Kimberly Dunn

Kimberly Dunn's victory at MSC Town Hall's Battle of the Bands last year came with an unexpected bonus. The singer-songwriter met Scott Willson and Will Harrison of Up & Out Artists backstage, and they quickly became her management team, setting her on a Texas country career path.

Dunn returns to headline this year's battle on Friday at Rudder Theatre. The San Antonio native's brand of country is miles away from her initial musical endeavor upon enrolling at Texas A&M: She played alto sax in the Aggie Band for a semester.

"I loved it," says the bubbly 23-year-old during a phone interview. "It's the coolest thing to march on Kyle Field. I still know how to turn around in the Aggie Band. I know every part. It's something you never forget. It's ingrained in you."

Her time in the band and the Corps of Cadets was short-lived, however, because of the amount of yelling involved. Dunn says it caused nodes on her vocal cords.

"I wanted to sing, to become what I'm doing now, and I couldn't do it in the Corps," she says. "It was one of the most difficult decisions in my college career because I loved it so much."

Dunn graduated in August with a degree in agricultural leadership. Her One Foot Over the Other EP was released on Nov. 1. You can hear select tracks at kimberlydunnmusic .com.

The EP's standout track comes with a clever twist -- a nod of sorts to Texas country hero Randy Rogers.

Dunn was coming out of a difficult relationship and wroteRandy Rogers as a wistful look back at the music that marked that time. Word traveled fast, and Rogers caught wind of the track. The two met at a Texas Country Music Hall of Fame event.

"He said, 'I'm so flattered,'" Dunn says. "He had seen videos of me singing it on YouTube, and he loved it."

She also name-drops Granger Smith, Eli Young and Stoney LaRue in the catchy chorus. That helped to score opening dates for Aggie favorite Smith. It's an example of what Dunn calls the "totally supportive" Texas country scene, especially from such artists who have graduated to successful careers.

"My managers always tell me that in Texas country, it's not who's the best vocalist or guitar player or songwriter," she says. "It's the people who work the hardest. In Nashville, it's more who you know. But in Texas country, if you work your butt off, you're going to see results."

Dunn's performance Friday won't be in competition with this year's battlers, but her story may inspire them.

"People told me that one day, something's going to happen, and it did at the Battle of the Bands," she says. "It's been exactly a year. It's incredible how much somebody can get done -- 70 shows without a booking agent or radio promoter.

"It's proof of the hard work my management company has done and I've done as an artist. It's like a ball rolling down a hill, and it's rolling faster and faster."

IF YOU GO

Dunn headlines MSC Town Hall’s Battle of the Bands, which also features four competing bands: The Jeremiahs, The Off Brand, The Votary and The Year of Happiness. Friday at 8 p.m. at Rudder Theatre. Free. townhall.tamu.edu.

Dunn also performs Saturday at 10 p.m. at Fitzwilly’s Bar & Grille, 303 University Drive.
- The Eagle

The Music Beat: Kimberly Dunn finds her true calling

By HECTOR SALDAÑA - MUSIC WRITER

Updated 09:09 a.m., Wednesday, November 2, 2011


Kimberly Dunn studied to become a veterinarian before exploring her musical interests. Her EP is called "One Foot Over the Other." COURTESY MATT CONANT

Photo: Matt Conant / SA


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There was a time when homegrown singer-songwriter Kimberly Dunn wanted to be a veterinarian. She's moved on to stalking Texas music star Randy Rogers.

He's OK with it.

Dunn is pretty much resigned to being "the girl that wrote that Randy Rogers song." And to be fair, she name-checks the Eli Young band, Granger Smith and Stoney LaRue in the song Randy Rogers, too.

The release this week of her debut EP, the five-song One Foot Over the Other (which includes the fun, catchy track Randy Rogers), confirms that running a pet hospital is not where her true future lies.

One Foot Over the Other is a first-rate Texas-country effort, more organic than slick, recorded at Ray Benson's Bismeaux Studios in Austin.

It features players from Pat Green and George Strait's bands, and was recorded and produced by her management team, Will Harrison and Scott Willson.

But that's not to say there isn't room in her heart for her first love.

