Ok. I’m going to be honest here. Every time I read a piece on The Donna’s, I flip the page. Not because I don’t respect their vision, but rather because I don’t really buy their records. I have always respected the quartet of girls regardless because they ALL play their own instruments, and are not birthed by some corporate dork in Orlando trying to create a “girl band”. These chicks are all close friends.
(Loverboy’s Get Lucky, The Donna’s Bitchin’)
I’ve had them filed away in my head as some modern-day “Runaways” outfit, some cute girls singing pop tunes banging on some real instruments (actually, if I’m not mistaken, even the Runaways were masterminded by some creepy manager who manipulated them). So that means that The Donna’s are actually the pure archetype.
(Runaways)
Anyway, the reason I’m posting about them today, is because I was just reminded that these women (in their late 20′s) have reached their 15 year anniversary in the business! That’s right, they formed the band in middle-school when they were 13 years old back in 1993.
(Paying their Dues. The Donna’s backstage in the early days)
Not only have they transcended the petty fights, rehabs, and scandals of most bands, but they’ve survived in one of the most historically horrible moments in the music business. They started their own record label, Purple Feather Records, and are releasing their 7th album now. Their following is steady, loyal, and the women are veterans with several world tours under their belt (currently touring with The Hives now).
(The Donna’s today)
My respect points have just risen. Plus I really like their new album cover — the visual mash-up of sugary Loverboy mixed with the sinister color palette’s of Iron Maiden’s world. It’s a proper image to project in conjunction with this new body of work. Give yourself 1 minute to hear their opening song called Bitchin’ Intro…. there’s some serious guitar shredding here. P.S. I just downloaded my first Donna’s song (it’s a good mixed tape opener).
Their new album Bitchin‘ was just released in iTunes. If I had a little sister craving for some inspiration to start her own band, I’d give them this CD as Girl-Rock-Band-101. The Donna’s will probably keep aging with grace. Their music is their vitamin, and they genuinely have fun rocking on stage. I’m not mad at that. Here’s hoping they throw us a little scandal along the way to muddy up their damn perfect reputation.
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