Rock’n’Rolling cowboy takes the stage

“Cowboys are badass.” – Grey Dugan.

A busy Halloweekend night was well underway Thursday, with excited fans dressed as sexy nuns and strapping construction workers searching for parking at the sold out Catch One night club. The queue for entry spanned the block, and it was obvious from attendees’ beaming smiles that everyone was eager to see Dugan as they waited to enter the venue.

Grey Dugan is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now a junior studying philosophy, politics and economics  at USC, he resides in the Los Angeles area and hopes to establish himself as the next up-and-coming musical artist in the alternative indie rock genre.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dugan has beaten the odds to single-handedly create and release quality music on a low budget. He takes pride in the control he exercises over every detail of his music, a quality which is crucial to him as an independent artist. The act of “doing it yourself” has proven to be quite successful for the young artist; on both Apple Music and Spotify, Dugan has released countless kaleidoscopic singles, extended plays and even a complete album. 

The bedroom rocker has garnered over one million streams on his 2020 single “Plant-Sitting This Weekend” alone. From the comfort of his homemade studio and his relentless effort to consistently release quality projects, Dugan is hand-making a name for himself. “DIY” might sound amateur, but not in his case.

On Thursday, Oct. 27th, Dugan’s success translated to the live music sphere when he played an eight song set at Catch One in L.A. 

Sporting cowboy hats, flannel shirts and leather boots, Dugan and his band looked badass as they took the stage. Despite his confident appearance, Dugan said he was actually very nervous at first. After years of filling in for other bands with his drum or bass skills, this was his first time taking center stage.

“I was super nervous. So nervous before,” Dugan said. “But I prepared so much. I rehearsed like, every day. I would run the setlist start to finish over and over again.” 

The setlist included many songs he’s released on streaming services, such as “I’ll Wait (Into the Sea)” and a Halloweekend-fitting “Psycho Killer,” along with a few unreleased tracks. 

Dugan and his band’s preparation was clear to audience members. Quinn Poseley, a junior studying political science,  fan of Dugan and concert attendee, described Dugan’s poise.

“He looked strong up there. He looked confident,” Poseley said. ‘I would not be able to tell that it was was first proper set [because he] seemed pretty comfortable.”

Dugan enjoyed the set as much as the crowd did. Even while lining up outside to get into the venue, fans were already excited and hyped to see the new artist perform. Poseley described the other audience members as “focused”; they were all there to watch Dugan do what he does best. 

Dugan made a loyal fan in Poseley, who said he is starting the “Grey Dugan Fan Club.”

Although many concert attendees knew Dugan’s music, there were also some who had never heard of the artist’s work before. Even people who weren’t particularly interested in the alternative indie rock genre were impressed by Dugan and enjoyed themselves at the show.

“Going into this, I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” said Grant Tucker, a junior majoring in business administration. “I would say I’m not the biggest fan of indie music. But, it was cool to hear … the show was pretty fun because Grey was up there.” 

After reflecting on the importance of this gig and the future that he hopes comes from it, Dugan confessed how fulfilling this first step was towards becoming the successful musical artist he wants to be. 

“It was significant,” he said. “It was like the first time any of those songs that I’ve recorded in my room saw the light of day. It’s pretty special.” 

Grey Dugan and his music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and Instagram @greydugan.