Dennis Fuentes's journey as a singer/songwriter started with piano lessons when he was six years old.
Classically trained on piano from Grade 1 thru his sophomore year of high school, he was schooled on the classical masters: Mozart, Bach, and Chopin, It wasn't until his early-teens when he picked up an acoustic guitar and, after a handful of lessons, started playing just for fun. When he moved to Chicago in 1992, however, a more serious interest in songwriting started to surface.
"I've always had an eclectic taste in music. But around the early 90's, I became aware of this emerging music genre called 'roots rock' that bands like Barenaked Ladies, Hootie and the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, Blue Rodeo, and Freddy Jones Band were making. It was a more folk/acoustic approach to rock and roll that really captured my imagination and ultimately became the centre of my musical tastes. I've been writing songs for years, but it wasn't until I started listening to more roots-type music that I started to find my songwriter's voice."
Dennis spent a couple of years in the early 2000's studying songwriting and performance technique at the famed Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. In his writing, he attempted to emulate his singer/songwriter heroes: Jimmy Rankin, Jim Cuddy, Shawn Colvin, Marshall Crenshaw, Sarah McLachlin, Will Hoge, and Teddy Thompson, among others. Then, in the spring of 2007, Dennis assembled a band and started record songs in his co-producer's basement studio.
The end result of that work was his first full-length CD in 2009 titled, "Letters From Broken Street." One song from the album, the self-penned "The Show Goes On," was voted to the #9 position on the fearlessradio.com weekly listener-supported countdown show in the spring of 2010. Another of the album's songs, "Beautiful Again," was voted to the #19 position that spring as well.
It would be another six years before Dennis would make another record. In 2015, he headed back into the studio with his band to record "This December Nite," an original song that was inspired by military homecoming videos that he saw on YouTube. The song tells the story of a soldier who drives thru the nite to make it home in time for Christmas. The song earned Dennis a songwriting nomination at the 2016 American Songwriting Awards.
In 2017, The Dennis Fuentes Band released the EP, "I Know There Will Be Better Days." Inspired by the political and social environment of the time, Dennis wrote the song, "Better Days," as "a rallying cry to anyone who believes in fairness, kindness, open-mindedness, compassion, peace, love, and understanding, and the pursuit and preservation of truth."
In 2018, Dennis took time to pursue work as an actor. After being cast as an extra in a couple of independent short films that year, he was cast in his first speaking roles in two independent short films in 2019: "Home" in which he played a real estate agent, and "Ducks" in which he played the principal of an elementary school. He has since been cast in leading and supporting roles in over two dozen projects, including several indie and student short films, a feature film, three TV/online commercials, two music videos, and a sketch comedy TV presentation pilot.
A native of New York City and a 29 year resident of the Chicagoland area (with brief residencies over the years in Toronto, Canada in 1990 and Portland, Oregon from 2019 to 2020), Dennis and the band released new music in 2024. The single, "Middle of Nowhere" (a cover version of a song originally recorded by the Regina, Saskatchewan-based roots-rock band, The Waltons) and the 3-song EP, "Hard Lesson - EP," were released to streaming services in September.
The Dennis Fuentes Band has plans for even more new music in 2025. Dennis also continues to pursue other acting roles.
Classically trained on piano from Grade 1 thru his sophomore year of high school, he was schooled on the classical masters: Mozart, Bach, and Chopin, It wasn't until his early-teens when he picked up an acoustic guitar and, after a handful of lessons, started playing just for fun. When he moved to Chicago in 1992, however, a more serious interest in songwriting started to surface.
"I've always had an eclectic taste in music. But around the early 90's, I became aware of this emerging music genre called 'roots rock' that bands like Barenaked Ladies, Hootie and the Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, Blue Rodeo, and Freddy Jones Band were making. It was a more folk/acoustic approach to rock and roll that really captured my imagination and ultimately became the centre of my musical tastes. I've been writing songs for years, but it wasn't until I started listening to more roots-type music that I started to find my songwriter's voice."
Dennis spent a couple of years in the early 2000's studying songwriting and performance technique at the famed Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. In his writing, he attempted to emulate his singer/songwriter heroes: Jimmy Rankin, Jim Cuddy, Shawn Colvin, Marshall Crenshaw, Sarah McLachlin, Will Hoge, and Teddy Thompson, among others. Then, in the spring of 2007, Dennis assembled a band and started record songs in his co-producer's basement studio.
