THE DONNAS
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

By Gregg McQueen

Donna A., lead vocalist for the lively quartet of punk-rock princesses known as The Donnas, skims through a recording the band made shortly after forming, and seems a tad embarrassed at the discordant sounds she hears.
"We've changed so much since our early days," she says matter-of-factly. Spoken like a true rock and roll veteran.
Though Donna A. and her bandmates — guitarist Donna R., bassist Donna F. and drummer Donna C. — are only 19, they're no novices. Together since eighth grade, the group already has a pair of records on the renowned Lookout label, a slew of 7-inch singles and a just-completed European tour under its belt. 
Currently gigging in the United States behind American Teenage Rock 'N' Roll Machine, a criminally catchy assortment of Ramones-meets-Runaways tunes oozing with enthusiasm, The Donnas are ready to conquer the world. 
The road to world domination isn't always easy to navigate. "Europe wasn't a great experience for the band," explains Donna A. "We had trouble getting to our shows with the bus, because all our maps to the gigs were smudged faxes." Even worse, one of the shows had been switched to another venue, and nobody bothered to tell The Donnas. "We found out by accident, and luckily we still able to make the gig! But we had some really good shows there, in front of some cool crowds, and that's what matters."
That fighting spirit was what brought the group together in the first place. While most eighth-grade girls dream of cheerleading and looking pretty for the boys, The Donnas were ready to rock. In a classic show of "Girl Power" (all four Donnas are huge Spice Girls fans), the band quickly formed to play a school talent show when the girls were angered that no other female acts were featured. "We learned how to play four covers and did the show," recalls Donna A. "The boys were stunned. They were complete dicks to us, because they didn't like being shown up by a bunch of girls." 
Quizzical looks and cynical mumbling still run through audiences when The Donnas take the stage. It's not every day that people see a rock band made exclusively of teenage girls, and many wonder if it isn't just a joke or gimmick. 
"We face a lot of skepticism," admits Donna A. "But once we play, we tend to win people over. We rock hard, and with a lot of energy."
Chock full of upbeat, infectious songs, American Teenage Rock And Roll Machine is a quick study in Punk Rock 101, flaunting manic, "Blitzkrieg Bop"-like chords replete with lyrical requisites like "wanna," "gonna" and "gimmie." Tracks like "You Make Me Hot," "Shake In The Action," "Gimmie My Radio" and "Wanna Get Some Stuff" display a carefree vibe and conjure images of a world where rules, schools and authority figures don't exist. One gets the feeling that Kiss' anthem "Rock And Roll All Nite" was not lost on these four.
"Kiss is probably the favorite band of every Donnas member," explains Donna A. "We absolutely love them and all they represent." Like Kiss in its heyday, it's clear that the members of The Donnas don't take themselves too seriously — while their tunes probably won't garner any Grammy nominations, they realize that rock is about escapism first and foremost. "It would be nice to see the return of bands with more entertainment value," says Donna A.
A few years spent rocking stages with The Donnas in the competitive California music environment haven't dulled Donna A.'s youthful innocence. She speaks glowingly about meeting one of her idols, C.C. DeVille of Poison fame, at a recent Donnas gig, and still frets over something as minute as losing her only cassette single copy of Skid Row's "18 and Life." The girls still practice in the same garage they've jammed in for years, and, if you must know, are still considering going to college eventually.
The tunes on the first two Donnas records read like a diary on the tribulations of the high school female: boys, parties, annoying teachers, homework and more parties. Now with high school diplomas in hand, what will The Donnas do for material?
"Our new songs are about living life, and enjoying yourself," remarks Donna A. "We'll still have the same attitude." Now at work writing a new record, Donna A. says the group will unveil a more straight-ahead rock sound but not dampen the energy.
"We're not a band that's going to get all deep and introspective," Donna A. emphasizes. "We just want to have fun."