FLORENCE β Clare Dunn's long blond hair was an unkempt tangle midway through her hour-long show at Country Thunder Thursday afternoon.Β
Blame on her work ethic; the Colorado-born country newbie shreds her electric guitar in the manner of a young Lita Ford. It is not slung on her shoulder as eye candy; she actually plays it, and plays it pretty darn terrifically.
Dunn, who entered country music via the independent route, was making her debut at Country Thunder. It's safe to say that with a few exceptions of folks hearing her debut indie single "Get Out" and the followup "Cowboy Side of You" in regular rotation on satellite radio, not many people in the audience had heard of her. And while the crowd was pretty thin, as it's known to be in the early afternoon on Day 1 of the four-day festival, she gave them reason to stop and give her a listen.
But it was her guitar skills that had people taking notice. She played lead on nearly every song with the kind of energy you rarely see from country singers. Most play acoustic guitar and they relegate the lead to a member of their band.
Dunn is heading back to Arizona on April 23 for a show at Flagstaff's Museum Club.Β
Follow reporter Cathalena E. Burch on Twitter @Starburch throughout the festival.Β
