The Artist
Dennis Kyne grew up in Campbell, CA — backyards, garages, punk shows, and a DIY ethos that never left him. Since 1988 he's lived between California and New Orleans, and the tension between those two worlds is where his music lives.
Kyne's roots run deep in the South Bay punk scene — backyards, garages, and Drab shows in Jimmy Silva's garage alongside a young Lars Fredericksen, later of Rancid. The crews were called "the Littles" and SKUNX. The ethos was simple: make something real, answer to no one. Like Lars, it never left him.
Dennis Kyne & Lars Fredericksen · Punk Rock Pop Up · The Ritz, San Jose · 2023
Every album. Every single. All of it self-produced, self-distributed — no label, no contract, no compromise. Kyne has been on CD Baby since its very inception and has never signed with a label. The punk ethos became the architecture of his entire career.
The only partnership he signed was with Eddie Gale — the most punk move of all. Eddie walked away from Blue Note Records mid-contract, headed west, and recorded To Be a Slave ↗ — a defiant statement of artistic freedom. Two artists. Zero contracts. All truth.
In the summer of 2020, Eddie Gale passed — but not before giving Dennis the nod. Permission to play any song he wanted. Permission to use his name. From a man who walked away from Blue Note mid-contract, that meant everything.
Dennis Kyne & Eddie Gale
The title Support the Truth was no accident — a direct counterpunch to the "Support the Troops" drumbeat of the second Iraq War, written by a Desert Storm medic who knew exactly what that slogan was covering up. The album and book dropped simultaneously, sold together on the road as merch. DIY as an act of resistance.
Support the Truth peaked at #13 on Canada's !earshot charts — one of the few American artists, if not the only one, to ever chart there without a label.
CMJ logs confirm Support the Truth hit #30 at WGCC (90.7 FM), Genesee Community College, Batavia NY — weeks of September 29 and October 6, 2003 — alongside Dave Gahan, Josh Ritter, Pennywise, and Lagardia.
Community radio spins came from KBOO Portland, KEXP & KBCS Seattle, KGNU Denver, KPFA Berkeley (Hard Knock Radio), and WWOZ New Orleans.
A wonderful interpretation of Eddie Gale's compositions with a New Orleans flavor.
— Sakura "D Rootzmaster" Kone, WWOZ 90.7 FMIn eight months, New Orleans gave Dennis everything and then broke his heart. January 2005 — he marched in the Jazz Funeral for Democracy alongside Shannon Powell, Kirk Joseph, and many of the city's finest, forging bonds that would last a lifetime.
Jazz Funeral for Democracy · New Orleans · January 20, 2005 · Shannon Powell on drums, Kirk Joseph on tuba
The Arabi Wrecking Krewe · Craig Klein's House · Arabi, New Orleans · 2005 — From the crews of Campbell to the Krewe of New Orleans
That truth came full circle at the 2006 San Jose Jazz Festival, when the legendary New Orleans musician Kidd Jordan came to play. When Kidd told Dennis his house had still not been attended to post-Katrina, Dennis called Craig Klein and Sheik — and the healing spirit of music did what it always does.
Dennis Kyne & Kidd Jordan · San Jose Jazz Festival · 2006
Career Highlights
Echoing the sounds of Bob Dylan — charged lyricism and expressive songwriting that distinguish him from the herd.
— IMDb Artist ProfileDennis Kyne put up such a fight at a political protest last summer the officer recalled it took four officers… Video evidence would prove the officer wasn't even there and all seven charges would be dismissed.
— The New York Times, Front Page ↗Selected Works
On Screen
- Welcome to New Orleans ↗ — Documentary credit
- Jazz Funeral for Democracy ↗ — Featured artist
- Baghdad Rap ↗ — Documentary appearance
- Soldiers Speak Out ↗ — Veteran voice and musician
- Beyond Treason ↗ — Featured as a Desert Storm medic
Watch
The Show
Dennis Kyne is currently Musical Director of The Eddie Gale Collaborative, carrying forward Eddie's lifelong community spirit through a multigenerational, multiracial, multi-gender orchestra built to promote inner peace and world peace.
A typical performance runs three sets. The first is the songs of Eddie Gale. The second is the songs Eddie loved. The third — pure raw creation. Bebop improvisation. No script. When Eddie once asked Ornette Coleman what they were going to play, Ornette said: "We're just gonna hit." That's the third set.
The audience is invited to participate. Any musician who wants to jump in is welcome.
For festivals and stage performances under an hour, Dennis condenses each set to 15-minute portions — a complete three-act experience in 45 minutes to an hour.