"I love animals," said Dunn, 23, a graduate of San Antonio's Health Careers High School and Texas A&M University, where she earned a degree last year.

"I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I got really involved with riding horses and in the Girl Scouts. I worked at a Girl Scout camp, and I taught girls how to ride horses."

At the same time, she quietly kept journals - which included mournful poetry and lyrics.

"I never showed anybody," Dunn said. "I wrote songs in middle school before I played guitar."

In high school and at A&M, Dunn played alto saxophone in the school bands.

She's kept up her chops, but she's quick to say that she doesn't play her sax onstage now because "that's not Texas country."

"I keep telling everybody one of these days I'm gonna whip out the sax. It's just gonna happen," Dunn said with a giggle.

That clunky, shiny instrument actually brought her to Americana and country.

"I had been in band since the sixth grade and was really involved in it. The boys in the band played guitar and I said, 'Hey, I play guitar, too.'?"

The teenagers started using their lunch break to play guitar. "We'd plink around," Dunn said. With her courage building, Dunn debuted an original country song, The Dance, at her junior-year talent show.

Kimberly & the Boys, as the makeshift cover band was called, soon played a few gigs.

The newcomer admits she once considered using the stage name Kimberly Sparrow, inspired by the character Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean Disney films.

"I just thought that would be hilarious," Dunn said about her fantasy to perform a concert with Sheryl Crow and billing it as a "meeting of the birds."

Dunn, an avid golfer, says much of her college experience in College Station revolved around seeing live music.

"Texas country really is king in College Station. It's the mecca for Texas country," Dunn said. "Randy Rogers or anybody that's Texas country is popular. For the most part, if it's got an electric guitar and a steel guitar, I call it Texas country. It definitely has its own sound and isn't Nashville country.

Written last year, the song Randy Rogers was born in College Station. Dunn admits that the song began as a stream-of-consciousness lark about trying to forget an ex-boyfriend.

"I just pick up my guitar and start making up words," she said. "I don't even know what's coming out of my mouth. My subconscious takes over, and sometimes things make sense."

What was she feeling as she was writing it? "Holy cow, this is awesome!"

Dunn has had a chance to talk to Rogers about it. They were recently together at the announcement of the Texas Music Hall of Fame at an event in Austin.

Before that, they'd met at a meet 'n' greet at the rodeo. "I was so nervous," Dunn said.

"At the (hall of fame) event, I just said, 'I'm going to go up to him and see if he remembers me.' I went and shook his hand. I was like, 'Hey, Randy. I'm Kimberly Dunn. I don't know if you remember me or not. I wrote that song about you.'

"He was just super flattered."

Dunn, who performs Nov. 17 at Sam's Burger Joint with Johnny Cooper, says she's ready to tour wherever her fortunes lead. But she won't be forgetting her hometown.

"I'm a huge Mama Margie's fan, and those 89-cent bean-and-cheese tacos. I could eat, no joke - I'm a true San An - San Antonio Express-News

The Music Beat: Kimberly Dunn finds her true calling

By HECTOR SALDAÑA - MUSIC WRITER

Updated 09:09 a.m., Wednesday, November 2, 2011


Kimberly Dunn studied to become a veterinarian before exploring her musical interests. Her EP is called "One Foot Over the Other." COURTESY MATT CONANT

Photo: Matt Conant / SA


Comments (0)
Larger | Smaller
Printable Version
Email This
Font
Recent Headlines

Kirk Franklin defies fear

In the Spotlight: Les Miz hits stage

The Music Beat: Kimberly Dunn finds her true calling

Jeanne Jakle: I'm hungry for debut of 'Top Chef: Texas'

String theorist takes voyage through the 'Cosmos'

There was a time when homegrown singer-songwriter Kimberly Dunn wanted to be a veterinarian. She's moved on to stalking Texas music star Randy Rogers.

He's OK with it.

Dunn is pretty much resigned to being "the girl that wrote that Randy Rogers song." And to be fair, she name-checks the Eli Young band, Granger Smith and Stoney LaRue in the song Randy Rogers, too.

The release this week of her debut EP, the five-song One Foot Over the Other (which includes the fun, catchy track Randy Rogers), confirms that running a pet hospital is not where her true future lies.

