Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our readers to some deserving up and coming artists/bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass, and we hope you do too! Let’s shine the spotlight on skate punkers Diesel Boy.
California skate punk mainstays Diesel Boy are hitting the road for a series of tour runs throughout 2026, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Cock Rock. At every stop, the band will perform every song from Cock Rock marking the first time the album has been played live in its entirety, alongside additional classics and fan favorites from across their catalog.
Tour dates will roll out in multiple blocks throughout the year, beginning in June, with July dates to follow and additional runs planned for the fall.
2023 marked a major resurgence for Diesel Boy. After more than two decades away from the spotlight, the band returned with Gets Old, earning strong reviews. They followed the release with touring across the U.S. and Europe, including appearances at Punk Rock Holiday, Brakrock, Pouzza, Red Bridge, and more.
Formed in Northern California in 1993, Diesel Boy built a devoted following through their releases on Fat Wreck Chords imprint Honest Don’s and relentless touring throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s. During their hiatus, their music continued to reach new audiences, amassing millions of streams and sustaining demand for their return.
Now reenergized, Diesel Boy—Dave Lake (vocals/guitar), Greg Hensley (bass), Jack Miller (guitar), and Paul Davis (drums), are embracing both their legacy and forward momentum. The Cock Rock anniversary shows give longtime fans a rare chance to hear the full album live while introducing a new generation to the band’s signature blend of humor and high-energy punk.
We sat down with Diesel Boy Dave Lake for a short but fun Q&A session.
Every superhero and villain have an origin, and a band is no different, minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiments. What’s the origin of Diesel Boy?
The original lineup of the band was formed by me and a friend from the college radio station we both worked at. Of all the DJs at the station, he and I had the most similar overlap in our musical taste, which was melodic punky indie bands, like early Goo Goo Dolls, The Replacements, and Husker Du. Our earliest incarnation was decidedly less punk. A few years into things, as the band was going through some lineup changes, another band from our same rehearsal place called Escape Goat was also going through some lineup changes, so we sort of merged both bands. When we put the two things together, it elevated what we had each been doing. It was a great blend of melody and energy.
The band will be hitting the road this summer in celebration of the 30th anniversary of your debut album, Cock Rock. Can you share with us what concert goers can expect?
They can expect to hear our entire first record, front to back, with a handful of our other songs before we play it, a handful more between side A and side B, and then a few more after we’re done. A lot of the songs from Cock Rock we haven’t played since our earliest tours, and one or two we’ve maybe never played live before, so it will make for a unique setlist.
You’ve played everywhere from tiny clubs to big festival stages. What’s one venue or city on this upcoming run that you’re especially excited to get back to, and why?
Canada has always had a special place in our heart. We started going there on our very first tour in 1996 with Strung Out. We’ve been from Vancouver to New Brunswick. This summer we’re hitting a few spots we’ve been back to since reforming, as well as Toronto and Ottawa, which we haven’t, so I’m definitely looking forward to those.
Touring can be equal parts chaos and magic. What’s the most memorable on-the-road mishap or unexpected moment that ended up becoming a great story later?
We accidentally got our Canadian merch guy deported once. During a Canadian tour we were dipping back into the US for a couple of shows, so we told our merch guy to say he was just a friend who was traveling with us for a few days since we hadn’t arranged the proper work papers for him. Since he only had $20 on him when we crossed the border, customs agents said he’d be a burden on the US economy and he couldn’t come in. We were supposed to drop him back on the Canada side, but we made a wrong turn leaving the immigration complex and ended up in the US unintentionally. We pulled over, briefly pondered correcting the mistake, but it was the middle of the night, and nobody was around, so we figured they probably wouldn’t even notice. We were wrong.
After 30 years, fans old and new will be coming out to celebrate with you. More and more you see parents and their kids together at shows. How does it feel to see multiple generations singing your songs back at you?
I love seeing younger folks at our shows. Of course, it’s great to have a parent pass down their fandom to a kid, but there are also young people discovering punk that are coming out to see older bands as well. Both are great. Shoot, even our guitar player Jack wasn’t born when our first record came out! I am very grateful that people continue to enjoy the music, whether for the nostalgia or the first time.
When were you bit by the music bug and how has music, your own and from other artists impacted you?
I’ve loved music for as far back as I can remember and it has always been a sort of guiding force. There was a record store just down the street from me growing up and as a young kid I would go in and just flip through the bins and stare at the covers and imagine what the music must have sounded like. I also listened to the radio and watched MTV endlessly, soaking up ‘80s pop hits from Duran Duran and The Police. In middle school I got turned on to Motley Crue’s Shout At the Devil and so began the metal years. That lasted until freshman year in college when my roommate played me Bad Religion’s Against the Grain.
For a lot of folks, the music you grow up on helps define who are you and how you want to be seen. I’d say that’s true for me too, so it’s impacted me in so many ways I couldn’t even begin to unpack them all. Before the band took off, I was hoping to work at a record company, so that’s where I thought my life in music was headed. Then the band got signed and I ended up working in the music business in a completely different way than I ever expected.
If you could put together a fantasy all-star jam to perform with, who would you pick, they can still be with us or not.
John Prine, Bob Mould, Phoebe Bridgers, John Taylor, Joe Perry, Kathleen Edwards, Ozzy, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Carmine Appice.
If Diesel Boy were a cocktail what would be in it?
Tiny tincture of ethanol (because, gas) into a Negroni (equal parts bitter and sweet).
You’ve built a fiercely loyal global fanbase. What’s one fan interaction or moment on tour that has stayed with you in a meaningful way?
The people who come up to chat with me at shows these days are always so lovely, sharing their history with the band, the first time they saw us, how some particular song was meaningful, how stoked they are that they’re getting to see us for the first time perhaps. These conversations weren’t possible 25 years ago because time hadn’t yet decided what the music would mean to people years later. Someone recently brought a photo to the merch table of their high school yearbook photo from the ‘90s in which they were wearing a Diesel Boy shirt. I mean that’s just sublime.
Creativity can be chaotic, cathartic, or even hilarious. What’s the strangest or most unexpected thing that’s ever sparked a song idea for you?
I don’t recall anything particularly unexpected, but song titles or song ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes it’s a conversation or a text where a particular line or phrase will tickle my ear and I’ll jot it down. Sometimes I read something or hear a story about something, and I’ll make a note to explore it more deeply at some point. And sometimes I’ll have an idea and while digging deeper into it, I’ll end someplace else entirely. As an example, I came across a story about taphophobia, which is the fear or being buried alive due to being incorrectly pronounced dead. People with this fear have sometimes had safety coffins created, these elaborate contraptions with bells that can be rung via a string attached to a finger ring, escape hatches, and lots more. This eventually led me to the story of Frédéric Chopin, who had taphophobia, but instead of writing about that, I ended up writing about Chopin, whose life, and especially the journey of his heart after death, was fascinating.
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