Following the acclaimed release of his seventeenth studio album ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ late last year, Australian icon Diesel is proud to today announce a national headline run to close out 2024, hitting the road with a full band for the ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ Album Tour, presented by New World Artists.
Commencing a 13-date national run on Saturday 31 August in Adelaide, Diesel’s ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ Album Tour will also journey through Melbourne, Warragul, Hobart, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Batemans Bay, Canberra, Perth and Darwin, with proceedings drawing to a close on Friday 13 December in Caloundra.
An exuberant and multi-faceted collection of 14 tracks, ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ coalesces the myriad of talents wielded by Diesel, aka the prolific American-born and Aussie-based roots/rock guitarist and vocalist Mark Lizotte. Loaded with hooks, honeyed vocals, and a range of stylistic hues, the songs of ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ greet with the warmth and familiarity of a good friend, with songs about family, mortality, childhood, and dreams. Travelling across time, place, and memory, this is rousing yet reflective pop music that celebrates the joys of everyday life while braving the difficult stuff – the challenges we all eventually face – with insights and tenderness; a fact witnessed vividly on the album’s closing track Remember My Love. “The song is about not forgetting that there are others around us who are experiencing the same human condition and not to get stuck in a moment,” shares Diesel. “In part, I’m speaking to myself; a reminder that one must be at peace to some degree to be able to give solace to others. It’s also a mantra that in times of despair I’ve tapped into, just the idea of being loved can snap me out of spiralling down.”
As with the broader album’s output, Remember My Love was tracked by Diesel on his own, later bringing in Lee Moloney on drums (“to add some more weight”, as Diesel puts it). Starting with an 808 drum pattern heard in its verses, Remember My Love grew continuously over the space of a few days, resulting in the eerie yet bright track ultimately heard on the album that is also brought to stunning life via the release of its accompanying music video. “The music video for Remember My Love was shot by my daughter Lily Lizotte and edited by Blake Fraser, who worked on the multi-award-winning Patricia Moore series,” shares Diesel. “For the video, I thought it would be a good fit to return to where I remember writing most of the song, which is down by the nearby ports where I spend a lot of time decompressing. With a wide open horizon leading west, the sunsets are always vivid.”
Recently showcasing his enigmatic live show as part of his solo ‘Forever’ Tour, including a sold out performance at the Sydney Opera House, Diesel’s upcoming performances in the latter half of 2024 will feature a three-piece band along with a celebration of the talented artist’s abundant back catalogue – including, of course, the tour’s titular release ‘Bootleg Melancholy’. “17 albums in, I’m probably not second guessing as much about the process,” shares Diesel. “My experiences working with other artists collaborating has really rubbed off on what I make too. I’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from people on this record, especially after making and releasing 2 albums during the pandemic, it’s affirming to get peoples reaction first-hand in real life!”
“Having so much material to draw from is a nice problem,” Diesel adds. “My band have been good at reminding me of songs and albums that I may have neglected for no particular reason. Having a new piece of the puzzle in ‘Bootleg Melancholy’ will help shape the set. I can already see songs from other albums “putting up their hands” to be in the set, as I’ve found new songs will evoke feelings and parallel lines to older songs. We make quite a bit of sound it’s been said for a three-piece band and these shows coming up won’t be an exception, I really enjoy the juxtapose of playing band shows, and the same could be said for solo shows, I’m pretty blessed to have both!”
One of Australia’s greatest success stories, the American-born Diesel, aka Mark Lizotte, has spent three decades weaving his one-of-a-kind musical magic into his rock and blues-fuelled sounds, both as part of the band Johnny Diesel & The Injectors and, more recently, as a solo artist. With multiple #1 ARIA charting albums under his belt, six ARIA award wins and millions of streams alongside a legion of fans, Diesel’s creative skillset also expands beyond his own projects, with the talented artist also renowned for his work as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. And good news for Diesel fans and music lovers in general out there – the man himself is primed for some exciting upcoming creative endeavours alongside his impending tour, as he concludes, “It’s pretty normal for me to start writing another body of songs and start the recording process for another album, and I’ve been doing just that, in between shooting eps for an upcoming TV series where I get to interview music artists and shine a light on concerts and the stories behind them. Even though I’m a working musician, I’m still a fan and love talking music with anyone whose interest is piqued!”
DIESEL ‘BOOTLEG MELANCHOLY’ ALBUM TOUR DATES
Proudly Presented by New World Artists
EXCLUSIVE PRE-SALE: 12PM AEST THURSDAY 11 JULY – 10AM AEST MONDAY 15 JULY or until allocation is exhausted via dieselmusic.com.au
PUBLIC ON SALE: 12PM AEST MONDAY 15 JULY
SAT 31 AUG | NORWOOD CONCERT HALL | ADELAIDE, SA
SUN 1 SEP | SHEDLEY THEATRE | ELIZABETH,| SA
SAT 7 SEP | RMIT – THE CAPITOL | MELBOURNE, VIC
SUN 8 SEP | WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE | WARRAGUL, VIC
FRI 4 OCT | THEATRE ROYAL | HOBART, TAS
FRI 11 OCT | REDLANDS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE | CLEVELAND, QLD
FRI 18 OCT | CITY HALL | NEWCASTLE, NSW
SAT 19 OCT | YORK THEATRE-SEYMOUR CENTRE | SYDNEY, NSW
FRI 25 OCT | BAY PAVILIONS | BATEMANS BAY, NSW
SAT 26 OCT | THE STREET THEATRE – ANU | CANBERRA, ACT
FRI 8 NOV | STATE THEATRE CENTRE OF WA, PERTH, WA
SAT 16 NOV | ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE | DARWIN, NT
FRI 13 DEC | THE EVENTS CENTRE | CALOUNDRA, QLD
With thanks to On The Map PR
