Cam DiNunzio

As cheesy as it sounds, I want to believe I figured it all out at age 14 when my mom finally gave in and let me have a guitar for my birthday. I dragged it through the snow to a friend's house that day, and as soon as we stumbled through our first song, I knew that was it. Under numerous hats in the indie and major label worlds over the the last 20 years, I continued to try and figure it out through actual experience, from booking house shows to somehow playing in friggin' arenas!! My primary love in this industry has been working with my friends as a community of artists helping each another to create something bigger than ourselves. The closer I am to the creative process and the more I can help bring an idea to fruition, the happier I am. Both as a musician and as a representative of various labels and studios, it's been totally amazing so far and it just keeps getting better every year.


Denali formed in 2000, when Maura Davis asked her older brother Keeley, then lead vocalist for Engine Down, if he wanted to start a band. They recruited Cam DiNunzio (formerly of Lazy Cain) and Engine Down?s other vocalist/guitarist, Jonathan Fuller, to join the venture and eventually went on to become one of Richmond?s most impressive bands, drawing comparisons to everyone from Radiohead to Björk. They toured relentlessly and signed with a label, Jade Tree, a year later. Maura?s pristine voice, cradled by haunting melodies and cinematic arrangements, intoxicated audiences worldwide and established a massive fan base. Their pouts ended up in Rolling Stone, Spin and CMJ.


Hearts sank in 2004 when the foursome broke up and the great Denali diaspora occurred. ?I guess that when Keeley and Jonathan left to focus on Engine Down, it just didn?t feel the same,? says DiNunzio by e-mail. ?When the band first started, it really felt different and special in so many ways, and I think we all feel that it?s just as special now that we?re back together again. It just became obvious that for what we do specifically as Denali, it?s got to be all or nothing.?