Wild Honey and Lenny Kaye celebrate Nuggets

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of the iconic compilation album ‘Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968’, benefit concert producers, the Wild Honey Foundation, original curator Lenny Kaye, and Rhino Records will present a live performance featuring songs from the LP and bonus material from that era. The event will be held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, on Friday May 19th, 2023 and will benefit the Autism Healthcare Collaborative.

The Wild Honey Orchestra Nuggets All-Star Band, consisting of talented musicians such as Lenny Kaye, Rob Laufer, Andrew Sandoval, Alec Palao, Jim Laspesa, Nick Vincent, Willie Aron, Jordan Summers, David Nolte, Robbie Scharf, Nelson Bragg, and Derrick Anderson, will be led by Kaye, Laufer, and Sandoval. This group of musicians include garage band originals Jim Pons (The Leaves), David Aguilar (Chocolate Watchband), and Evie Sands. Elliot Easton (The Cars), Johnny Echols (Love), and Peter Buck (R.E.M.) will also make guest appearances. This performance promises to be a rousing exploration of mid-‘60s garage and early psychedelia.

The Nuggets compilation album, originally curated by Lenny Kaye, featured American psychedelic and garage-rock singles from the mid-to-late 1960s and was released in 1972. Its liner notes contained one of the first mentions of the phrase “punk rock.” The Nuggets series has been an influential force for many generations of rockers, from the Ramones to the Lemon Twigs. With Rhino Records releasing a limited Record Store Day version this spring, Nuggets continues to inspire young bands across the globe with classic songs such as “Gloria,” “96 Tears,” “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night,” “Psychotic Reaction,” “Pushin’ Too Hard,” and “Dirty Water.”