The Donnas Bio
The Donnas are 4 girls who are best friends and play exciting, fresh rock and roll in 2000. Since forming their first band, Ragedy Ann as 14 year olds in Palo Alto, CA, Brett, Allison, Torry and Maya have gone on to Australian tours, Euro-mishaps (tour van said escort service??), TV appearances, weird fan letters, big rock shows, small rock shows, candy collections, hair straightening obsessions and much more than your average 21 year old has experienced. Not since Priscilla Beaulieu Presley has one so young seen so much!
The Donnas started playing together in the eighth grade when there was a lunch time band show at the middle school. All the guys had bands and they realized that there were no girls playing at all. Allison and Maya had bonded over their mutual love of XTC and R.E.M., and approached their buddy Torry about playing drums. They heard Brett singing in the hallway at school, and asked her if she would sing. True to their fearless nature, they got together, practiced for three weeks, and preformed covers of Shonen Knife, The Muffs and L7. All the boys teased them and said they weren't playing real instruments and were playing to a backing track. This infuriating reaction only gave the girls more drive to start their own real band and prove to the world that they could do what any dumb boys could.
After releasing a single as Ragedy Ann at ages 14 and 15, Brett, Torry, Allison and Maya quickly became The Electrocutes and played local teen centers and school shows in Palo Alto. Local musician Darrin Raffelli became a fan and suggested they collaborate by playing some of his songs as a side project called The Donnas. Their first singles, self titled LP, and much of the second record, American Teenage Rock N Roll Machine, featured songs Raffelli had written or co-written with the band. After American Rock N Roll Machine, the girls and Darrin ended their musical collaboration and The Donnas' 1999 release, Get Skintight was written entirely on their own. Their new album, The Donnas Turn Twenty One follows Get Skintight perfectly. The songs are just tighter, more rockin' and funnier. The band has also taken its first steps into producing. Turn Twenty One is produced by the girls with longtime live sound engineer Robert Shimp.
Donna R. has guitar chops inherited straight from her dad, longtime professional musician, Baxter Robertson. Learning to play her favorite metal and hard rock riffs by watching videos of her favorite bands, Allison has turned into the female Ace Frehley. Donna F's moody, strong bass lines and undeniable stage presence further roots the show for Donna C's furious and frantic drum explosions. Donna A. is a snarling version of the coolest girl you never were when she is belting out The Donnas' funny, sexy, anthems of teenage excess.
The Donnas songwriting is music as friendship and co-conspiracy as their lyrics are often laugh at loud exaggerations of the teendom they have iconized, delivered as always with deadly seriousness and macho as hell musical chops. The Donnas are bringing their good times to you so take a chill pill and enjoy the ride!
