Meet David Dugan | Musician, Bassist

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Dugan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I think something that has been super helpful for us is just learning to never give up and to keep reaching out to people even if you’ve been told no in the past. In the music business, you will deal with a lot of rejection. So just being able to keep a positive outlook and knowing that if you’re patient you’ll get your chance to prove yourself. Never let someone saying no ruin your relationship with them because you never know when they will need you in the future.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a member of the band Slow Caves. Before the pandemic, we spent the last four years touring extensively, highlighted by performances at SXSW, Velorama and Treefort Music Fest. We have opened for national acts such as Third Eye Blind, Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse, Matt & Kim, Cake, Rooney, DIIV, The Kills, and many others. We’ve had a lot of help along the way from a great team, and the support of our families and friends. The process has definitely been a grind. Spending countless nights in the van or cheap motels. Playing shows in dive bars all over the country for no money. But at the same time we wouldn’t change it for anything. I think the biggest lesson I learned was just to have a positive mental outlook no matter what life throw at you. Sometimes life can be hard and the next night you can be playing a show at Red Rocks. So just being able to stay stable mentally and not get too low or too high no matter what’s going on will be able to help you a lot in life. That’s how life has been since the pandemic started. Tons of cancelled shows and tours, but we have to push through and keep writing and we know one day we’ll get back out there and be playing great shows again.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man this is a tough one.

I’d say we’d have to start by grabbing a drink at Fort Greene. Then maybe swing over and get some chips and queso at El Camino. Go take a nice walk around Cheeseman Park and maybe even the Botanic Gardens. Grab some Peter’s Chinese for Dinner. Go catch a show at The Hi-Dive and then finish it off with a night cap at Thin Man.

I think that pretty much encapsulates all my favorite places in Denver!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to shoutout the FocoMA (Fort Collins Musicians Association) and the Bohemian Foundation for always showing so much support and offering help to musicians in Northern Colorado. These organizations have been offering seminars, classes, and panels to help musicians grow and learn since I was 13 years old. I learned so much from these events, and wouldn’t be in the situation we currently are without them. They both also hosted music festivals in Fort Collins and always supported us by giving us great slots and helping to promote our sets, while also helping to host showcases at SXSW, Treefort, and CMJ and helping to promote Colorado artists all throughout the country. It’s just cool to be a part of a local community that puts so much emphasis of supporting local artists. So thanks again to everyone involved in these organizations.

Website: https://www.slowcaves.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slowcaves/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowcaves

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Slowcaves

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3vGcuAnHzjBjzl4h-yT0cA/featured

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4P50NzjBhqd2dr6CQ8asjl

Image Credits
Evan Olea, Ryan Frazee & Gatsby Keyes