Dan Cunneen
Cunneen in 2021
Cunneen in 2021
Background information
Birth nameDaniel Robert Cunneen
Also known asDan Steely, DJ Diamondan, The Russian Dragon
Born (1963-03-14) March 14, 1963
OriginPortland, Oregon
GenresPunk rock, rock, heavy metal, soul, lounge music
Occupation(s)Musician
Songwriter
Disc Jockey
Graphic Designer
Screen Printer
Instrument(s)Vocals, drums, guitar, bass
Years active1982-present
LabelsFatal Erection, Highgate, New Weave, Empty, Sub Pop, Rendezvous Recordings, Estrus, V2, Southern Lord, ORANJ
Websitedan-steely.com

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. Cunneen 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]

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 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 would leave 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 7 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 Cunneen 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, Cunneen founded the Seattle-based company ORANJ Screen Printing & Graphic Design.

Discography

with Final Warning

  • 1983 Rain of Death cassette demo
  • 1984 Final Warning (EP) Fatal Erection Records
  • 1985 Drinking is Great (EP) (track on compilation: "I Quit") Fatal Erection Records
  • 2007 PDX (CD) Southern Lord Records
  • 2008 Final Warning EP (reissue) Black Water Records
  • 2015 Demonstration 1983 (7-inch EP) Black Water Records

with Lew Jones

  • 1994 Lew Jones Anthology 1978–1994: Take Me to the Future (CD) (played drums on several tracks) New Weave Records

with Obituaries

  • 1988 Obituaries (EP) Highgate Records
  • 2007 The Obituaries (anthology CD) (played drums on several tracks) Highgate Records

with Zipgun

  • 1991 Together Dumb/Cool in the Cell (single) Empty Records
  • 1991 Ten (one sided promo single) Empty Records
  • 1992 8 Track Player (CD/LP) Empty Records
  • 1992 The End/Nothing Cures (single) Musical Tragedies
  • 1993 Put Me Away (split single w/ Derelicts) Rekkids
  • 1993 Baltimore (CD/LP) Empty Records
  • 1994 I Can't Wait/Tight Black Pants (single) Thrill Jockey Records

with Nightcaps

  • 1995 Gambler's Game/For Me (single) Rendezvous Recordings
  • 1995 I Don't Like You/Love You More (single) Sup Pop
  • 1996 Split (CD) Rendezvous Recordings/Sub Pop
  • 1998 You Lied/Last of the Secret Agents (single) Estrus Records
  • 2000 Get On (CD) Rendezvous Recordings
  • 2002 Spin Out 3 (compilation CD track: "Love You More") V2 Records (Japan)
  • 2003 I Don't Like You (CD) User Records (Japan)
  • 2011 In the Live Room (+ the singles) (CD) Rendezvous Recordings

Dan Cunneen

  • 2011 The Answer b/w Shoot & Share (single) Rendezvous Recordings

Dan Steely

  • 2020 Showdown b/w Showdown (DJ Yot Roc Mix) (vinyl/digital single) ORANJ Recordings

References

  1. 1 2 "Dan Cunneen | Album Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Dan Cunneen". Dancunneen.carbonmade.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Dan Cunneen". Grunnenrocks.nl. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. ↑ "Band from local law firm booked for a big gig". The Seattle Times. 15 July 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "I Am Holy". Dancunneen.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Punk's Not Dead". Wweek.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  7. ↑ "Article Archives - Portland Mercury, News, Entertainment, Trouble". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  8. ↑ says, Rob Nelson. "History of Portland Rock 4". TwoLouiesMagazine.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. 1 2 "History of Portland Rock 5". TwoLouiesMagazine.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Zipgun". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  11. ↑ Casey Jarman (2012-03-29). "Nightcaps". Wweek.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  12. ↑ "Answer B/W Shoot &Share!". Amazon. 2011.
  13. ↑ "Last Night a DJ Almost Took His Life". Dancunneen.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "ORANJ Posters". Theoranjgroup.com. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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