One Foot Over the Other is a first-rate Texas-country effort, more organic than slick, recorded at Ray Benson's Bismeaux Studios in Austin.

It features players from Pat Green and George Strait's bands, and was recorded and produced by her management team, Will Harrison and Scott Willson.

But that's not to say there isn't room in her heart for her first love.

"I love animals," said Dunn, 23, a graduate of San Antonio's Health Careers High School and Texas A&M University, where she earned a degree last year.

"I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I got really involved with riding horses and in the Girl Scouts. I worked at a Girl Scout camp, and I taught girls how to ride horses."

At the same time, she quietly kept journals - which included mournful poetry and lyrics.

"I never showed anybody," Dunn said. "I wrote songs in middle school before I played guitar."

In high school and at A&M, Dunn played alto saxophone in the school bands.

She's kept up her chops, but she's quick to say that she doesn't play her sax onstage now because "that's not Texas country."

"I keep telling everybody one of these days I'm gonna whip out the sax. It's just gonna happen," Dunn said with a giggle.

That clunky, shiny instrument actually brought her to Americana and country.

"I had been in band since the sixth grade and was really involved in it. The boys in the band played guitar and I said, 'Hey, I play guitar, too.'?"

The teenagers started using their lunch break to play guitar. "We'd plink around," Dunn said. With her courage building, Dunn debuted an original country song, The Dance, at her junior-year talent show.

Kimberly & the Boys, as the makeshift cover band was called, soon played a few gigs.

The newcomer admits she once considered using the stage name Kimberly Sparrow, inspired by the character Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean Disney films.

"I just thought that would be hilarious," Dunn said about her fantasy to perform a concert with Sheryl Crow and billing it as a "meeting of the birds."

Dunn, an avid golfer, says much of her college experience in College Station revolved around seeing live music.

"Texas country really is king in College Station. It's the mecca for Texas country," Dunn said. "Randy Rogers or anybody that's Texas country is popular. For the most part, if it's got an electric guitar and a steel guitar, I call it Texas country. It definitely has its own sound and isn't Nashville country.

Written last year, the song Randy Rogers was born in College Station. Dunn admits that the song began as a stream-of-consciousness lark about trying to forget an ex-boyfriend.

"I just pick up my guitar and start making up words," she said. "I don't even know what's coming out of my mouth. My subconscious takes over, and sometimes things make sense."

What was she feeling as she was writing it? "Holy cow, this is awesome!"

Dunn has had a chance to talk to Rogers about it. They were recently together at the announcement of the Texas Music Hall of Fame at an event in Austin.

Before that, they'd met at a meet 'n' greet at the rodeo. "I was so nervous," Dunn said.

"At the (hall of fame) event, I just said, 'I'm going to go up to him and see if he remembers me.' I went and shook his hand. I was like, 'Hey, Randy. I'm Kimberly Dunn. I don't know if you remember me or not. I wrote that song about you.'

"He was just super flattered."

Dunn, who performs Nov. 17 at Sam's Burger Joint with Johnny Cooper, says she's ready to tour wherever her fortunes lead. But she won't be forgetting her hometown.

"I'm a huge Mama Margie's fan, and those 89-cent bean-and-cheese tacos. I could eat, no joke - I'm a true San An - San Antonio Express-News

