On a normal basis with my interviews I don’t make it a point to include myself in them, however this particular interview has a special meaning to me. I’ve been blessed to know many amazing and outstanding musicians in this world, but there has been one local musician, who in the short time that I’ve known him, has made a tremendous impact on my creativity as not only a musician but as a human being and a friend. Joe Dunn is not only an inspiring and gifted musician, but is a kind-hearted soul that once you meet him…you understand the gifts that deserve to be given to us and shared with the world. On the verge of making the biggest move of his musical career and life, I sat down with Joe Dunn to focus in on his past, present, and indescribable future for this phenomenal musician…this is The Departure of Joe Dunn…
Mr. Joe Dunn…this has been a long time coming my friend. First things first…tell everyone a little bit about your self. Who is Joe Dunn?
I love to write songs about my life and I love to play music. Other than that I don’t really know how to answer without going into probably way more information than anyone would ever really want to know. I enjoy long walks on the beach… [laughs]
One of my closest friends knew you before I did and he always raved about your musical style. What’s the history of your music…even before Adoration?
I started out just wanting to be a studio guitar player when I first picked up the guitar, practicing for up to 12 hours a day at times. For the first 3 years of playing I thought it was impossible for me to sing and play at the same time much less actually write a song. Toward the end of my senior year of high school my perspective on music changed when Dave Grohl used my acoustic guitar in an acoustic Foo Fighters show at Disc Exchange the afternoon before they played a full on rock show at Thompson Boling Arena with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Muse opening. Before that moment I thought all that mattered was how many chops I could whip out, but seeing Dave and the band up there playing these simple great songs with such abandon and having so much fun doing it made me wish that I just had one song of my own that I could play for him just to see what he thought.
A week later I had written my first song. The song is a giant turd but it was a stepping stone and now I’ve written around 350 or so songs some of which I think are pretty good. There are basically two sides to my songwriting, which are Alternative/Rock and Folk/Acoustic. I think the Alternative/Rock side comes from what I primarily end up listening to from day to day and the Folk/Acoustic is just something that seems to come out from growing up in East Tennessee which is steeped in a lot of Roots and Old Timey music that I still enjoy listen to often. It’s beautiful and honest. Classical music also plays a big part in my writing not so much in structure or style but in how melodies seem to almost have fluidity to them. I love a melody that just seems to flow through me when I listen to it. Of course I also love the fail-safes like The Beatles and Dylan and so on. I’m sure I rip them off all the time too. [laughs]
One of the coolest parts of your music…in my opinion…is that you work with kids and young aspiring musicians. What’s the background of your teaching and how did this come about?
When I was 17 and only playing guitar for 2 years a co-worker of mine asked me for guitar lessons. I was kind of surprised but said hey why not? It was great!! For years after that I pretty much just taught on my spare time and was never able to find full time work doing it.
Finally 3 years ago I was given an opportunity to teach full time professionally at The Fret Store in Morristown. While I taught there I was able to form bonds with many of my students and see serious progress in their playing and overall enjoyment of music. The look on a 12 year old’s face when the light bulb finally goes off and he/she understands what we’ve been working on for a while is an amazing feeling. Teaching makes you look at your instrument in an entirely different way. You have to rethink things that you’ve been doing for possibly years and break them down to where your student can make sense of it. I have learned so much about my instrument through teaching.
I also like to encourage my students to not just memorize songs and scales but to also take what they’ve learned and think creatively with their instrument. The best feeling in the world is when a student comes in with something that they have written on there own. Creativity and expression are the very essence of any art form.
My favorite part about your solo-acoustic live show…is the stretch of genres and songs that you perform. Your cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” makes me excited to be a musician. What’s the process of choosing cover songs and how do you make them work with a Joe Dunn style?
Honestly, for the most part I just get on a couple different websites with chords and lyrics already transcribed and look for songs I like and hope the audience will enjoy. “Thriller” was one that is undoubtedly an awesome song that had been written out pretty well so I thought, “Hey! Why not?”
A lot of them are pretty self-indulgent like many of the Indie songs I like to do and The Beatles songs… even though I think if someone doesn’t like the Beatles they can’t be trusted. [laughs] As far as making them work with my style, I don’t really spend much time getting them to sound just like the recording. I would rather just get up there and kind of wing it while still following the chords, lyrics, and melodies the way I feel like playing them. I may change some stuff around on a whim but I would rather have a natural feel to everything rather than just get up there and do live karaoke. I think a lot of people at those cover shows actually really appreciate that. Plus I’m lazy when it comes to learning other people’s songs. [laughs] I’d rather put that extra time into my own stuff.
