Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One Announces New Album; Watch Video For It Got So Dark

Folksinger and punk rock stalwart Lenny Lashley will be releasing a collection of new songs titled Five Great Egrets under the moniker Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One later this year via Omerta MIA. He recently unveiled his lead single “It Got So Dark” describing it as “an anthemic, shambolic, heartland rock-infused punk song.” In support of his newest effort, Lashley will be supporting this release by staying on the road as much as possible under the current circumstances including Mercy Union‘s record release on Friday, August 5th at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ.  

“The album title came to me on a morning drive along the coast where I live,” recalls singer-songwriter Lenny Lashley. “I saw what I thought were five herons, but they were actually great egrets. Thematically, it’s the same as the rest of my solo material. All of the stuff that I write is directly related to my personal life in one way or another.”

Five Great Egrets was engineered and produced by Pete Steinkopf at Little Eden in Asbury Park, NJ during fall 2020. “I’ve been fortunate to have folks that are remarkable musicians contribute because they like me as a person and believe in me,” vows Lashley. His backing band features first-rate musicians as well as fellow Bostonians including Joe Sirios (The Mighty Mighty BossToneS), Tim Brennan (Dropkick Murphys), Johnny Rioux (Street Dogs), C.J. Ramone (Ramones), Pete Steinkopf (The Bouncing Souls), Sam Bey (The Parlor Mob), Jared Hart (Mercy Union), and others.

From a tense relationship (“Heart of Stone”) to a song of hope and guidance (“It Got So Dark”) to the struggle and realization that you cannot change others (“Not Sorry”) to integrity (“Joe”) to humanity (“Mexico”) – Five Great Egrets sheds light on Lashley’s straightforward and optimistic outlook on life. Also, “Park Your Carcass” was co-written by Dicky Barrett and Joe Gittleman of The Mighty Mighty BossToneS. Fortunately, the song didn’t make the cut for their album and was given to Lashley.

Lenny Lashley might very well be Boston’s best-kept secret (his long-running band Darkbuster is held in the highest of regards locally) but it’s through his solo project, Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One, that he hopes to foster deeper, more meaningful connections – not just with the listener, but with himself. The 57-year-old musician is a punk lifer through and through, and his respect and reverence for the scene is only bested by his innate ability to make music that resonates with the listener.