A song about immoral romantic manipulation is drawing more attention to local band Diesel May.
The Red Deer hard rock group has been playing area venues for about four years and just recorded a first self-titled album, which will be officially released on Saturday, May 2, when Diesel May performs at The Vat.
A single called Before is getting some local radio play and was also picked up by a U.S. company creating a compilation album of hard rock songs from around the world.
“We were hoping, with our new album, that we’ll be getting a little more recognition,” said the band’s singer Chris Jennings, who considers the group’s music “art that we want to share with as many people as possible.”
Jennings usually comes up with lyrics for his group’s music from his own experiences.
But the singer stressed Before is not based on his life. “It’s a fictitious story . . . I started writing it and it took a funny turn, kind of on its own.”
The song is about an unscrupulous guy, driven purely by lust, who uses every manipulative trick to seduce a young woman.
“It’s about how all the right interactions with the wrong intentions can lead to the loss of innocence,” said Jennings.
Among the other tracks on the new CD is an instrumental called Another Day that’s received some radio play and The Mighty Emperor, a tune die-hard fans will recognize because Diesel May’s been playing it for years in clubs.
“It was the first song we wrote collectively as a band, and it was our first inkling that we might be able to do this, since we could write a song together,” said Jennings.
Performing around Central Alberta and sometimes in Edmonton and Calgary is a labour of love for the band’s members, including guitarists Dean Scott and Mike Williamson, drummer Chad Hutton and bassist Ryan Piecowye.
“Three out of five of us have children,” so playing weekends requires sacrifice, said Jennings, who has step kids through his fiance. But he considers singing in front of a live audience to be addictive. “It’s a creative outlet that helps you balance the rest of your life.”
For anyone who’s wondered: the name Diesel May is a play on the southern name Daisy-Mae and reflects the group’s southern rock influences, including Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, said Jennings.
The band will perform at The Vat on Saturday with another local group, The Frank, as well as the Chair Dance Tease girls. A $5 cover will be charged at 8 p.m.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com