With “Intimate and intricate…” music, Steven Dunn solidified himself as a “Fixture around Indiana University’s indie rock scene” early on in his career. Moving from his home state to Nashville, Steven has been featured on radio, television, and live performances across the United States and Europe; embarking on his first international tour in the Autumn of 2017. Following his debut album, Indianola, Dunn tracked a four part record series inspired by the legendary Johnny Cash. With “soulful lyrics” and “raw, haunting vocals”, Dunn’s music finds a resting place somewhere between the intersection of Rock, Blues, and Americana. Steven’s series to be released quarterly in 2018 has a pointed realism that focuses on the fleeting lives we lead and our inability to rationalize faith, love, and death. “In the digital age of recording, where independent music is ubiquitous—and it seems anyone can make a record—it’s hard to find artists who stand out, touch the soul, and make you want to listen to their songs over and over again.” Through his honest sound, that appears lost amongst today’s mainstream music, “…Dunn reminds us that such a reality is still possible.”
1.) What elements and/or characteristics made you say to yourself that you wanted to do music for a living? Who are your influences/heroes/role models?
I honestly don’t know. Being a creative is one of the few things that makes sense to me. I’ve worked my fair share of jobs and I don’t thrive in any other situation. I guess it’s a blessing and a curse. How much time do you have for influences, role models, and heroes? So many people have influenced who I am today. My wife, my mom, Johnny Cash, Rich Morpurgo, Death Cab For Cutie, and Martin Luther King Jr. have all influenced or inspired me in different ways (and in varying amounts).
2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?
I think most artists don’t like to compare themselves because people read it as that’s who they’re trying to be. David Ramirez, Kaleo, and Gary Clark Jr. are artists others have compared me to. I don’t think anyone is doing anything new or different, and I’m not an exception, but if I cover anyone’s music it’s going to sound like me.
3.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?
I’m not sure what you mean by certain songs, but my process is never standard for songwriting. I’ll write music first, write poetry, or have it all come to me at once. I generally like to record my music live as much as possible. There’s an energy to it that I love and this recent album series we tracked 90% of it live in about 12 hours. All the main tracks were live and we came back and overdubbed auxiliary instruments, vocals, etc.
4.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed?
I plan to continue to work hard, record good music, perform good shows, and be a decent person. It’s worked alright so far.
5.) Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?
I don’t really care either way as long as the deal is good. We now live in the age of really terrible 360 deals which has most people railing against labels, an often rightfully so. At the end of the day you have to view them for what they are, an investment company. As a small business do you want to take the investment money and resources to further your career or not?
The traditional music industry is a funny phrase as music hasn’t been commercially recorded that long. The days of millionaire rock stars living off record sales is over, but musicians lived and worked before recorded music just fine. People will adapt or they’ll find something else to do.
6.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?
Sure, why not? At the end of the day you just need people to consume your art and be willing to compensate you for it. You don’t have to have Instagram to make that happen. Social media is a great tool that we have at our disposal, and sometimes it can make things a whole lot easier, but there are plenty of other tools out there as well. If you can promote hometown shows and bring a crowd, people will start to take notice and you can build a grassroots following that way.
7.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?
I only see people as sell outs if they’re changing who they are for money. If someone loves making pop music that gets a ton of airplay then that’s awesome. At the end of the day the people generally complaining about artists who’ve sold out are sitting behind a desk wishing they could do something different.
8.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Hopefully still enjoying life and playing music. As long as I am continuing to grow as a person and an artist I’ll be pretty happy.