by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Although born in Duluth and having lived in South Carolina and the Midwest most of his life, singer/songwriter David Dondero is something of a legend among those who grew up during Omaha’s Golden Age of indie music, circa the early 1990s. 

Dondero’s first band, Sunbrain, released albums on Grass Records, a label that also put out albums by Omaha bands Mousetrap, Cactus Nerve Thang and Commander Venus, the emo act where Conor Oberst got his start.  

In fact, many an astute music critic had cited Dondero’s quivering vocal style as having influenced Oberst’s famous shakey bray heard on those Commander Venus albums as well as early Bright Eyes records (Oberst also has cited Sunbrain as an influence). 

Dondero’s own quivering vocal style had somewhat mellowed by the time I first saw him perform at the short-lived downtown bar/ music venue The Junction in 2002, where he played songs off his seminal solo album, The Transient (Future Farmer Recordings).  

“Everything I’ve heard about him was true — he’s pretty amazing,” I wrote in a review of that Junction show. “His set, while subdued and withdrawn, was riveting. Dondero is a throw-back to classic American folk singers, taking a distinctively traditional style and placing it squarely in our time with lyrics that are introspective and rooted in the everyday. The comparisons to Simon Joyner and Conor Oberst are justified (or for that matter, their comparisons to him).”

Over the years, Dondero played at a number of Omaha venues including The Cog Factory, O’Leaver’s, and 2010’s memorable Concert for Equality held in downtown Benson, which included performances by Cursive, David Rawlings & Gillian Welch and Bright Eyes. 

Dondero returns to Benson next Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Ming Toy art gallery for a performance and reading from his new book, Chaos the Cat. I caught up with Dondero last week while he was driving a lonely Louisiana highway headed to a gig in New Orleans in his Toyota Camry, which in addition to being his tour wagon is his Door Dash and Lyft driving wagon. 

On the road with Chaos the Cat

For this tour, Dondero said he’s playing mainly for small crowds of 15 to 20 people in houses, coffee shops, bookstores and gallery spaces like Ming Toy for a program that consists of song performances, readings from his book and Q&A. 

“I’ve also been asking for volunteers who are willing to read certain parts of the book with me,” he said. “So it becomes kind of a dialogue, both from the book and then through Q&A.” The performance concludes with more songs. 

He said the tour is more conducive in these alternative spaces rather than bars. “I used to be a hardcore drinker,” he said. “I’m a sober person now for nine years. So I prefer not playing bars, but still do. I don’t want the shows to be alcohol-centric; I’d rather it be about the songs and the writing.”

According to its description by publisher, San Francisco’s Unrequited Records, Chaos the Cat takes readers on a journey into the heart of California’s cannabis legalization era, where a secluded pot farm becomes the backdrop for a clash between preservation and exploitation. Amidst this backdrop, a diverse group of characters converges, each seeking their own form of self-improvement. At the center of the conflict is a trio of antagonists whose schemes threaten the harmony of the farm, pitting greed against enlightenment. The tale is narrated by Chaos, the cat, the reincarnation of an artist deeply connected to the farm. 

Dondero said the book was inspired by his time working as a carpenter on a pot farm in Mendicino County, California. “The message of the book is about people who have tried to reset their lives by getting out of their patterns that they had been in in the city,” he said. “There’s some conflict in the story ideologies, and there’s a lot going on with different people in it.”

The book already has sold out its original limited-edition casebound pressing, with the second edition now available via IngramSpark and Amazon. For the Sept. 18 Ming Toy show, entrance requires a $15 donation, but for $25, patrons also will receive a copy of the book. 

Music is the Main Thing

Dondero said while he enjoys writing, he doesn’t think it’ll ever be his “main thing.” 

“Music is always going to be one of my main things, but (writing) is definitely becoming one of my main things,” he said. “I’m really engaged in trying to write a short story a week and then record a sound backdrop. It’s a writer challenge for me, to keep moving with it and become a better writer.”

His last album, Immersion Therapy, reflects the loneliness and anxiety of life during the Covid-19 pandemic when it was written. Oregon label Fluff and Gravy Records, who released the album, were “like my family,” Dondero said. “We lived together and I played their house through the years, and we’d become friends, and then I ended up living in their garage studio through the pandemic.”

These days Dondero lives in Pensacola with his his girlfriend, Natalie. How has he managed to make a living playing music since the early ‘90s? “I wouldn’t call it a living,” he said. “I’ve pieced together a life of borderline poverty for my whole time, working odd jobs and playing music in between. It’s a juggle; it’s not like it’s provided a living by a stretch.”

Dondero said he set up a Patreon website in 2017 whose subscribers receive exclusive music, writings, videos and more.  “It’s been a lifesaver,” he said. “It’s the only guaranteed, stable income where I know how much I’ll be making a month.”

Touring remains an important income source, and Dondero said it’s become easier over the years. “When I first started booking tours, you had to send cassettes in the mail and you’d ring up a huge debt in long-distance phone charges,” he said. “You’d be in the hole several hundred bucks before leaving for the tour. Now you can book a tour on your cell phone and that’s much easier. And you can promote much easier.”

But Dondero said the music itself has become worthless from an income point of view. “It’s like, once it’s out there, it’s out there,” he said. “It’s not really worth anything unless people choose to give you money for a record at a show or something or to subscribe. The two-year break from my habit of playing music kind of got me out of a never-ending cycle of credit card debt. I was able to pay off all my stuff during the pandemic. Now I’m back to square one.

“My goals are just to put out good work and hone my skills as a guitar player and learn how to be a better writer,” he said. “It’s kind of like the life source for me — the process of working on projects and having something to complete is what keeps me rolling, while just getting used to the idea of failure — which is 99% of the time. So when those little wins come every now and again, you can really savor them.”

David Dondero plays music and reads from his new book, Chaos the Cat, Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. Capacity is limited to 40 patrons. Entrance is a suggested $15 donation at the door (There are no pre-show ticket sales) or $25 gets you in and a copy of Chaos the Cat. 7 p.m. start time. No seating provided, so bring a lawn chair or a cushion.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.