ducts, stemming from an entanglement of deeply troubled anguish and a constant flurry of confusion in the world. “Suddenly Someone” is only one of a few that delves into his transgender identity, percolated with pointed lyricism and his classic punk-rock bend. “A little bit of surgery and a pronoun change / To find your little spot along the gender range,” he caterwauls through a fog of glitchy electric guitars and gluey drums. “Whatever Stella” later grooves along sluggishly but serves a long-waited reckoning. Written over the course of several years, the songs “come from my day-to-day experiences or reactions to relationships. They come when (and how) they come creatively, and I don’t have a lot of control over that,” says Zenith, whose fearless adventure is painted on thick and in bold stripes.

“Purging demons and working out complex feelings goes into writing some of these songs, and others are conversations I’d like to have with others that are easier to put into songs with sometimes cryptic references,” he adds. The record was laid out initially at Seaside Studios in Brooklyn, and then later, it was tightened at Ketchem’s Magic Door Recording out in Montclair, New Jersey. It’s an imposing 12 songs of brutal heart, stretched and crafted to expose Zenith’s darkest cravings and meditations on his life, and stepping out on his own for the first time further confirms that it is never too late to reach full potential.

What If the Sun comes out Friday (June 22) and a portion of its proceeds will benefit such organizations as Trans Women of Color and Trans Lifeline.

Below, take a listen to Zenith’s awe-inspiring and luxurious new record and gather even more insight into its noble creation, prompts for younger generations and finding acceptance within the rock community.

Did you find yourself confronting things about yourself or your past here?

I definitely try to confront things about myself ⎯⎯ especially things I’d like to improve on. There are also things I cannot control, like aging and making human mistakes which I address on songs like “Trouble,” “Hands” and “Out of Days.” I guess it’s peculiar for someone who has only had intermittent success to put so much effort into something after so many years of trying, but I guess it proves I’m not a quitter. I still believe in myself and my songs ⎯⎯ thankfully, others do, too.

There seems to be a lot of pain and processing of confusion on “Wish,” a standout on the album. Why do you want to make the world fall away?

Ha. Glad you picked up on that. It is one of my favorites.

Things get pretty rough for us all at times, and it would be good if you could just disappear for a day. Sometimes, when confronting insecurities (especially as a transperson), you wish things were different. You look at others who don’t have to contemplate which bathroom to use or explain their body to new lovers or doctors, and early on, an unshakeable feeling that “something is off.”  At times, it seemed like it would’ve been easier to just be gay. The song is about confronting insecurities and ultimately about accepting yourself just the way you are. It’s not as easy to make changes, but accepting and loving who you are is a start. I’m grateful for having this life experience and proud to be transgender. It’s allowed me to see the world somewhat differently (perhaps?) from cis people, but there was a lot of self-doubt at times ⎯⎯ “Am I ok?” “Am I good?” “Do I deserve love and happiness?” Also, trying to become more disciplined and measured was always a challenge ⎯⎯ so, it was hard to feel “in control” until I realized none of us really are in control of very much. Letting go of that need is liberating.

What is the full run of emotional territory on this album for you?

Really, it runs the gamut from financial insecurity and the acute sense of the massive income inequality in the world where very few have so much, and very many have so little (“Sunday Dress”) to feelings of being marginalized (“Stress Test”) to wanting to feel attractive and desired (“Suddenly Someone”) to the pride of growing stronger (“Still I Rise”) and the realities of growing older and wanting to accomplish things before it’s too late (“Out of Days”). Other songs like “Whatever Stella,” “Decompress Baby” and “Trouble” are more like “sonic snacks” with hints of meaning (frustration, regret, restlessness, temptation) but just pop ditties that were fun to write and record.

Who is Stella?

There are some people in life who seem like they constantly want to challenge, confront and/or hurt you. They can be “emotional terrorists” without enough self-reflection to realize the damage they’re doing and who often thrive on drama. At some point, you just have to put your hand up and say enough! “Whatever Stella” ⎯⎯ I heard someone say it into their phone at Union Pool before The Star Spangles went ontage a few years ago, and it stuck. Doesn’t everybody have at least one Stella in their lives?

As someone who identifies as genderqueer, this album really hits home. What do you hope LGBTQIA+ individuals, and especially transgender youth, would learn about life through listening to this record?

I’m not sure if I’m in any position to teach anyone, but maybe by the sheer fact that it’s out there, and they might be introduced to a trans/queer person who’s doing their own thing and be visible despite the challenge. They might be inspired to do their own thing. I’d like to think that maybe some of the songs can inspire people a little, like “What If The Sun” ⎯⎯ that no matter how bad things seem, at some point you just have to join the party and tear up the rule book and have fun. Worrying about things you can’t control doesn’t help anyone.

“Still I Rise,” which Renée LoBue [of Elk City] helped co-write the lyrics to, is about being strong and proud of who you are, rising like a phoenix in the face of insurmountable odds and claiming your truth and loving your authentic self. Her magical energy was a constant inspiration during the recording of the record.

“A new day’s mine / And it’s my time / Not gonna run inside / Living outside the box, time to stand in pride / Now I see everything  I can be / Celebrating me / Holding my arms up to the sun; I’m gonna shine.”

Did you find yourself taking a tremendous amount of risks on this album?

I’m not sure if I took a lot of risks on this album with the exception of “Still I Rise.” Sonically, it doesn’t quite fit with the others. I wanted to make a record that was accessible to old and new fans. I’m a pop guy at heart, and while there are some dissonant moments and noisy sections, I think my musical influences are pretty apparent. I don’t claim to be doing anything radically new, just hopefully writing a few good pop songs.

The use of a children’s choir on the final moments of “Still I Rise” is pretty powerful. How did that inclusion take the song to the next level for you?

