David Dunn

http://www.maybehip.com/myindielife/Episode9.html - Maybe Hip

Having left Midland to play basketball at Montana Tech and then graduating a few years later with a petroleum engineering degree from Texas Tech, David Dunn admits his career in music wasn't the initial aim.
"It just sort of happened," said Dunn, who is scheduled to perform at 12:50 p.m. Aug. 6 at Rock the Desert.

The fourth of six children, Dunn said his family always was musical and he played guitar even when he was focused on athletics. But, he said, it wasn't until he stopped playing basketball that he realized his passion for music could be something more than a hobby.
"I sort of needed an outlet for my energies, I guess," Dunn said.
Now a full-time songwriter and performer, Dunn released his first album, "Eye Sore" in 2006 and his second, "David Dunn EP," in 2009 after he returned from more than a year of mission and humanitarian work in Zambia.
A 2002 graduate of Midland Classical Academy, Dunn said he waited for an opportunity to fall into his lap to play basketball following high school.
"I was a mediocre medium-sized white guy," Dunn said. "I sat back and waited for things to come and nothing did."
So when it came to his music, he said, he took the opposite approach.
"Talent is about 15 to 20 percent. There's a whole lot of people who've 'made it' and their talent is mediocre," he said. "They put themselves in the position to be successful. If you want to be successful, put in the effort."
Even his band's slot in the Rock the Desert lineup, he said, is the result of his own "shameless self-promotion." He performs along with four others — Sam Holliday (bass), Elliott Tate (lead) and Jeremy Schroeder (drums).
And while he invests a lot of time in getting it right, Dunn said, his writing is purely an outpouring of himself.
"I write about things I care about, and things that are important to me in life are influenced by God," Dunn said.
Still, while he's still rooted in the church, Dunn said he shies away from classifying himself as a Christian artist and instead tells people he's an artist who's a Christian.
By doing that, he said, he hopes to not confine his audience to one group, which also allows him to reach out to those who may like his music but not share his faith.
In his most recent album, Dunn said he wrote about "life issues," including holding a grudge, taking risks and making decisions, which are all things that for him have been influenced by his walk with God.
His faith will be the focus of the band's next album — a worship CD they'll release in the fall.
Having attended Rock the Desert a few times during its startup years, Dunn said he's looking forward to being a part of the festival. He played an album-release concert at his home congregation, Midland Bible Church, last year, he said, but otherwise hasn't performed much in the place where he grew up.
With his father and older brothers working in Midland's oil industry, Dunn said his path certainly has drifted in a different direction than those before him. But, he said, even if the goal of creating a life career in music is akin to a little boy's aim of becoming a firefighter, he's going to keep working for it.
"I'm chasing the dream," Dunn said - Midland reporter telegram