Why Donna keeps on being Donna

By Barbara L. Walker

Now, here's my serious analysis of the transformed band:

In the past, before Tom even, everyone in the band was first and foremost an old-time musician...fiddlers, banjoists, and guitarists. Even the drummers... Shane Lamphier: guitarist; Jimmy Triplett: kickass fiddler. Jordan Puryear, the first Donna bassist...kickass old time rhythm guitarist and now kickass oldtime fiddler. Jeb: first a fiddler. Richie: a banjo-player's banjo player. Jim: banjo player. Jed: fiddler. Tara, The Fiddler. Stringband musicians, all, transformed into electric dance band. Cool. Very cool. And let me tell you, the Dance in Donna the Buffalo is a direct effect of the old-time music in those musicians. Because old-time music is, first and foremost, dance music for the folks.

Now, fast forward through all the personnel changes, we've got two fiddlers, a punk poet on keys, a dynamic steady-as-a-heartbeat punk drummer, and a full-on ham-Rock Star drivin' bass player. Those last three from a younger generation than the past Donna personnel (except for Jed, who was heavily into that wonderful hybrid old-time-reggae, as far as I can tell), so they have the influence of beyond-the-eighties alt rock, punk rock, and lots of different uses of Electric. Of course, Bill definately has blues/swing kind of old-time background from playing with the Blue Rags, those boys that take an upright piano with them to the festival and push it from stage to stage on a wagon. Current line-up, fine musicians all. Point is, the Fabulistic Funkilicious Five together are a Rock Band for Dance Lovers. A different kind of cool.

Thing is, Jeb and Tara are still writing songs like no one else is writing. For Daily Use in Living the Lovingkind, is what I call it. Going to see Donna and putting Donna on the stereo is Going to Church for me. It can be an old-time church or a rock church, doesn't matter. Still a Holy Dance with God. (That god being god-in-me and god-in-you.)

And that is why Donna keeps on being Donna.