Alright…lets get dirty…what’s up with Adoration?
I had to quit man. Those guys are awesome and I love them to death and I had a great time playing with them, but I don’t think I can truly be happy as part of a band when I feel the most comfortable writing my songs and playing them on my own. Plus I’ve felt I need a change in scenery for a long time…
With your new ventures outside of Adoration…let me be the first to spill the beans to the world…you’re making the BIG LEAP to Nashville! Congratulations! What’s the deal?
I’m a songwriter and Nashville is undoubtedly the songwriting capital of the world. Knoxville is awesome and I will miss living here but it just doesn’t have the same kind of opportunities that Nashville has for someone like me. It won’t be easy but I have to give it a shot.
What most people don’t know about you is that you’re actually an amazing guitarist and not just solely a front man. Tell us about being the lead guitarist for local band The Blackhawks and how you and the guys came together?
Thanks!! Like I said before, I used to only be concerned with learning the ins and outs of music and theory until I discovered songwriting. I still am a big nerd when it comes to great guitarists like Joe Satriani and Greg Howe and I went to college for 2 years as a guitar performance major where I learned quite a bit about improvising and finding my way around a song I may not know very well as long as it’s not too complicated.
Playing in the Blackhawks with Jordan Beach, Ben Eller, and Justin Stamey is a blast and it’s easy money. I basically just get up there and throw out solos in whatever key the song happens to be in. It also makes me think on my toes as far as what the other guys feel like doing in the song. Lots of fun!!
Give us some of your musical influences and how they’ve inspired you and your creative process…
My parents raised me with a lot of great and diverse music. I would dance around the house listening to my Dad’s records of The Beatles, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, The Beach Boys…lots of B’s! [laughs] John McCutcheon, The Doors… the list goes on and on. My Mom also turned me onto classical music, which I really love. Mozart is by far my favorite composer because I think that he had more control over melody than any other composer to this day. I also really love a lot of the Romantic composers such as Chopin, Debussy, Liszt, Brahms, and Tchikowski. Of course Bach and Beethoven are pretty awesome too. When I listen to classical music it seems to flow through me like water…it’s just so beautiful.
Later I discovered bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Radiohead, and of course Metallica to name a few. It was like this whole new world that I never new existed. My favorite songwriter would have to be Elliott Smith and my favorite singer Jeff Buckley (even though that might seem like a copout). Elliott’s brutal honesty in his personal struggles and his ability to convey those emotions really hit me hard. Jeff Buckley just had the voice of an angel. Too bad they are both gone now. I would have loved to meet them. Some of my favorite newer bands and songwriters would have to be Wintersleep, The Velvet Teen, Rufus Wainwright, and Joseph Arther. Tori Amos is pretty amazing too. There’s really too many to mention. Even if you can’t hear a direct influence in my music it’s still there in some way or another because…
“we are what we see.” – Jose Saramago
When it comes to original tunes…tell us about your songwriting process and how you make it work with your life and inspirations creatively…
Almost always the music comes to me while just messing around on the guitar or piano or I’ll just have a melody in my head. After that, sometimes I’ll have whole songs finished musically in my head. Lyrics are always the last thing to get finished and even after I write them down I am constantly changing them. Even after recording them sometimes. Sometimes a word or phrase just jumps out at me and seems made for the melody… even if the whole lyric isn’t there yet certain consonants or sounds will seem to pop out in a melody so I try to fit words together in a concept that works with the mood of the music. It sometimes comes out ironic to the music, which I’m okay with too.
Outside of music, what is Joe Dunn all about?
Drinking some beers with friends is always fun and having conversations with new people is pretty fun too although I’m horrible with remembering names and faces sometimes. I like to exercise but I’m not horribly into watching sports unless it’s soccer or mixed martial arts. I’m kind of a nerd for the most part. Nova and Star Trek the Next Generation are the best shows ever! Ok I’m a giant nerd. I also like driving or walking around on my own and getting lost and then finding my way back sometimes. I like to read too but it takes me forever to finish anything cause I never seem to have the time to really sit down with a book anymore.
What’s next for you musically? When can we hear some new music?
You can always go to myspace.com/joedunnmusic or my Facebook page.
I’m always writing and recording so just keep popping in.
Now is the time to plug your self. Where can we go to get more Joe Dunn?
Smoky Mt Brewery Turkey Creek Monday April 12 at 9:00pm
Any last parting words of enlightenment?
I want to die with love in my heart and a song on my lips.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JOE DUNN GO TO:
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Thank you for this wonderful interview! I love Joe + you’ve touched on everything that I wanted to know, since he left town. I miss him! xo