Area drummer pulled on stage to perform with The Killers

Ever since childhood, Poplar Bluff, Missouri, native and aspiring artist Keyven Dunn has fantasized of appearing on-stage in the limelight, and this past Friday his dream became reality as he was invited to perform alongside popular rock group The Killers at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.

�It all started when I snuck in a sign that read, �Can I play drums on �Reasons?�� I held it up right before they started that song,� Dunn said. �Then, Brandon Flowers, lead vocalist, called me up on stage.�

The crowd went wild as Dunn performed �For Reasons Unknown,� a song from the band�s 2006 album, �Sam�s Town.�

In it, Flowers �anointed� Dunn with �actual dirt from the Mojave desert where we came from.�

It was a complete and total shock for Dunn, but as for any up-and-coming artist, it was the chance of a lifetime. He jumped on the stage, waved to the crowd, and assumed his position at the drum set.

�It wasn�t something that I expected at all,� Dunn said, when asked about his moment in the spotlight. �The thing that�s really been the most crazy to me is that so many people have watched the videos online. The amount of people who have reached out has been really incredible,� Dunn said. �A lot of fans reached out afterward and said that they thought I was the highlight of the show, but I don�t know about all that. It definitely is nice to hear,� Dunn said.

Dunn is 25-years-old and has been has been a musician most of his life. One of his first and fondest memories as a child was seeing a drum set for the first time, and knowing all he ever wanted to do was perform.

�I remember thinking, �That looks really cool. I want to find out what that�s about,�� Dunn said.

Dunn will be adding his talent to the Cape Girardeau market soon.

Dunn currently works in Cape Girardeau at Shivelbine�s Music, where he serves as �the percussion guy.� He teaches drum, bass and banjo lessons. He will move permanently to Cape Girardeau at the beginning of the month.

Dunn said he has pictures of him and a drum set from his early childhood, but his first official music lesson was with a fellow church goer when he was about 5-years-old. For the most part, though, he is self-taught.

Dunn studied percussion performance at Arkansas State University, and is drummer for local band Dillan Cate. He�s accustomed to playing local gigs, but nothing comparable to performing with The Killers.

Dillan Cate recently released a new album titled �Fuel All the Flames,� which, according to Dunn, is a mixture of country and rock. Dunn recorded bass, drums and keyboard, and produced much of the album as well.

The official fan-posted concert video of Dunn�s performance with The Killers can be found online at ksdk.com.

A video posted on Facebook had been viewed more than 19,000 times.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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