Josie Presents: Diesel Martini
When I had planned to go see Diesel Martini at Chicago Restaurant and Club Gravity I started first thinking about the band name.... diesel martini...hmmm who would want a martini made out of gas? Well that couldn't be right! So I went to my "go to reference book" when I'm trying to decipher what these crazy musicians mean when they are naming bands -
The Urban Dictionary! Let me make my disclaimer -. I have absolutely NO IDEA what the person/persons who decided on the name had in mind but I was satisfied when I saw the definition for Diesel in TUD (my acronym for The Urban Dictionary (yep poetic license) Here you go -and this is a copy and paste!
TOP DEFINITION
Awesome or strong, as in physcical power. Also - great, cool, or sexy.
I decided that even The Urban Dictionary isn’t perfect because…as I stated- it was a cut and paste. So I DIDN’ T MIS- SPELL PHYSICAL..hahahaha.
Getting back to business – Diesel Martini is self-described as “Lehigh valley’s new dance rock cover band that features music from the 80’s to present.”
I think that’s a pretty good description.! When I saw their show they had a cool theme going, they did a set from the 70’s, one that covered the 80’s and then a final set of anything they wanted -but focusing on newest music. I can’t begin to explain the variety of music they play, from Donna Summer to The Ramones and a whole lotta in between. But the variety of their danceable rock music isn’t what sets them apart from other bands. That which sets them apart is, without a doubt, their front man (sorry, front-woman) Ms. Wendy Meixell., Not only does she handle the vocals, the public relations, (people were literally RUNNING across the dance floor to get her attention on stage and say hello) Which, by the way, Wendy cordially would bend over in mid verse and give the excited friend/fan a hug. All this while singing with perfect tone and cadence. Add to her vocal skills the fact that she has more energy than the bunny and we now know that the name diesel martini is a name that this bend can live up to!
Everyone knows that a good group/team/band is an extension of its parts and this band is four parts talent. Wendy easily has the ability to lead the band, and alongside her is another charismatic showman, Mr., Scott Siska. Scott plays guitar and expertly runs across the stage to say hello to fans with Wendy. He poses for pictures, says hello to measly little reviewers like me in the crowd, and every now and then even throws in a vocal or two. Dave Lewis is their adept guitar player who is happy to stand on the side and contribute the rich sounding addition of the strings while Kenny Renninger has the dubious honor of keeping everyone on beat. They are a tight sounding band that obviously has been doing this for a while now!
But regardless of how good the music sounds, the thing you take away is the fun! Wendy in her 4 inch heels doing an aerobic hour and a half set while singing. The boys are using their instruments and power to literally vibrate the dancefloor. I am sure part of that was due to the people dancing but I swear they were playing as hard as they could to ensure anyone who wasn’t thinking of moving, quickly changed their minds.
By the time their 3rd set came up I was exhausted from watching them! I didn’t even get up to dance yet! But everyone else did…over 100 sweaty happy fans decided it was “safe to dance” during the “safety dance” (sorry, couldn’t help it)
Diesel M was nominated for best new band of the year for the Lehigh Valley Music Awards and I’m happy to report that they took the award home with them. Well done team! They are a fun, talented band that you’ll have a blast seeing!
Josie Janci
