Dan Cunneen Explained

Dan Cunneen
Birth Name:Daniel Robert Cunneen
Alias:Dan Steely, DJ Diamondan, The Russian Dragon
Birth Date:March 14, 1963
Origin:Portland, Oregon
Instrument:Vocals, drums, guitar, bass
Genre:Punk rock, rock, heavy metal, soul, lounge music
Occupation:Musician
Songwriter
Disc jockey
Graphic designer
Screen printer
Years Active:1982–present
Label:Fatal Erection, Highgate, New Weave, Empty, Sub Pop, Rendezvous Recordings, Estrus, V2, Southern Lord, ORANJ
Associated Acts:Broken Trust, Bitchcraft, Bop Girl Goes Calypso, Saucy Jack, The Pigeons, Her Last Arrow, Sugarsmacks, Rat City Brass, Ghost Train Trio, Mercy Mercy, Roxbury Saints

Dan Cunneen (aka Dan Steely) is an American musician,[1] songwriter,[1] disc jockey, screen printer and graphic designer[2] originally from Portland, Oregon, United States. He is best known for his drumming with the 1980s Portland bands Final Warning and The Obituaries, as well as the 1990s Seattle bands Zipgun and Nightcaps.[3] In 2020, Cunneen began recording under the moniker Dan Steely. He occasionally plays drums with the Perkins Coie Band (aka PCBs), the in house band for the Seattle law firm Perkins Coie.[4] As Dan Steely, Cunneen is currently the lead singer and principal songwriter for the Seattle-based band Roxbury Saints.

On January 3, 2015, Cunneen was ordained as a minister in the Universal Life Church.[5]

Musician

Cunneen formed his first band, Final Warning, in 1982 with Jeff “Simon” Simoncini, bassist Tim Paul and vocalist Jeff Paul. Final Warning was notable for its anti-war political themes and as one of the early hardcore bands to incorporate heavy metal into their sound.[6] [7] After Final Warning broke up in 1987, Cunneen played drums with Portland-based folk-rock singer songwriter Lew Jones.[8] Later that year, he joined the punk, rock, and blues band, The Obituaries,[9] a significant part of the 1980s Portland underground scene alongside bands like Napalm Beach, Dead Moon, and Poison Idea. Cunneen played drums and co-wrote one song on The Obituaries EP, but left the band mid-tour in 1989.

After relocating to Seattle in 1991, Cunneen formed the punk band Zipgun with guitarist Neil Rogers, singer Robb Clarke and bassist Mark Wooten. Zipgun released three singles and two full-length albums on Pacific Northwest independent record label Empty Records and several singles on various labels.[10] Zipgun toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada and appeared in the Doug Pray film Hype!, which chronicled Seattle Grunge music scene of the 1990s.

Following Zipgun's dissolution in 1995, Cunneen formed and led the Seattle-based lounge band, Nightcaps with vocalist Theresa Hannam, guitarist Garth Brandenburg and bassist William Herzog. Nightcaps were an integral part of the mid 1990s Lounge music resurgence that included bands such as Combustible Edison, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Love Jones. The Nightcaps were known for avoiding irony and kitsch.[11]

In 2011, Rendezvous Recordings released Cunneen's "The Answer b/w Shoot & Share" solo 7-inch single. He described the two songs as "Black comedy metal, combining lyrical irony with metallic garage-punk musical sensibilities."[12]

In 2020, under the name "Dan Steely", Cunneen released a single and music video of the Electric Light Orchestra song "Showdown." The seven-inch single's B-side features a remix of the A-side, "Showdown (DJ Yot Roc Mix)", in the yacht rock style.

Disc jockey

In 1994, using the moniker "DJ DiamonDan," Cunneen began what would become a two-year DJ residency at Linda's Tavern in Seattle. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s he performed at private parties and Seattle venues such as Re-bar, the Baltic Room, Moore Theater and the Capitol Club.[13] Cunneen continues to occasionally disc jockey at clubs and private events using the name "DJ Dan Steely."

Graphic design

Cunneen was art director and designer for many of the commercial releases and promotional material for the bands he played in.[14] In 2016, he founded the Seattle-based company ORANJ Custom Printing.

Discography

with Final Warning

with Lew Jones

with Obituaries

with Zipgun

with Nightcaps

Dan Cunneen

Dan Steely

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dan Cunneen | Album Discography. AllMusic. 20 September 2020. 29 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160429082500/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dan-cunneen-mn0001221772. live.
  2. Web site: Dan Cunneen. Dancunneen.carbonmade.com. 20 September 2020. 9 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190109032401/https://dancunneen.carbonmade.com/. live.
  3. Web site: Dan Cunneen. Grunnenrocks.nl. 20 September 2020. 3 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175529/http://www.grunnenrocks.nl/people/c/cunneendan.htm. live.
  4. Web site: Band from local law firm booked for a big gig. 15 July 2008. The Seattle Times. 20 September 2020. 14 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190414063535/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/band-from-local-law-firm-booked-for-a-big-gig/. live.
  5. Web site: I Am Holy. Dancunneen.com. 20 September 2020. 22 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922101917/http://www.dancunneen.com/2015/01/as-of-january-3-2015-i-have-been.html. live.
  6. Web site: Punk's Not Dead . Wweek.com . 2014-07-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140715115801/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-9542-punkrss_not_dead.html . 2014-07-15 . dead .
  7. Web site: Article Archives - Portland Mercury, News, Entertainment, Trouble. Portland Mercury. 2008-09-24. 2018-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20181031134541/https://www.portlandmercury.com/music/once-more-with-feeling/. live.
  8. Web site: History of Portland Rock 4. Rob Nelson. says. TwoLouiesMagazine.com. 20 September 2020. 24 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200924110247/https://twolouiesmagazine.com/history/history-of-portland-rock-4/. live.
  9. Web site: History of Portland Rock 5. TwoLouiesMagazine.com. 20 September 2020. 22 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922172321/https://twolouiesmagazine.com/history/history-of-portland-rock-5/. live.
  10. Web site: Zipgun. Discogs.com. 20 September 2020. 6 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201006175540/https://www.discogs.com/artist/768495-Zipgun. live.
  11. Web site: Casey Jarman . Nightcaps . Wweek.com . 2012-03-29 . 2012-04-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714212712/http://wweek.com/portland/event-82341-nightcaps.html . 2014-07-14 . dead .
  12. Web site: Answer B/W Shoot &Share! . Amazon . 2011 .
  13. Web site: Last Night a DJ Almost Took His Life. Dancunneen.com. 20 September 2020. 22 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922101740/http://www.dancunneen.com/2012/09/last-night-dj-took-his-life.html. live.
  14. Web site: ORANJ Posters. Theoranjgroup.com. 8 May 2017. 20 September 2020. 14 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190414131511/https://theoranjgroup.com/oranj-posters/. live.

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