| 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. Cunneen is best known for his drum work with the 1980s Portland, Oregon bands Final Warning and The Obituaries as well as the 1990s Seattle, Washington-based bands Zipgun and Nightcaps.[3] In 2020, Cunneen began recording under the moniker Dan Steely. He also occasionally plays drums with the Perkins Coie Band (aka PCBs), the in house band for the Seattle, Washington-based 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]
Cunneen formed his first band, Final Warning, in 1982 with Jeff “Simon” Simoncini, bassist Tim Paul and vocalist Jeff Paul. Final Warning were notable for their 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]
In 1987 Cunneen was recruited to play drums for the Portland-based punk, rock, and blues band, The Obituaries.[9] Along with bands like Napalm Beach, Dead Moon, and Poison Idea, The Obituaries were one of the notable bands in the Portland underground club scene in the late 1980s.[9] 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! a documentary chronicling the 1990s Seattle Grunge music scene.
After Zipgun’s demise 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 as one of the few renascent lounge bands to avoid irony and kitsch.[11]
In 2011, Rendezvous Recordings released Cunneen's "The Answer b/w Shoot & Share" solo 7-inch single. Cunneen described the two songs as "Black comedy metal, combining lyrical irony with metallic garage-punk musical sensibilities."[12]
In 2020, under the moniker "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.
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."
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.
with Final Warning
with Lew Jones
with Obituaries
with Zipgun
with Nightcaps
Dan Cunneen
Dan Steely