No rest for the talented

Local musician and funnyman John Dunnigan is busier than ever

By HEIDI GAISER/Daily Inter Lake

John Dunnigan used to dismiss the notion, often repeated by burned-out rock stars, that someone could wake up in a hotel room and be unsure of what town they're in.

"But, true story, it happens," he said.

Dunnigan said he experienced it many times last summer, when he was caught up in yet another busy season as a touring musician, playing fairs and shows everywhere from Seattle to Boise, Idaho, to Minot, N.D.

When he set out to make his living as a musician three decades ago, Dunnigan never would have predicted that at age 54 his work as a singer, songwriter and comedian would keep him so busy that he could lose track of himself.

"I could probably work seven nights a week," he said. "I'd like to clone myself."

He had to hire an assistant to help keep track of his schedule, as the job was becoming too big for himself and his wife of 25 years, Andrea.

Dunnigan plays clubs, fairs, private parties or anywhere someone wants a talented, witty, multi-instrumentalist folk singer.

"I try to put a lot of comedy into my live shows," he said. "That's what people really like. And when people laugh at something I wrote or something I'm doing, that's the absolute ultimate."

Dunnigan has released four studio CDs, with a CD-release party and concert for his latest, "Jack's Guitar," at 8 p.m. Nov. 22 at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Admission is $10 at the door.

Though Dunnigan typically plays solo during live gigs, his new CD features a full complement of local musicians, as well as his son, Andy, a junior at The University of Montana, on dobro. Most of the group who worked on the CD - Scott Powell, Gary Snow, Ron Reeves, Jack Huffman, Deidre Heaton, Scott Moore, Karl Budesa and David Griffith " will be playing for the party. The CD was recorded at Griffith's Snoring Hound Studio in Somers.

Andy is following his father into the music business, though Dunnigan expects his oldest will be more of a "studio guy." He calls his younger son Jimmy, a freshman at Whitefish High School, a "sports guy."

Dunnigan himself is both kind of guys. He's worked his busy performance schedule around his boys' baseball games, coaching them through Little League, Babe Ruth and All-Star baseball, and acting as vice president of Whitefish Baseball for a while.

"There are times when I'd gladly trade my guitar for a coach's jacket to coach third base at an All-Star baseball game," he said.

But there's no question Dunnigan still loves music and the thrill of playing live shows. Even though he's had regular gigs, such as his multiple weekly shows on Big Mountain during ski season for the past 20 years, Dunnigan still sees enough variety to keep things interesting.

"I like the small acoustic things where people will really listen and catch the punch lines and inuendos that are embedded in my songs," he said. "And I love to play the Great Northern on wild Thursday night, where I get to pretend I'm Jimi Hendrix."

Dunnigan plays so often around the Flathead Valley, especially in the winter months, that he's often asked if he fears overexposure in a fairly small market.

"I keep it loose, I don't have a set list," he said. "I'm pretty improvisational, I tell different stories."

And during his Big Mountain shows, for instance, the audience is constantly changing.

"The road comes to me," he said. "There's new people, ski people, they're a little more affluent and they'll buy CDs. If it snows, I can get them clapping along, if it's foggy, then I play more blues."

He's developed a solid relationship with other local establishments as well. He can also count on playing at the Great Northern in Whitefish, Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls and Rocky Mountain Roadhouse in Ferndale.

"People know I will show up on time, my hair will be combed and I'm not going to insult too many people in the crowd," he said.

Dunnigan started his musical career in the Flathead Valley when he moved to the area in 1976, following his parents to Bigfork. He played in mostly country bands all over the valley, and was for a while part of the Blue Moon band.

Fifteen years ago he went solo, and he attributes much of his longevity to that decision.

"You realize that when you're just by yourself, you don't have to worry about practicing with other people or their egos, and you don't have to split the money up, and you don't have to lend money to the guitar-player's girlfriend," he said.

To make himself more interesting as a solo artist, Dunnigan has learned a number of instruments. He said he's started out every new instrument with real lessons, so he could "start out good, and go from there." On the latest CD, he plays banjo, harmonica and more than one type of guitar.

Music is in Dunnigan's genes. He was born in the San Francisco Bay area into a talented musical family. His grandfather was a singer for the San Francisco Metropolitan Opera; his grandmother was the company pianist.

Dunnigan's father played guitar; the guitar of "Jack's Guitar" was his uncle's, who left his guitar with Dunnigan's mother when he left for World War II, never to return. Dunnigan's father ended up with the guitar, taking the instrument all over the world. Its latest appearance is in the title song of Dunnigan's new CD.

It's the kind of story that Dunnigan uses to turn into the classic heartwarming folk ballad, another of Dunnigan's specialties.

There will be plenty of those at the Nov. 22 CD-release party, as well as guaranteed laughs, giveaways and another random Dunnigan touch, two women ironing shirts onstage.

And how ironing became part of the act is just another detail Dunnigan can't remember these days.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com