Dive Bar Jukebox with Damian Higgins AKA Dieselboy
"You've got as long as it might take you."
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Welcome back to Dive Bar Jukebox, where every Friday bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a host of dynamic people answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? The answers reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a hand-picked, annotated 10-song playlist for your weekend listening pleasure.
Please welcome today’s special guest…
Damian Higgins AKA Dieselboy
Better known by his stage name Dieselboy, Damian Higgins is a renowned Brooklyn-based drum and bass DJ and music producer with a legion of devoted fans from around the world.
Damian grew up in “Small Town USA™” and has called Brooklyn home since 2004. In his 30-plus years traveling around the world as Dieselboy he’s played countless concerts and has worn multiple hats in music production, event planning, directing design for the metal/fantasy streetwear company Death Saves, and launching his own creative design and branding firm, DESTROYER. Today, Higgins continues to work on a host of projects, from designing menus for restaurants, crafting clothing for food and beverage ventures, to creating posters and other event and promotion works.
I first met Damian through his intersection with the food world, where he was a part of cooking battles and bartending pop-ups. I was invited to one of his dinner parties he hosts with chef and restaurateur Noah Bernamoff where they take over a restaurant for an evening of amazing food and drink. I’ve been lucky to attend several of these gatherings over the years and what I love the most about them is the eclectic mix of people gathered around the table. You never know if you’ll be sitting next to a writer, a chef, bartender, wine importer, photographer, amaro maker, actor musician, or DJ.
My favorite Damian fun fact, and I hope he doesn’t mind me geeking out here, is that his is the son of musician Bertie Higgins, the man behind the 1982, Billboard-charting yacht rock ballad, “Key Largo.”
Read on for Damian’s favorite dive bar memories (including the recreation of the climactic dance number from Dirty Dancing) and a curated, shoegaze-rich playlist he describes as “a reflection of my experiences, my passions, and my deeper tastes in emotionally charged music.”