Kimberly Dunn is releasing a new album, and she’s giving readers of The Boot a sneak preview of one of the new songs.
‘Trashy Side’ is a step in a sightly different direction for Dunn.
“It’s one of those empowerment songs for girls,” she explains. “It’s about a girl seeing that some other chick is trying to take her man, and she is absolutely, 100 percent not down with that, and she’s just telling her, ‘If you don’t step off, you’re gonna bring out my trashy side.’
“Like, let’s drop the lady act, and I’ll take off the gloves, and here we go,” Dunn adds with a laugh.
The song came about at the last minute, when the Austin-based singer-songwriter felt there was still one flavor missing from her upcoming album, ‘Forever on the Run.’
“I go through the emotions of really happy songs, and then angry songs, and then sad songs,” she relates. “I’m currently on the end of my sad song stretch, and I’m ready to get back to happy songs, and I’m just not in that moment.
“I was having a hard time writing something spunky like this, and I have a good buddy named Rachel Loy. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m looking for something that’s got attitude,’ and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I totally have something for you.’ So she sent me ‘Trashy Side,’ and I fell in love with it,” Dunn says. “This is the first time I’ve ever recorded something that wasn’t mine, so it’s different. I’m nervous about it, but I’m excited.”
So excited, in fact, that she’s not only added the song to her album at the last minute, she’s also made it the lead single. It’s an interesting change of pace from much of Dunn’s own material, which runs the gamut of various tempos, moods and subject matter.
One of the album’s standout tracks, ‘Bones,’ takes a particularly dark tone.
“I had an idea that I really wanted to write a song about a murder,” she shares. “I wanted it to be very much like ‘Goodbye Earl,’ but a little darker. So I got this idea about this girl dating some guy, and he’s wonderful on the outside, but he’s hiding skeletons in his closet — literal skeletons in his closet. So in the end of it she ends up killing him, because she has to get away from it. So it’s a very eerie song.
“I was writing as if it was just gonna be an acoustic thing; I had no plans for it, production-wise, and then one of my producers heard it and went, ‘Oh my gosh, we can totally make this like Johnny Cash, a little heavier song,’” Dunn adds. “So I was like, ‘Sure! Let’s do it!’”
The title song, ‘Forever on the Run,’ is a likely candidate as another single.
“That’s my most favorite song on the record,” Dunn says. “That was my first total co-write song. I wrote that with a buddy of mine, who’s actually the guy who produced all of the vocals on the record. I told him I wanted to write a song about two people that are trying to fall in love, and society’s not letting them.
“The idea came from back in the days when slavery was still in effect, and the farmer’s daughter was black, and the daughter of a slave, and the preacher’s son was white and had all this society surrounding him, and they fell in love with each other,” she explains. “I wanted to put that into a song. I love that song, I just think there are so many beautiful lyrics that say what I wanted to say, without so many words.”
The new album has been several years in the making and comprises songs from previous projects that Dunn released to Texas radio to get a feel for her audience. She has balanced those with six new tracks, resulting in a collection of songs that truly represents her journey as a writer and artist.
‘It’s like a road map of where I’ve been in the last three years,” she says. “I was at a different spot in my life in every single part of those times that I was writing.”
Dunn says that ‘Trashy Side’ fits right in with the rest of the collection.
“I feel like ‘Trashy Side,’ even though I didn’t write it, is totally on par with all of the stuff I want to write, I have been writing, and I’m going to come out with on future records,” she says.
‘Forever on the Run’ is available at Amazon. For more information about Kimberly Dunn, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter and Facebook.


Read More: Kimberly Dunn, 'Trashy Side' -- Exclusive Premiere | http://theboot.com/kimberly-dunn-trashy-side/?trackback=tsmclip - TheBoot.com

Kimberly Dunn's debut full-length album, Forever on the Run, was truly a group effort. Without her generous fans, it might never have happened.

"It's been a long time coming. It's taken me about three years to totally finish it," she told Billboard. "It was 100 percent funded by my fans from three Kickstarter campaigns that I did. The opportunity to be able to sell it for what people wanted to pay for it was my plan. I wanted to simply get the music in front of as many people as possible. It's been an incredible road in getting to that point. I'm really excited to see what comes out of it."

When asked if she viewed utilizing the funding of her fans via Kickstarter as more or less pressure, she didn't hesitate, as she definitely wants her investors to be happy.

"I would say that there is more pressure. I definitely want to put out a product that they are proud of. In the very beginning, they put their faith in me and my acoustic videos and shows before I even had a full band. None of us really knew what it was going to be until it was what it was. We raised $5,000 more for the full-length album than the EPs, and we did it in record time, so they were excited about hearing it. So we must be doing something right, if they wanted more. It's just exciting to see what we are putting out is being taken well at our shows, and also with the radio support we've been getting -- not just here in Texas, but also Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as overseas in countries such as Belgium and France, where we have gotten airplay."