My friend Brad suggested this when I had the audience sing the chorus at a solo show in New Orleans. I thought it was a great idea… and kept thinking about it. There are so many songs that use kids singing, and I always found it uplifting. Kids represent a future we’ll never know and hope about that future ⎯⎯ especially when things have been particularly bleak they can have an innocent optimism that is contagious. You hope for them to have better, be better, reach higher than we have. So many pieces of this record just fell together serendipitously, and Ray has kids in Montclair and knew a lot of other parents. He asked around and got an amazing group of kids to sing the chorus for the song. They were so enthusiastic and cooperative and did a great job. They were paid in pizza.

Being within the rock ‘n roll genre, was acceptance pretty swift among other performers and fans?

As a transperson, I was pretty stealthy (not fully out) early on ⎯⎯ or at least I thought so. New Orleans was a fairly small music scene (outside of the traditional blues and jazz markets). Word got around about me fairly quickly. Even though my band was getting great gigs and openers for people like Iggy Pop, X, The Replacements and others, the press never brought up my gender identity. It was the 80s, and it just wasn’t talked about really. I always tried to be up front with my bandmates in New Orleans and later in New York. They were always accepting and respectful. There was only one club owner (’90s NYC) who said, “We don’t want that freak playing here.” Otherwise, I’m very grateful for all the support and encouragement I got from everyone. I’m not sure many fans ever knew so much, because it was never written about until now ⎯⎯ I don’t think most would care. The ones that did were very supportive, and a few have said I influenced their lives and gave them courage to be themselves. I find this humbling and a small way in which I may have had a positive impact on a few people’s lives.

Did it take a long time to come to fully be proud of who you are?

It did take me awhile. When I was coming out, there was hardly any trans visibility. There weren’t GSAs in high school or anything. Another transguy in Texas, Justin, encouraged me to not be ashamed of who I was, and I am forever grateful to him. There were a few groups at The Center in NYC in the ’90s where I began to find more of a sense of self-acceptance, and the more I told my story and realized there was nothing wrong with me, the better I felt. I’m glad that kids are having more positive reaffirming experiences now, but we still have a long way to go since the suicide rate (and attempt rate) is so much higher for LGB and especially trans youth. Some parents still shun their kids and put them out for being queer, and it’s heartbreaking. I hope by donating a portion of the record’s proceeds, I can help a little.

“Sunday Dress” has such a cool play of rock guitars and synths. How do those two things play off each other and really serve the song?

It was a happy accident. I was playing around with this song in Ann Arbor, and my friend Bob Lester tried out playing the song’s primary motif on keyboards, and it stuck. We tried it on guitar and then just always heard synths on the song, so again, synergistically, since we were in New Jersey and Ray’s bandmates (from Elk City) were nearby, we asked Carl Baggaley to come out and play some synths. I even played a few lines myself. Ray and Carl had a nice collection of sounds to choose from. The guitars do the heavy work, and the synths just play against them in a nice way. I hope to do more of that in the future.

What is the backstory of “Suddenly Someone”?

Some songwriters have a very deliberate way of working ⎯⎯ theme, chord progression, melody, in order, but I think many more just play around with ideas that are pleasing at the moment and try to mold them into something cohesive. I’d been thinking about the song “Hanging on the Telephone” by Jack Lee and recorded by The Nerves and later Blondie. I always loved that song and wanted something with that kind of energy sonically, so that’s were the groove came from. As I started to throw lyrical ideas around, I thought about the importance a lot of record companies (tastemakers) put on “image” and looks (ergo the intro line “you’ve got the look that we want…”) and then more about how: a.) I never quite fit a traditional rock image (tall, slim hips, pouty lips), and then b.) further about how difficult it is for transfolk that don’t pass (and fortunately we are caring less and less about that ⎯⎯ if they don’t like it they don’t have to look), but if suddenly you looked exactly the way you wanted (taller, thinner, more masculine/feminine, etc.), you imagine maybe you’d be more accepted. Clearly, there’s a lot more than “a little bit of surgery and a pronoun change” to find self-acceptance, but there’s a desire to feel comfortable in your own skin and gender-affirming procedures are a big part of it for many (not all) trans folk. It can be just one simple procedure or many long protracted ones.

The lyric “A little bit of surgery and a pronoun change / To find your little spot along the gender range” is a pretty mighty and imperative observation. As society has progressed, with the development of terms to describe various gender identities, do you find it is easier to understand yourself better? Or do you think terminology ultimately confuses things more?

I was struggling with the second part of that couplet in the song, and in a moment of quick-witted inspiration my old friend, and Jenifer Convertible bandmate Jim Santo suggested it after dinner, and it fit like a missing puzzle piece. Honestly, I was a bit taken aback when I first met someone who identified as non-binary (about 15 years ago), and once I got past the misunderstanding that people would always want to identify as male or female, I imagined the beautiful possibilities of living in a world with people all along the gender range (who’ve always been there but less visible).

In the press announcing this album, you talk about how this music asks an important question about “What if the sun fell out of the sky?” What led you to ask this question from yourself and the world? What’s the answer?

I’ve intermittently struggled with severe anxiety over the years as have some close friends and people I love. It exacts an enormous toll on the quality of life and sucks away the potential for fully enjoying the (mostly) beautiful world we live in. People who haven’t experienced it can’t imagine how persistent, exhausting and painful it can be, so I tried to describe it as best I could. At times, focusing on the absolute worst thing that could happen helps put things in perspective. The sun falling out of the sky seemed like a pretty significant thing to focus on and helped make things seem more manageable. Hopefully, that will come through at the end of the song and video when one decides to “join the party, and throw out the rulebook” of expectations.

Photo Credit: Eva Mueller

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