The end result of that work was his first full-length CD in 2009 titled, "Letters From Broken Street." One song from the album, the self-penned "The Show Goes On," was voted to the #9 position on the fearlessradio.com weekly listener-supported countdown show in the spring of 2010. Another of the album's songs, "Beautiful Again," was voted to the #19 position that spring as well.
It would be another six years before Dennis would make another record. In 2015, he headed back into the studio with his band to record "This December Nite," an original song that was inspired by military homecoming videos that he saw on YouTube. The song tells the story of a soldier who drives thru the nite to make it home in time for Christmas. The song earned Dennis a songwriting nomination at the 2016 American Songwriting Awards.
In 2017, The Dennis Fuentes Band released the EP, "I Know There Will Be Better Days." Inspired by the political and social environment of the time, Dennis wrote the song, "Better Days," as "a rallying cry to anyone who believes in fairness, kindness, open-mindedness, compassion, peace, love, and understanding, and the pursuit and preservation of truth."
In 2018, Dennis took time to pursue work as an actor. After being cast as an extra in a couple of independent short films that year, he was cast in his first speaking roles in two independent short films in 2019: "Home" in which he played a real estate agent, and "Ducks" in which he played the principal of an elementary school. He has since been cast in leading and supporting roles in over two dozen projects, including several indie and student short films, a feature film, three TV/online commercials, two music videos, and a sketch comedy TV presentation pilot.
A native of New York City and a 29 year resident of the Chicagoland area (with brief residencies over the years in Toronto, Canada in 1990 and Portland, Oregon from 2019 to 2020), Dennis and the band released new music in 2024. The single, "Middle of Nowhere" (a cover version of a song originally recorded by the Regina, Saskatchewan-based roots-rock band, The Waltons) and the 3-song EP, "Hard Lesson - EP," were released to streaming services in September.
The Dennis Fuentes Band has plans for even more new music in 2025. Dennis also continues to pursue other acting roles.
MILESTONES
APRIL 2025: The "Middle of Nowhere" music video was chosen as an official selection for:
- The Hollywood Theatre @ PDX (Portland International Airport) and will be shown along with eight other Oregon & Pacific Northwest short films from Monday, April 21st thru mid-July 2025.
- The Rutherford Film Festival in Rutherford, New Jersey at the Williams Center from 15-17 May 2025.
MARCH 2025: The "Middle of Nowhere" music video was chosen as an official selection for:
- The 2025 Nyack International Film Festival, taking place Friday, 4 April 2025 starting at 6:00pm at the Hotel Nyack in Nyack, NY. The festival is open to the general public.
- The 2025 Castle Rock Film Festival, taking place from Thursday, 10 April 2025 thru Saturday, 12 April 2025 at the Theatre of Dreams in Castle Rock, CO. This festival is open to the general public. Purchase tickets here.
- The 2025 Oregon Short Film Festival, taking place Sunday, 27 April 2025 starting at 12:00pm at the Clinton Street Theatre in Portland, OR. This festival is open to the general public. Purchase tickets here.
FEBRUARY 2025 - The "Middle of Nowhere" music video was chosen as an official selection for the 2025 Chicago Film Frenzy Film Festival at Facets Theatre in Chicago, IL to be held Friday, March 28th thru Sunday, March 30th.
JANUARY 2025 - The "Middle of Nowhere" music video was chosen as an official selection for the 2025 Virtual DisOrient Asian American Film Festival based in Eugene, OR.
AUGUST 2024 - The music video for the single, "Middle of Nowhere," was nominated for two awards at the inaugural Oak Park Illinois Film Festival at the Madison Street Theatre in Oak Park, IL on 14 September 2024.
- Best Music Video
- Best Visual Element
AUGUST 2023 - Dennis completed the Acting Program at the Second City Training Centre in Chicago & performed in his graduation show at the deMaat Theatre at Second City Chicago campus.
AUGUST 2016 - The song, "This December Nite," was nominated for an American Songwriting Award in the Holiday Song category.
MARCH 2016 - The Dennis Fuentes Band was listed as a "Popular Artist of the Week" on briterevolution.com.
JUNE 2010 - Two songs from the debut album, "Letters from Broken Street," charted on the fearlessradio.com listener-voted weekly countdown show.
- "The Show Goes On" was voted to the #11 spot on the countdown chart.
- "Beautiful Again" was voted to the #19 position on the countdown chart.
MAY 2010 - The song, "The Show Goes On," from the debut album, "Letters from Broken Street," was voted to the #9 position on the fearlessradio.com listener-voted weekly countdown show.
