Diesel Boy

Cock Rock (1996)

Art Conway

I first heard Diesel Boy off of the Fat comp, "Survival of the Fattest", probably like a lot of other people. The song was "Titty Twister" and it is a pretty good punk song. I later heard this album playing in my friend's car and really enjoyed the sound, so I went out and bought it. After about a week of the album, I was a Diesel Boy fan.

I like this band. I have fun listening to their music. In a genre of music that is over saturated with joke bands, Diesel Boy stands above the pact. This album, "Cock Rock" is a very good example of this. While the album's title might immediately convey a notion that this album is completely joke filled, that wouldn't be fare to say. Don't get me wrong, it has plenty of jokes but they are more subtle than most bands. Some bands make entire songs about jokes or funny situations, Diesel Boy is a band that cleverly inserts them into their songs and before you can get a chance to laugh, they're back on track with their music. The only exception on the album is the song "True Drew", where Diesel Dave sings a personal love song to Drew Barrymore.

According to www.cdnow.com, this is their first full length and it was released on Honest Don's back in 1996, but I probably got my hands on it around 1998. The album starts off with the song "Saving the World", which is a good love song. Has a real weird, silly beginning and then suddenly it goes straight into punk. Other highlights from this album are "Lime Green", "Damaged", and "Punk Rock 101", which is a personal favorite of mine.

While I did enjoy all of Diesel Boy's later albums, I find myself listening to this one more than the others. It has some strong songs and some very fun lyrics. Notice I didn't say "great" or "deep" lyrics, just fun ones. "Andy Stern" comes to mind.

Diesel Boy is, in my opinion, what I like to a "below the radar" type of band, like many of the bands on the Honest Don roster. Note, this is not a bad thing. Personally, I like it. It's like finding a hardly seen movie at a video store that has been sitting on the racks for ages, that when you get home you come to enjoy it for a number of reasons, but mostly because it's a little gem that you can cherish to yourself. Now some bands want to get a big as they can audience wise, and see this type of fan appeal as bad, but Diesel Boy seems to hold a certain integrity that displays that they are happy being on a medium size label such as Honest Dons.

Maybe it is really lonely being on top, but being in the middle is conzy enough to keep your feet flat but your head close to the sky.

To sum it up, Diesel Boy is a good, fun punk rock band and this album is a good pick for you. Go to Honest Don's website and order the CD, at $10 bucks, it is worth it!