"I grew up listening to 104.5 in San Antonio, which was the classic rock radio station, I listened to a lot of AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin and that kind of stuff. My parents were very versatile and also loved a lot of country and bluegrass like Clint Black and Alison Krauss. Then, in my teenage years, I remember becoming really influenced by Nickel Creek and Chris Thile. It's so funny, because now these days, country music is kind of a mold of everything -- a little bit of rock, a little bit of pop and a little bit of bluegrass. That's what I've wanted to do all my life."

Charity work is something that is very special to the stunning songstress. She has been a part of the lineup for Granger Smith's "Boot Walk" event since 2013, and she even has a nonprofit foundation of her own. "It's called the Dunn Good Foundation. Every month, we do a 'Dunn Good Deed' of the month. I just ran the Austin half-marathon in support of a group called Dogs Out Loud. They are a group that helps really gigantic dogs that are harder to be adopted. They put them through therapy so they are more adoptable. Having a few big dogs myself, I have a huge spot in my heart for them." Dunn, a former Girl Scout, will also be giving of her time for a couple of camp workshops for the organization later this summer.

Dunn is also very proud of the songwriting process on the album. Two of the songs, "Dream Girl" and "Randy Rogers," came from a similar place despite their difference of tempo. She had written them about a former boyfriend, who has shown up in the merchandise line before and has sent his friends to shows to see her.

"Back at the very beginning, he came to one of the acoustic shows. His parents have come to multiple shows. He still lives in Colorado, and we just were at Steamboat Music Fest. He just had a daughter, and he's been busy with that. But when I was in Steamboat, one of his friends came to me at one of my shows and said, 'Hey, you don't know me, but I know someone that you wrote a song about.' I asked who, and he said, 'Tim,' and I thought, 'Oh, that's neat. How's he doing? I haven't heard his name in forever.' He updated me and told me that Tim had told him I was going to be playing. I thought, 'Wow, he keeps up with me. That's cool.' It's just great that I've gotten to this point, and I've gotten to the point that he said I should be at, and I've gotten further than that already. It just brings a smile to my face thinking about it," she says with a grin, implying that sometimes the songwriter gets the last laugh. - Billboard

Amidst the other blonde bombshells that dominate the country music scene, the spunky and beautiful Kimberly Dunn has no problem standing out. While she is no stranger to making and performing music, her first full-length album is where she makes her "debut". The album entitled Forever on the Run is set to be released on October 21.

Although you can listen to her single "Trashy Side" on SoundCloud, nothing beats the quality and genuineness of a live show. Check out her tour schedule to see her live and get the full experience of Dunn's magnetic personality and charm.

So, let's go over the checklist - talented, beautiful, and brilliant in her song writing... This girl has got it all going on. We're expecting great things from Kimberly Dunn in the very near future, and we doubt she'll let us down. - Study Breaks

Kimberly Dunn has just filmed a video for her latest single, ‘Trashy Side,’ and she’s letting Taste of Country readers see it first.
The Austin-based singer-songwriter recently released a new album, ‘Forever on the Run,’ and is steadily making her way outside of the Texas music scene and onto the national stage. ‘Trashy Side’ is a fresh approach for Dunn.
“It’s about a girl seeing that some other chick is trying to take her man, and she is absolutely, 100 percent not down with that, and she’s just telling her, ‘If you don’t step off, you’re gonna bring out my trashy side.’ Like, let’s drop the lady act, and I’ll take off the gloves, and here we go,” Dunn says with a laugh.
The song was a late addition to the album, when Dunn felt there was still one flavor missing.
“I was having a hard time writing something spunky like this, and I have a good buddy named Rachel Loy. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m looking for something that’s got attitude,’ and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I totally have something for you.’ So she sent me ‘Trashy Side,’ and I fell in love with it,” she explains. “This is the first time I’ve ever recorded something that wasn’t mine, so it’s different. I’m nervous about it, but I’m excited … I feel like ‘Trashy Side,’ even though I didn’t write it, is totally on par with all of the stuff I want to write, I have been writing, and I’m going to come out with on future records.”
Dunn took a stripped-down approach to the new video, setting up with her band for a blistering live performance that serves as a perfect showcase for her energetic vocal delivery and onstage intensity. - Taste of Country