At the beginning of 2010, Don joined Jesse Malin & the St. Mark’s Social and set out on the road with Gaslight Anthem and later Gogol Bordello to begin support of the new album. But soon the inspiration of new songs would begin to pour in, and after returning home, it was back to the writing process again at his wooded escape, Velvet Elk Studios. The “Western & Atlantic EP” was born of a week of isolation in a Portland recording studio called The Secret Society, with Don enlisting Colin Killilea (Yost/Pocketknife) and Marwan Kanafani (City Breathing) as multi-instrumentalists, Gregg Williams (Dandy Warhols, Sheryl Crow) on drums, and longtime songwriting partner and bassist Erik Olsen. The result is a what-you-hear-is what-you-get sort of affair, with everything being tracked live in a room...a highlight of which was an unlikely one-take cover of The Replacements “Here Comes a Regular.” Mixing was done in Charlottesville’s White Star Sound and at the Velvet Elk Studios. But what started out as one album, became two, and upon the release of the Atlantic & Western EP, Don is right back at work finishing the full-length “Magnificent Ram A”. Whereas “Western” is more along the lines of the eclectic soundscape that Don has become known for, “Magnificent Ram A” is it’s alienated older cousin. And so it goes.
Don has released three...check that...now four solo albums, the last of which was the well-received Photographs of 1971 (Velvet Elk Records), until his recent July 2012 release of The Western & Atlantic EP on Velvet Elk. His first two albums, “The Lonestar Hitchhiker (Universal/Kingcuts)” and “The Lonestar Companion (Velvet Elk Records)” were also well-lauded for their retro-twang storytelling.
Recent Press for Western & Atlantic:
From the EP's opener, the slide guitar driven Midnight Train to the final track, the intimate Carry On he touches base with Jeff Tweedy and Howe Gelb. Television Sun starts like an outtake of Neil Young's Harvest Moon before evolving into a road movie theme song that could have been written by Steve Earle. - Here Comes The Flood
Mesmerizes and enlightens. - CD Insight
I know what I like, and I like his new EP "Western & Atlantic", coming out next week on the excellently named Velvet Elk label. - 27Leggies UK
DiLego is cut from the same cloth as performers like Wilco and the Avett Brothers—his songs take country ballads one step beyond their obvious conclusion, yielding a genre-bending hybrid of indie rock and country. - Examiner.com (Elizabeth Rowe)
The seven songs on this EP can qualitatively be with the best americana we’ve heard this year...an album on Jayhawks/Jeff Tweedy level. - Heaven Magazine (Netherlands)
At the Texaco
Don DiLego Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night it brings the solitude
That you had always hoped for
A room without a door
Most of us are crazy
To some it is a game
But we all need a place to go
A drive that takes
Where the night feels so still and slow
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
Most of us are living in
A photo of indifference
And we all like to show it off
To cover up the friends we've lost
I'm dying to remember you
Crossed the road
And sold my car again
So take me to the heart and the soul
Of a stranger
Where the dark becomes light
And turns back again
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
I'm staring at the shelf inside
And the neon signs are telling me to go
So watch me make a stand on a rolling stone
Watch the cars as they start to roll
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
At the Texaco
The song "At the Texaco" by Don DiLego seems to be a reflection of the human condition, and the need for both solitude and connection in our lives. The opening lines, "Words are catching up with you / The night it brings the solitude / That you had always hoped for / A room without a door" convey a sense of being overwhelmed by the weight of one's own thoughts, and the relief of finding a space to escape into. The Texaco gas station, then, becomes a symbol of this space, a place where people can find a respite from the world outside.
As the song continues, Don DiLego explores the theme of loneliness and the ways in which we try to cover it up. "Most of us are living in / A photo of indifference / And we all like to show it off / To cover up the friends we've lost" suggests that we often put up a façade to hide the pain of loneliness and disconnection. But the singer of the song longs for something more: "I'm dying to remember you / Crossed the road / And sold my car again / So take me to the heart and the soul / Of a stranger". Here, he seems to be seeking a deeper connection with someone, anyone, even a stranger, in order to fill the void he feels.
Overall, "At the Texaco" is a melancholy but reflective song that speaks to the human need for solitude and connection. While the Texaco gas station may seem like an odd setting for such a song, it serves as a powerful symbol of the spaces we seek out in order to find ourselves and connect with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Words are catching up with you
Your actions are starting to have consequences and catch up with you
The night it brings the solitude
The darkness of night brings a sense of loneliness and isolation
That you had always hoped for
Despite the loneliness, this is what you have always wanted
A room without a door
You want to be alone in your own space without interruption or interference
Most of us are crazy
Many people have their own quirks and issues that could be considered 'crazy'
To some it is a game
Some people treat life or certain situations as a game
But we all need a place to go
Everyone needs somewhere they can retreat to and feel safe or comfortable
A drive that takes
A journey or trip that brings a change of scenery or perspective
The heart on a lonesome road
A journey taken alone that can be both difficult and transformative
Where the night feels so still and slow
The peacefulness of the night and the sense of isolation can be calming and soothing
At the Texaco
This is a reference to a location where the singer may find the solace and respite they need
Most of us are living in
Many people live in this state
A photo of indifference
Presenting oneself as disinterested or uninvolved in order to maintain a sense of control or detachment
And we all like to show it off
Many people feel the need to present their 'indifference' to the world as a form of self-preservation or apathy
To cover up the friends we've lost
The detachment and disinterest is sometimes used to hide the pain of losing loved ones
I'm dying to remember you
The artist is struggling to hold onto a memory of someone or something important to them
Crossed the road
The artist physically moved on from something or someone
And sold my car again
The singer made a decision to distance themselves from something or someone, even if it comes at a cost
So take me to the heart and the soul
The singer is searching for a location or experience that will help them connect with their emotions and themselves
Of a stranger
This connection may come from a person or place that they are not familiar with
Where the dark becomes light
The artist hopes to find a sense of clarity or understanding in a situation that seems overwhelming or confusing
And turns back again
They also understand that this moment of clarity may be fleeting or temporary
I'm staring at the shelf inside
The inside of a convenience store is where the singer finds themselves and their thoughts
And the neon signs are telling me to go
The artist may feel pressure from the outside world to keep moving forward and not dwell in their thoughts
So watch me make a stand on a rolling stone
Despite the pressure to keep moving, the singer chooses to assert themselves and take a stand
Watch the cars as they start to roll
The singer is aware of the movement around them and the changes that are happening
At the Texaco
The location of the convenience store is significant to the singer and their journey
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.