We are a 5 piece but can play as anything from a trio upwards:
DONNA Williams : vocals, Swanee whistle, kazoo EARL Wollff : bass guitar and sound tech ANTHONY Julian : keyboards/backing vocals CHRIS Poultney : lead guitar HARRY Hormone : congas/harmonica
not to forget....
CHRIS Samuel : band photographer! PAUL Spears : recording engineer of PV Studios who is producing our debut album. STUART Moore : our loyal door clerk.
As a singer-songwriter Donna recorded two solo albums available on http://www.cdbaby.com, two tracks from which feature in an international TV series, Things You Taught Me. She began performing live in 2007. In 2007 & 2008 two tracks from her first album made the top 50 of Artist Underground and a track from her second album, Beautiful Behavioral Mutations had 15,000 hits on You Tube in a year.
An international public speaker, she has spoken before 1000s of people with her audiences captivated by her highly expressive gestural signing (home sign). She is also an artist (painter and sculptor) and screenwriter. Diagnosed with autism, she also works in the autism field as a public speaker and consultant. Her home site is at www.donnawilliams.net .
EARL WOLLFF is the granddaddy of the band. Diagnosed with Asperger's in his late 50s, Earl is an inventor, sound engineer and spent years living on the fringes among Melbourne's homeless. He has been a session muso for eons and played nationally, with one of his many claims to fame being that he made the record books by playing nude in an all nude band at a naturist’s convention. His alter ego is 'The Timelord' and his depth of trivia knowledge would be enough to almost convince he's been off adventuring in time and place in the Tardis.
ANTHONY JULIAN is an Aspie known for his surrealist youtube clips. He's a theatre buff with a background in musical theatre who first became our most loyal fan, then our official door clerk, then worked his way up to being our keyboard player! He has been playing piano since childhood and considered himself more a singer-songwriter, more recently collaborating with Donna on new songs, and then proved he was actually also a reasonable keyboard player too.
CHRIS POULTNEY is a diversity-friendly pro guitarist who has played guitar forever and last played with The Speedsters. He is a sunny presence who enjoys the madness of The Aspinauts and fits right in.
HARRY HORMONE is a Melbournian busker extraordinaire who plays congas, harmonica and has been known as a one man band. Something of an escaped Blues Brother, Harry feels right at home with the surrealism of The Aspinauts.
Find out what we're up to. Check our status reports.
Influences
THE NAME
The term"Aspinauts" is a derivation of "Aspie" and "Autie", slang associated with the autism spectrum and the band is proud to be diversity friendly. The band performs a combination of catchy, alternative songs and avant-garde beat poetry with a socio-enviro message and pop-rock rhythms with a blues bent. We're happy with challenging stereotypes, breaking down social barriers, promoting equality and tackling the tough subjects with theatre, surrealism and satire. We can do all this and still so love to have fun that our audiences really join with us.
The lyrics of the songs and the avant garde poetry are influenced by both the theatrical and macabre, by a love of surrealism and by the existential angst of irrational 'rationality' around us - environmental destruction, global warming, oil wars, senseless conflicts, inequality, discrimination, mental health, isolation, alienation, homelessness, exploitation, the contortions of the concepts of love and caring. Other influences include sociology, Taoism and a deep celebration of utter silliness and dagdom.
The music is influenced by vast backgrounds of the members of the band who bring influences which range from Ska to jazzy blues, from pop rock to avant garde, and from comical, theatrical, educated cabaret to gothic classics.
DONNA grew up being a real life version of LV (Little Voice). At age 2, she was left a pop up portable 60s record player and a bunch of 45s and by age 4 had a repertoire of singing voices ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis to singing classical symphonies by Tchaikovsky. At 9, she was left another record player and a pile of 78s. Singing in voices from Louis Armstrong to Bing Crosby, Mitzy Gaynor to Ella Fitzgerald, Donna even sang as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse and in the voices of a multitude of 70s TV advertisements. By her 20s she began to dare singing her own voice which has been compared with people like Missy Higgins, Jewel, Corinne Bailey Rae, Karen Carpenter (but not when she's doing punk!).
EARL, the bass guitarist, is a musical encyclopedia into funk and blues and influenced by all the greats going right back to the big band and swing eras!
ANTHONY, our most flamboyant member, Anthony is a music theatre man with a bent for comedy, surrealism and satire.
CHRIS P is a session muso who has played music circuits for decades and loves something 'different'... well, he's got it now :-)
HARRY plays congas like a world music man and harmonica like a blues man. Then listen to him strum the guitar and sing and he's soulful Mr Mellow. A very diverse character is Harry.
Sounds Like
WHAT DO WE SOUND LIKE?
Expect 'alternative' and diversity-friendly. Expect an unpredictable, gobsmacking, thoroughly entertaining 'inter-arts experience'.
Imagine vocals of reminiscent of Jewel, Nancy Griffith and Corrine Bailey Rae. Imagine lyrics and poetry evocative of Lilly Allen, Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, T.S Elliot, Lewis Carroll and Dr Seuss. Imagine delivery shifting gears between Laurie Anderson, Liza Minnelli, Edith Piaf and Eartha Kitt. Now wrap that in atmospherics which conjure up flavours of of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in a socio-enviro blend of powerful pop, rock, blues and ska intertwined with powerful off the wall Avant Garde poetry.
