Diablogato find redemption in chaos and light in the dark on ‘Snake Oil Salvation’

Boston’s rock and roll brigade deliver a gritty dose of anthemic defiance via a new EP out Friday, November 1 on Rum Bar Records 

NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘Snake Oil Salvation’ on Spotify x Bandcamp

CD release arrives ahead of November parties in Boston and Providence 

OUT NOW: Watch the ‘Lost Highway’ video on YouTube 

Spotlight single ‘July 1969’ features guest vocals by Noelle LeBlanc 

BOSTON, MA [November 1, 2024] – Back in the spring, Diablogato led us down a hypnotic “Lost Highway” and into a Lynchian fever dream, where the lines of reality were blurred and a maniacal sense of darkness choked out the light. With the Boston rock and roll brigade at the wheel, it felt like we were collectively cruising to some far-off place, one that resides in nightmares and imagination and is often escapable by simply waking up. But all roads really do lead to home, and the path forged by Diablogato now delivers us to a far more sinister place – the societal playground that surrounds us. 

The soundtrack to this sonic trip back to a cold and unforgiving reality unfolds across Diabogato’s urgent and defiant new EP Snake Oil Salvation, set for digital release on Friday, November 1 on Rum Bar Records. After crashing the streams a few days before what should be a historic and dramatic Election Day, when the tension of our nation should reach a fever pitch, Snake Oil Salvation then gets the CD treatment ahead of a pair of New England record release parties: November 23 at Faces Brewing Co. in Malden and November 29 at The Parlour in Providence.    

With the aforementioned video single “Lost Highway” and fellow visual and 2022 standout “Jet Black Night” setting the tone, Snake Oil Salvation is Diabogato’s darkest and grittiest record yet, taking the quartet’s weathered brand of rock and roll and filtering it through the strain and hostility of 2024’s cracked lens. The follow-up to 2019’s Old Scratch finds each member of the veteran band – vocalist and guitarist Drew Indingaro; guitarist and backing vocalist Charlie MacSteven; drummer Jesse Von Kenmore; and upright bassist Johnny Custom – coming out on the other side of what was a batshit insane five prior years with fresh battle scars and new tales to tell.  

“​Snake Oil Salvation is a reflection of the world we’re living in,” says Indingaro. “The idea of snake oil – the slick talkers, the cons, the false promises – felt like the perfect metaphor for everything we’re trying to say. And salvation? Well, that’s what everyone’s chasing, right? But maybe it’s all smoke and mirrors. We’re mixing the grit with the hope, the lies with the redemption. It’s got a bit of that old-school hustler vibe, with a modern kick in the teeth.” 

Four new tracks plus the recent singles comprise Snake Oil Salvation, adding up to a 20-minute spell of punk, rockabilly, Southern blues, classic rock, soul, and whatever else stirs within the Diablogato cauldron. Snake Oil Salvation finds Diablogato stripping it back, embracing vulnerability, and taking certain risks that may have been off the table for prior releases. What emerges is a spontaneous energy, the kind felt when walking alone late at night, both concerned and mindful of what lurks around the corner but also in full confidence in the ability to get home safe. Even if some blood was spilled on the sidewalk.     

“This record is pure grit,” Indingaro confirms. “Picture long nights in a dingy, low-lit studio, half a dozen cups of coffee deep, trying to channel every bit of chaos and fire from life into sound. It wasn’t just about recording songs; it was about pushing ourselves to the edge – sweaty sessions, late-night rewrites, and a whole lot of loud, messy magic. You don’t make something like this without bleeding a little.” 

Adds Von Kenmore: “It’s not about the blood, sweat, and tears of making a record. It’s about the blood, sweat, and tears of surviving and trying to thrive in an increasingly dark world. That comes out in how, and what, artists express in their work – no matter what medium they work in. We are a rock and roll band; so in this case, it’s a record.”

The EP was recorded by Shawn Reilly at PunchDance Studios in Waltham, MA; mixed by Duggan at Blue Banshee Studios in Brewster, MA; and mastered by Simon Francis (except for “Jet Black Night” and “Lost Highway,” mixed by Shawn Reilly and mastered by Nick Z at New Alliance East in Cambridge, MA.)

Snake Oil Salvation storms onto the track with EP opener “Heaven’s Gate,” an upbeat tune with a downtrodden vibe, diving into the dark side of belief and following the strange ways we chase something bigger – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. The relentless and barnstorming “Fire And Powder” lives up to its mighty title, examining a dangerous love that’s equal parts passion and destruction. And the towering “Wandering Hearts” positions as an anthem for the lost souls, the drifters, and those of us who can’t seem to find home no matter how far they roam -- or what compass desperately attempts to guide them back.  

“There’s a lot of rebellion, heartbreak, and raw, real-life struggle in this EP,” Indingaro admits. “We’re talking about love that’s gone sideways, the search for meaning in a world that’s constantly pushing back, and finding that glimmer of hope in the middle of a storm. It’s gritty, it’s soulful, and it’s angry in all the right places. There’s a bit of defiance and a lot of truth wrapped up in these lyrics.” 

