DON DILEGO & THE TOURISTAS
“I feel pretty good and I swear I’m not lying,” Don DiLego sings at the top of his ecstatic new single, “Dim Red Light (Make It Shine)”. “This world’s on fire but I’m not afraid of dying.” It’s a timely sentiment given all we’ve been through over the course of the past year, but the truth is that DiLego wrote the song well before quarantines and lockdowns shuttered much of the music industry, back when making it through the day seemed like more of a metaphorical concern than a literal one.
“The lyrics have definitely taken on more weight since the pandemic hit,” DiLego says, “but the song’s about something more universal, about that often-elusive glimmer on the horizon that feels too far out of reach, even if it isn’t. At the end of the day, we’re in charge of our own destinies—or at least our own possibilities.”
Produced by longtime friend and collaborator Jesse Malin, “Dim Red Light” is a relentlessly optimistic declaration of hope and survival fueled by shimmering guitars and driving percussion. In classic DiLego fashion, the track hangs its hat on a soaring, addictive earworm of a chorus, but it’s the song’s uncharacteristically high-octane tempo that sets it apart from the “big city alt- country” (Rolling Stone) feel that’s traditionally defined DiLego’s sound, with a jittery, relentless delivery more reminiscent of The Smiths or The War On Drugs than Wilco or Son Volt. Malin adds, “When I heard him play " Make it shine " for the first time as a guest on our "Fine Art of Self- Distancing" show...I was so blown away that I asked him If I could produce it. It's one of those driving songs that is full of heart, hope and hooks that dig in and become part of you.
DiLego’s been following his restless creative winds for much of his life now. Over the past two decades alone, he’s landed a major label deal; released five critically acclaimed solo albums; scored a feature film (Ranchero); had his music featured in series on HBO, NBC, FOX, Showtime, and Starz, along with commercials for everything from Victoria’s Secret to Mastercard; produced for a slew of artists including Jesse Malin and Hollis Brown; opened his own recording studio; and co-founded the Velvet Elk record label. (And that’s to say nothing of the monster carrots he’s growing in his backyard garden right now.) If you’re to believe No Depression, DiLego’s latest full length, Maginificent Ram A, was a “masterpiece,” and if you’re willing to take Paste’s word for it, the collection was a “stunner.” Either way, DiLego was quite pleased with the album title, which he scribbled after his umpteenth trip to The Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he spent much of the past decade living before relocating full-time in 2019 to his Velvet Elk studio in the woods of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.
Born and raised in western Massachusetts, DiLego recalls that his first musical purchase was a 45 of “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell, who he’d often mix up with The Lone Ranger (which kind of makes sense if you think about it), and he’s been chasing that same high ever since. “Dim Red Light” may not be a cowboy tune, but it sparkles like a rhinestone, that’s for damn sure.
Opening the night is Jake Thistle, a rising singer-songwriter and New Jersey native, is known for his lyricism and musical storytelling. With a sound that blends classic rock sound with a modern pop sensibility, he crafts songs that resonate with all audiences.
Being awarded multiple titles from Indie Boulevard and being named a “Rising Music Star” from The Boston Herald, Thistle has played for audiences all over the United States and Europe. Thistle has appeared on outlets such as CBS News, Variety, Billboard, American Songwriter Magazine, BBC Radio, The Record, WCBS FM, NYC's Q104.3 FM. Thistle has also assisted in raising over $100,000 in charitable donations to the American Cancer Society and the Light of Day Foundation.
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