Dylan Dunn remembers one of his earliest stage performances.
“I had a piano recital when I was 3,” he says. “And I was so enamored by the inner workings of the instrument, I got up in the middle of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and excitedly exclaimed, ‘Hammers.’”
Now a veteran stage performer, Dunn, 19, released a new indie pop/rock single, “Sara Lee,” on November 30th. “This song is about worrying if you chose the wrong flavor, whether that be a person or a cake.”
Dunn’s music is currently playing in H&M stores on a sync deal. And Dunn also will play his second “We Found New Music” (WFNM) showcase on Monday, December 5th, at Hotel Ziggy in Los Angeles.
It’s always been music for Dunn.
“I’d hear these songs and make remixes of them in my head. I used a lot of Queen and the Beatles. I grew up on Electric Light Orchestra. I played them in the back of my head and remixed them like I created it. I started doing this when I was 4 or 5.”
Dunn, who turned to guitar, wrote all the singles for his first band at 14. “We got on a couple of radio stations in Memphis.” And, he says, “The moment when I first heard myself on the radio was when I started to get a deeper drive for music than I ever felt previously.”
Dunn was in other bands, but, he says, “I got out of these bands and started writing for myself and for the music rather than just for the band. I felt more at home doing it.”
He sent a demo of his song, “Hopeless Romantic,” to Adam Castilla of The Colourist.
“I heard Adam’s tracks. There was something about them. They had this certain realness I didn’t hear anywhere else. Every time I heard something he had done, it had this magic glimmer.”
Castilla responded. “He said, ‘Hey, Dylan. You’ve got a really cool voice. I’m down to work with you.’”
Dunn, who was 17 at the time, began traveling to Orange County to work on his Blue Like You EP with Castilla. Since then, he’s gone to Orange County about three times a year to work with Castilla.
Dunn, who is also a producer, says, “Basically, Adam and I will take my demo, and we will slowly rebuild it into what will become the main track. And he’ll pitch in so many great ideas along the way.”
Blue Like You is “just about growing pains. Each song kind of delves into a different aspect of growing up, from youth to adulthood.”
“Lemonade Eyes” is “more of an ode to sadness. When writing it, I didn’t want to think about the situation, but to focus on the sadness.”
“I always try to make my lyrics and the way I write abstract. I will close my eyes and listen to what I’ve written and imagine I’m different types of people. I listen to it with all these different perspectives and see if I can resonate with it. And if I can resonate with it, most people will be able to, too.”
His band includes drummer Andrew Isbell and bassist Rhyan Tindall. Dunn also performs with singer-songwriter Ava Carrington.
Moreover, Dunn is related to the late bass guitarist, producer, and songwriter Donald “Duck” Dunn. “He was definitely a big influence on me getting into music. I always knew there was someone in the family that got that chance to go pursue their dream. That always made it more real to me. I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
He never got to hang out with his famous great-uncle. “He was always busy. Always touring. He held me once when I was a baby, and that’s the only time I met him.”
Dylan’s mother played Duck’s music for him. “She used to play Booker T. & the M.G.’s and The Blues Brothers all the time. When I heard that bass line I got this exciting feeling: ‘Wow! He did that!’”
Stream “Sara Lee” on Spotify.