The EP is also propelled by “July 1969,” perhaps Diablogato’s most ambitious and anthemic effort in their decade of making music, which uses the 1969 Kennedy incident at Chappaquiddick as a backdrop to address alcoholism, guilt, shame, and denial. With guest vocals from Noelle LeBlanc (Damone, The Organ Beats, Swivel) and the band’s Masshole cred firmly intact, “July 1969” is a triumph as it grapples with the consequences of decisions made under the influence, the weight of guilt, and how one moment can spiral into a lifetime of questions and regret. It’s a reflection on personal responsibility and the things that haunt us long after society’s attention turns to the next thing. 

It’s all heady stuff for any band, but Diablogato have harnessed a certain type of human emotion, and wrapped it tightly around a melodic dose of punk rock. It’s a spark that keeps the band’s fire burning bright. 

“This record is a giant middle finger to complacency,” Indingaro says. “We wanted to make something that feels like a shot of adrenaline, something that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. It’s rockabilly punk with some hard-hitting edge, but there’s soul in there, too – soul in the sound, and soul in the message. We’re not here to play it safe. We’re here to make some noise.” 

And that noise translates into a monumental record that while baked in the disruption and unease of 2024, also rings out as timeless in sound and appeal. The subject matter explored across Snake Oil Salvation’s six furious tracks may flash across our screens and provide a tasty narrative for our daily doom scrolls, but the anguish at the core is something passed down through generations. There is a trauma at play here, one that did not arrive just the other day.    

“The period these songs came out of – the global pandemic and all the other societal and political darkness – resulted in the dark lyrical themes of the record… but never in a direct way,” Von Kenmore is quick to note. “We aren’t the kind of band that sings ‘fuck fascism, fuck the government, fuck the church,’ etc., even tho we agree with the sentiment. Everything that’s gone down in the world since we started this band in 2014 is what reflects in my view. There are no saviors. There are only sinners. And that includes us.” 

Snake Oil Salvation was one way out, if only for a moment, for four dudes from Boston. And it may provide a compass for others to escape the insanity. In the end, will we fall for the snake oil, or will we truly find salvation? Years from now, Fall ‘24 could be the turning point. And Snake Oil Salvation could be the record that illuminates the way forward.   

“There’s a lot of noise, a lot of bullshit, and sometimes it feels like we’re all just stuck in the same loop of self-destruction,” Indingaro concludes. “But there’s always a sliver of hope. Maybe it’s in the music, maybe it’s in the fight. Either way, if we’re going down, we’re going down swinging.” 

Diablogato is:

Drew Indingaro: Vocals & guitar

Charlie MacSteven: Guitar & backing vocals

Jesse Von Kenmore: Drums

Johnny Custom: Upright bass

‘Snake Oil Salvation’ EP artwork:

‘Snake Oil Salvation’ production credits:

All songs written and performed by Diablogato 

All songs recorded by Shawn Reilly at PunchDance Studios in Waltham, MA

Mixed by Duggan at Blue Banshee Studios and mastered by Simon Francis except for ‘Jet Black Night’ and ‘Lost Highway’ (mixed by Shawn Reilly  and mastered by Nick Z at New Alliance East in Cambridge MA)

Additional vocals on ‘July 1969’ by Noelle LeBlanc

Photos by Pat Piasecki

Design and layout by Charlie MacSteven

Media praise for Diablogato: 

“Hypnotic rock 'n' roll.” _Living Life Fearless

“Diablogato, the Boston-based band known for their eclectic blend of punk, classic rock, and Southern blues, return with a new single and video titled ‘Lost Highway’ via Rum Bar Records. The song and accompanying visuals transport into a world where reality blurs with hallucinations, guilt intertwines with desire, and identity takes on a new dimension.” _Pure M Magazine

“Diablogato from Boston have an interesting approach to rock & roll where it’s not completely rockabilly, it’s not totally punk, but it’s somewhere in between with hints of electric blues and an abundance of amplification. No matter how you classify it, [they] possess a sound that’s as wide-ranging as it is cohesive.” _Culture Beat

“Their sound has evolved since then, but it remains straight up rock and roll heavily inspired by punk and with a touch of rockabilly. Their latest single, ‘Lost Highway,’ shows the band at their darkest while still being a fun rock song. This is a heavy version of classic rock and roll and blues, sounding both familiar and completely fresh. As with Diablogato’s best songs, ‘Lost Highway’ comes at you full speed without relenting. Any quiet moment is filled with an ominous sense of dread, and it’s almost a relief when the volume cranks back up.” _If It’s Too Loud

“[‘Jet Black Night’] is a blues rock-fueled sledgehammer, a nasty mid-tempo groove for all doomed people out there, pretty much all of us. No rest for the wicked. If we have to go down, let’s do it together while having bad-ass blasts like this on the stereo.” _Turn Up The Volume

“‘Boston Blood, Memphis Heart’ is a warm-bodied singalong that goes well with train hoppin’, slinking around the bayou, or cruising off in your shiny white-walled rat rod for fans of Social Distortion, Kings of Nuthin’ and The Living End.” _Dying Scene

“Even in the age of the pandemic and all its scattered layers of quarantines and lockdowns, Diablogato are straight slingin’ it.” _Vanyaland

“Rock and rollers Diablogato have a cohesively original take on their music where it’s not rockabilly, it’s not garage rock, it’s not punk, and it’s not blues, but it incorporates parts of each style. [‘Jet Black Night’] leans more towards the latter with fantastic riffs and rhythms that resonate with vigor. The way the drums from Jesse Mayer counteract with the guitars from Andrew Indingaro and Charlie MacSteven forge the backbone for a haunting track.” _DigBoston

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