 |
"It's the imperfection that keeps things fresh" |
ROCKING WITH THE DONNAS
FPE Agent F recently had the pleasure of witnessing The Donnas soundcheck before their sold-out Los Angeles House of Blues performance. The band is touring in support of their new CD, Gold Medal. This is one solid disc from start to finish. No filler tunes, just great song, after great song. The guitar playing is ripping. The grooves are jamming and the vocals are so sweet! Read on to learn more about guitarist Allison Robertson and bassist Maya Ford. Then check out a video on Allison by clicking here . Note the killer vibrato via Allison's fingers!
FPE: Who are your guitar playing influences?
AR: "Blackmore, Page, Ace Frehley, Peter Buck, Glen Buxton+ Michael Bruce, Tom Keifer + Jeff LaBar, George Harrison, Dave Gregory + Andy Partridge, Graham Coxon."
FPE: Did you double track your guitars on Gold Medal?
AR: Sometimes there are doubles on the guitars, sometimes not. Any doubles that were done were done with two different guitars through different amps and/or settings."
FPE: Your band plays pretty straight ahead rock and roll but you guys add such newfound energy to it. How do you keep the songs fresh night after night?
AR: "My guitar sounds and feels different every night, making me more nervous and aware of all uncontrollable variables onstage. That anxiety keeps me on my toes so that I am releasing energy so fast and steadily that I can't possibly play perfectly. Thus, each night we sound different. It's the imperfection that keeps things fresh."
 FPE: You are using effects pedals these days. Why the sudden interest?
AR: "It's actually not a sudden interest, I just haven't had the time or the right reason to try out different sounds until we made this record. I've always been fascinated with effects and most of my idols use them regularly. I'm not interested in getting to far into it and being a slave to the pedal, especially onstage, but I like the variety and texture you can create with the right ones."
FPE: What pedals are you using?
AR: "I use an electro-harmonix small stone, as well as their deluxe memory man and an LPB 2ube (onstage only).
FPE: Do you write our your guitar solos or improvise them?
AR: "I usually work on the solos a few days before we record them so that during the rehearsals we're more focused on keeping the rhythm section tight in those sections that will have solos later. I don't like to write a solo from beginning to end because they sound too stale when I lay them down after that. Most of the time I have some ideas, and try laying it down a couple of times, changing it every time until I find something that seems to sound best every time. FPE: Did you study guitar formally?
AR: "Nope. I learned playing with records and watching videos of my favorite guitarists."
FPE: What Cds are you listening to currently?
AR: "Love 'Forever Changes', Led Zeppelin 'Physical Graffiti', The Dukes Of Stratosphere 'Chips From The Chocolate Fireball', The Monkees 'Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.'"
FPE: Who gets more quality time from you - your guitar or your boyfriend?
AR: "My boyfriend!"
FPE: Maya are you using distortion on your bass at all?
MF: "I play thru a sans amp and an ampeg svt classic and a mesa boogie 400+. I don't use any pedals. I just turn it up really loud. I don't like treble or midrange, only bass. I love the bass boost knob on my mesa boogie which is the first real amplifier I ever bought."
FPE: Did you study the bass formally?
MF: "No way, I don't know anything about bass. I know how to play some Donnas songs and some Kiss songs. I can't read music. I can't tune but I have a tuner and if I have to learn a song and no one will show me how to play it, I can read tabs and slowly figure it out but basically I'm a
knucklehead when it comes to bass."
FPE: What do you do when you are not playing the bass?
MF: "I like to watch TV and listen to music. I collect old toys so sometimes I will stare at my toys and rearrange them. I also like shopping for more toys and shoes. My Ipod is fun! I love swimming and eating tacos and drawing pictures."
FPE: Are you stoked on how cool your album cover artwork is?
MF: "Yes, our album cover is the coolest ever and it was great not having to pose for a picture and then hating how u look in it."
FPE: What did you learn from working with Butch Walker?
MF: "I learned about the homestar runner website and about Penfolds red wine."
FPE: Do you play with a pick?
MF: "I always play with a pick. People who use their fingers are dumb."
http://www.thedonnas.com
|
