Dave Keuning


David Brent Keuning is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the rock band the Killers, which he founded alongside frontman Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. Keuning played every show with the Killers since its inception up until the show at Chicago's Lollapalooza in August 2017. From 2017 to the end of 2020, Keuning was on hiatus from the band. He returned to the Killers to assist in recording their 2021 album Pressure Machine. Keuning released two solo albums titled Prismism and A Mild Case of Everything under his surname Keuning.
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Personal life

Keuning was born and brought up in Pella, Iowa, to Charles and Sandra Keuning. His parents owned and operated a plumbing business. He has one older brother, Kevin Keuning. He started to play guitar just before entering Pella Community High School where he played in the jazz band. In his senior year the group won state champions class 3A. In 2000 Keuning moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He found work at the Banana Republic store in The Venetian Hotel and Casino on The Strip.

Career

Keuning placed an ad in the local Las Vegas Weekly looking to form a band, mentioning Oasis as one of his influences. Brandon Flowers, who shared Keuning's love of groups such as New Order and the Cure, answered it, only to have Keuning promptly hand him a TASCAM-recorded four-track demo of "Mr. Brightside".
Keuning announced in August 2017 that he would not be joining the band to tour in supporting their fifth studio album, Wonderful Wonderful, although he would remain a member of the group. Keuning did not contribute to the Killers' sixth album, Imploding the Mirage, but joined the band again in studio in early 2021 to work on their seventh album, Pressure Machine, and was also active with the Killers around the time of the release of their second greatest hits album, Rebel Diamonds, performing commonly on the tour of the same name in 2024.
He debuted his solo music with the release of his first single "Restless Legs" under the moniker Keuning. The assemblage of new music, created by Keuning in his San Diego home studio, was taken from hundreds of voice memos that he stockpiled while on tour with the Killers over the previous decade that evolved into songs. Keuning's debut album, Prismism, was released on January 25, 2019, and is a collection of 14 tracks with almost all instruments played by Keuning himself.

Playing style

Keuning is noted as a guitarist for playing anthemic and soaring solos in addition to sweetened and often percussive style playing frequently. He is also noted for his "unusual voicings" and "digit-distending, string-skipping" finger work on the guitar in similar fashion of Andy Summers of The Police.
Keuning was featured in Guitarist magazine in May 2009 and Guitar World in February 2009, Guitar Player in January 2008 and February 2010, and Guitar Aficionado in January 2013.
In 2010, Keuning's guitar riff in "Mr. Brightside" was voted at number 9 in Total Guitar's 50 greatest riffs of the 21st Century so far.

Influences

Keuning cites influences such as The Edge, Robert Smith, Bernard Sumner, Billy Corgan, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, George Harrison, Angus Young, and Mick Mars.

Equipment

Guitars
Sound equipment
  • Furman AR15 Voltage Regulator
  • Axess Electronics FX1+ expansion board, midi foot controllers w/ Axess CFX4 control function switchers and custom made Axess Electronics Deville footswitch interfaces
  • Lectrosonics Wireless Units
  • Zaolla Artist and Zaolla Silverline series cables as cables and cable snakes
  • duplicate FX racks are wired up w/Mogami Cable
Pedals, in Voodoo Lab GCX Audio Switcher Loops:
  • Keeley Mod Ibanez TS9
  • Boss DD3 Digital Delay
  • Boss DD6 Digital Delay
  • Boss DD7 Digital Delay
  • MXR Phase 100
  • MXR Phase 90
  • Electro Harmonix Keeley Mod Big Muff Pi with Tone Wicker
  • Electro Harmonix Green Russian Sovtek Big Muff V7C
  • Ibanez AD99 Keeley Mod Delay
  • Ibanez AC99 Keeley Mod Chorus
  • DigiTech WH-5 Whammy V
  • DigiTech Whammy DT
  • TRex RoommSpate Reverb
  • Buff Puff Boost
  • Fishman Aura Classical Pedal
  • Fishman Aura Dreadnought Pedal
  • Strymon Sunset Dual Overdrive
  • Strymon BigSky Multi-Reverb
  • Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster
  • Eventide ModFactor Multi-Modulation
  • Retro Sonic Stereo Chorus
  • Source Audio Programmable EQ
  • Tone Freak Abunai 2 Overdrive
  • Ernie Ball Volume
  • Dunlop JP95 John Petrucci Signature CryBaby Wah Wah
Synthesizers:
Picks: Dunlop Nylon – 0.60mm, 0.73mm, 1.00mm
Amplifiers
NOTE: Hiwatt currently are one of Keuning's sponsors.

Discography

With the Killers

Hot Fuss
Compilations:

Keuning

Prismism A Mild Case of Everything
Other appearances
  • "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" – Brandon Flowers
  • "Wander" – We Are Hyena
  • "This Is a Joke" – Bombay Heavy
  • "Clouds Pretend" – The Hunt
  • "Heavy Hand," "Goodbye Cambridge" – Blackout Balter