THE DONNAS GREATEST HITS VOL. 16:

The last time the Donnas played my town, one of them ended up face down on the hood of a cop car, arms behind her back, handcuffs cutting off the circulation to her clenched fists. Her crime? Drinking whiskey in the streets of Canada.

Yes, The Donnas are for real and they are here to stay. They are a loud and proud American original. They are a band of influence, survivors in an industry known more for comet casualties than career success stories. And the Donnas really are a savvy, brazen success story; they are the American Rock n’ Roll Machine.

The legend begins in a Palo Alto junior high school in Northern California where four self-described “dorky pre-teen girls” form a rock n’ roll band at the age of 13 in 1993, under the influence of KISS, Motley Crue, and the Ramones. Over the course of the next 16 years, eight ever-evolving, critically acclaimed rock n' roll albums are released. The Donnas jet-set the planet several times over to an ever-expanding, international fan base of rabid “Donnaholics." From Palo Alto to the stages of Letterman and Saturday Night Live, to the pages of Rolling Stone and the cover of Billboard, The Donnas have grown up to become one of the best female rock groups of all time.

Sixteen sweet years later, the exact original line-up remains intact: Brett Anderson on lead vocals, Maya Ford on bass, Allison Robertson on guitar and Torry Castellano on drums–a steadfast longevity that is testament to their deep four-way friendship and career dedication. But there is a vast divide between the awkward tweens of the 1990s and The Donnas of the 2000s. Besides utterly poker-hot musicianship, the gorgeous foursome has entered into a new chapter of maturity, comfort, and nostalgia, looking back on their long career of growing up Donnas.

“It feels almost exactly the same as when we were 13 years old rehearsing and writing together” states Robertson, one of the best rock guitarists, female, male or otherwise, playing today. “The Donnas are a true gang in every sense of the word. We will always be unified as friends first, and that is why we have lasted so long.”

To celebrate 16 legendary years of pounding out head-banging, fist-pumping rock and roll together, on July 7, 2009, The Donnas unleash a career-spanning retrospective entitled The Donnas Greatest Hits Vol 16, on their own Purple Feather Records.

“I am so glad we decided to make a Greatest Hits because it let us re-live some of the best moments of our career” says power-house lead singer Brett Anderson. “Part of the charm of those early songs is their lo-fi sound, but it was fun to give them a super-charged makeover now that we've played them live so many times.”

The 16 track hits package features two brand new songs, two never-before-heard b-sides from their self-released 2007 album Bitchin’, and live versions of hits “Take It Off” and “Fall Behind Me.” And Donnaholic super-geeks rejoice: also included are “I Don’t Wanna Break Your Head” and “Teenage Rules,” two extremely rare, unreleased tracks from the band’s now-classic debut album.

“We’re very excited about those two tracks” says Allison Robertson. “They were meant to be released in Japan years ago but never came out. We thought they were long gone, and all we had were foggy yet fond memories of how the tunes actually went."

The Donnas also re-recorded five tracks, remixed one and included two alternative versions of songs from their hugely influential Lookout! Records catalog (1998-2001).

“Re-recording our older songs was like opening a time capsule” says Brett. "I could almost smell the donuts baking in the middle of the night next to the Mail Boxes Etc. where we recorded our very first songs."

The Donnas: a four-way, equal partnership of women in friendship, art and business. A rare trust exists between these members that most bands could never dream of achieving in a similar group dynamic. That is why most bands break up and The Donnas continue to stick together and thrive, celebrating sixteen candles… and counting.

… and when they come back to rock Canada, the whiskey is on me.


- Grant Lawrence
Rock and Roll Music Journalist
Vancouver BC Canada