Complete with gestural signing, alive with surrealism, satire and compelling characterisations, Donna & The Aspinauts are more than 'just a band'. We are diversity-friendly performance art musically confronting today's important issues and, hence suited equally to music and theatre venues and festivals.
Described Steve Iorio of The Vagrants as "Talking Heads meets Rocky Horror".. Donna and The Aspinauts formed in 2008 and had soon played extensively throughout Melbourne.
Imagine vocals of reminiscent of Jewel, Nancy Griffith and Corrine Bailey Rae. Imagine lyrics and poetry evocative of Lily Allen, Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, T.S Elliot, Lewis Carroll and Dr Seuss. Imagine delivery shifting gears between Laurie Anderson, Liza Minnelli, Edith Piaf and Eartha Kitt. Now wrap that in atmospherics which conjure up flavours of of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in a socio-enviro blend of powerful pop, rock, blues and ska intertwined with powerful off the wall Avant Garde poetry.
We're proud to be diversity-friendly, improvisational, adaptable, and interactive. With over 45 originals and 100s of spoken word pieces we can shape our show in both theme and music style to fit the venue, function or audience.
We've been welcomed by alternative scenes, embraced as theatrical, avant garde, inter-arts and have amused boutique audiences with socio-enviro and diversity-friendly satire, surrealism and outright comedy. Our madness has attracted child audiences and we've brought culture to mainstream adult audiences.
And if you're miles away from Melbourne you can still see us perform without flying us there! We can arrange a video performance designed specifically for your event, or may even be able to look into doing a performance in 'real time' for your audience or guests using teleconferencing facilities available here in Melbourne.
OUR PR
Directly connected to http://www.donnawilliams.net and it's sister blog site, http://blog.donnawilliams.net sites which currently get around 10,000 new visitors each month, Donna And The Aspinauts can guarantee listing and publication of the events we're booked for.
REVIEWS:
Here's some independent reviews by those who have been to our shows:
As we lounged around in front of the stage at the Rock n Rebuild Concert, Donna and the Aspinauts sauntered into their first number and had the audience looking up from their snags to see what the hell had hit them front and center between the eyes and ears.
A-ha! These were no ordinary folk songs to be kum-by-ya'd around the campfire, no way! As the guys in the Aspinauts band changed gear quicker than a red Ferrari, front-woman Donna kept apace brilliantly with her phonetically charged lyrics and mesmerizing hands shaping the melody like an artist at the easel. I watched, captivated like the crowd around me. Each song blurred deliciously into the next with Donna's spoken word etching out the poetry of human condition, always so very eloquent and astutely connected to the song the band was about to launch into, such a poignant moment when Donna painted the scene of a blackened landscape, burnt by the very fires this benefit concert set to quell.
The set itself was just the right amount of time for Donna and the Aspinauts own musical genre to be smacked firmly into the hearts and minds of the audience. As a muso myself, I intuitively looked around to see the reaction of people who might not have had the chance to experience such a richly flavoured ensemble before, and as a muso, I can confidently say that The Aspinauts had the crowd in the rather elusive 'palm of the hand'.
I've seen this band a few times now and I thoroughly recommend an audience with a Donna and the Aspinauts event if you are ever given the chance. I say event because they are so much more than just a band playing music, each of your five senses will be buzzing before the end of the first song, and by the end of the show, you'll be definitely Aspi-fied."
What an eye-opening night I had at The Butterfly Club, watching Donna and the Aspinauts! Amongst the rhythmic beats and uplifting tunes were embedded lyrics that move the soul. Through poetry and raw emotion I could not take my eyes or ears off this band. Explanations and perspectives that I have never thought to explore, bombarded me and lifted me to a higher place.
One minute I wanted to dance in the aisles, next I was dumbfounded by Donna’s ability to express. The Aspinauts stage presence is one no other band can contend with. I was taken on a wacky rollercoaster ride that spat me out at the end feeling empowered and inspired. This band explores world issues, personal conquests and how difficult it is circumnavigating the social world. A must see band for all!
- Adele Kristens
Donna and the Aspinauts at the 303 Bar. What a funny bunch. The lady is a true entertainer. She told amusing tales of life on the edge of society and made me envious I didn’t join her there. Real life? Social norms and expectations? Pah! Look what fun I’m having! She expressed herself more with flailing arms and facial expressions than her voice, and began each song with a poem quickly captured by interesting and mischievous music. Tongue-in-cheek? Perhaps not. It cannot be genre-defined. I sincerely hope the lady is available for children’s parties.
This film clip was made by Glass Kingdom Films! Please visit www.belladonnathemovie.com to see their feature film to be released later this year with Lamplight appearing in the film and on the sound track!
Yes it must be a stereotype. Many spectrumites I know have it, but I have come across a few who do not! That is interesting what you mention about the Chinese culture and their perfect pitch! I am dying to come to Australia, however, San Francisco is first on my list.... Are you or the gang coming to SF any time soon?
Not sure if we are coming over to Austrial yet but will keep you up to date. We are up at the Edinburgh Festival again this year with 2 shows (This Is Now and The Visible Men) so looking forward to that.
Many thanks for the request. "The Terrible Account Of The St Fiacrius Orphans" will be on at the amazing Butterfly Club in early October. It would be lovely to see you there! All the very best from The Laudanum Project.
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