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These aren't your typical bitches, they're just 'Bitchin''
By Desiree Clark
dclark67@mscd.edu

The Donnas have come a long way since making cameo appearances on teen-queen movies like Drive Me Crazy and Jawbreaker. Leaving their matching shirts and bad hair behind, their new album Bitchin’ illustrates who they have become since forming their band in 1993.

With all the original members: Bret Anderson (Donna A, lead vocals), Maya Ford (Donna F, bass), Alison Robertson (Donna R, guitar) and Torry Castellano (Donna C, drums), the all-female band released their seventh studio album Bitchin’ Sept. 18 under their own label, Purple Feather Records, with all songs written by The Donnas themselves and co-produced by Jay Ruston (Polyphonic Spree and Meatloaf).

The first song, appropriately titled “Bitchin’,” is a short message to the listener, “You’re going to listen up/ We’re going to take you over/ You’re going to lick it up/ And you’re going to want more, more, more.” And that sentiment holds true when, after making it through the first track, more, more, more is exactly what you want.

The Donnas were all born in 1979, making them 27 years old. With that in mind, relationship dilemmas have become a common theme in their songs. The fourth track, “What Do I Have To Do,” exposes boyfriend tensions with lines like, “Don’t lead me on/ And don’t get me wrong/ I can only wait so long/ I’m being way too nice/ And you’re as cold as ice.”

As for dealing with shit-talking girls, The Donnas make it known that they have a penchant for ass-kicking with a song titled “Girl Talk” with the lyrics, “Think you’re jealous much/All up in my business, Ho!/ Girl I’ve had enough/ You better start runnin’.”

With the release of their new album, The Donnas decided to celebrate with a national tour. The first stop on the Feather Nation Tour was Portland on Sept. 21 and Denver was the fourth destination on the tour schedule, as the Donnas played Sept. 25 in front of a full house at the Marquis Theatre. The opening acts included Donita Sparks, who wrote original scores for Natural Born Killers and the popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto, and American Bang, a popular garage rock band from Nashville.

As for their new hard rock album, it seems The Donnas put everything they had into making it. The Donnas are hardcore rockers who do not apologize for their resilient ways. Perhaps their album cover verbalizes it all: a woman wearing black leather pants standing with her backside toward the front and a purple feather sticking out of her back pocket. And that’s just fl at-out bitchin’.