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Dan Cunneen
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] 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] MusicianCunneen 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.[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!, 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 jockeyIn 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 designCunneen 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. Discographywith Final Warning
with Lew Jones
with Obituaries
with Zipgun
with Nightcaps
Dan Cunneen
Dan Steely
References
External links
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