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The Donnas Punk It Up
by Kevin Raub
(WEST HOLLYWOOD) -- "Are you ready to rock?" It may be the most overused rock 'n' roll cliche in history, but for the Donnas, there's no more sincere way to let their teenage rock 'n' roll machine rip. And rip it did.
In the great American punk rock tradition of the Runaways and the Ramones, the Donnas specialize in three-minute, no frills, in-your-face punk rock assaults about the usual forms of teenage hooliganism (gettin' drunk, gettin' laid and gettin' in trouble), and the sweat-soaked crowd at the sold-out Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif., ate it up like S&M enthusiasts at a leather convention.
But what's so unique about the Donnas? Well, it's probably not the rock chick thing, which has been done countless times before. The teen rebellion bandwagon is as old as the hills as well. It could be the fact that all four members of the band are under the age of 20, but then again, Joan Jett was only 15 when she joined the Runaways in 1975. I guess it's the fact that Donna R., Donna A., Donna F. and Donna C. can (in a not-so-common American punk rock tradition) actually play. The songs from their Lookout! Records debut (the same Berkeley, Calif.-based label that spawned Green Day) lose the sugarcoating onstage, becoming full-fledged, rebellious punk anthems. Tight and cocky, the collective musical chemistry between the four Donnas and their instruments is a force to be reckoned with.
Borrowing a tactic made famous by the Ramones, the Donnas don't bother with between-song banter and audience ass-kissing. It was a wham, bam, thank you ma'am rock barrage without the thank yous as they tore through 15 songs in 40 minutes. A beer-spewing mosh pit broke out in the 450-capacity club during "Rock & Roll Machine," as guitarist Donna R. and bassist Donna F. pulled off the classic backs-to-the-singer move made famous by Kiss in the '70s. In another show of respect for their rock 'n' roll lineage, the Donnas put a girl power spin on AC/DC's "Shot Down in Flames," a song that neatly fits into the band's mold of teen mutiny and raising Hell.
Vocalist Donna A. doesn't look particularly street-tough, but her hippy-hippy shake, skin-tight leather pants and onstage manner exude defiance and tough love (two virtues of any well-to-do punk rocker). In fact, none of the Donnas seem too terribly street-savvy, with the exception of Donna F., who looks like she could whup your ass twice if need be. But lyrically, on tunes like "Looking For Blood," you'd think they grew up in the seedy Tenderloin rather than the reasonably affluent suburb of Palo Alto, Calif.
It's refreshing to see punk rock done so playfully well, even if the Donnas' music is a testament to the ever-evolving, ever-worsening phenomenon of teenage recklessness. I mean, they aren't singing about putting dimes in the jukebox, baby. And while the streets of Palo Alto may not be the roughest in California, the Donnas still prove to be the kind you don't bring home to mother.