Welcoming two new members to Donna and The Aspinauts.  Veteran guitarist, and warm hearted smiler, Chris Poultney alias Man in Black and Blues Brother, Melbournian busker, Harry Hormone on congas and harmonica.  They’ll join us on stage tomorrow at Noise Bar 20th June 2pm-5.30pm.  Don’t miss this wild debut.  See you there.

Andrew Sherman is an awesome guitarist whether he likes to hear it or not. He was a warm sunny presence in The Aspinauts and one of our earliest members. He was always Mr Aviator and did tell us that as classes and exams hotted up by mid 2009 that he might struggle to commit to the band. And so it was. He had to choose and he chose his career and passion and we, of course, wish him well. The Aspinauts have already played as a trio without Andrew, and we’ll go forward as a trio but we would still like to gather an autie-friendly guitarist and a percussionist.

Could it be you?

Warmly,

Donna Williams *)

email: aspinauts@bookings.net

Described as “Talking Heads meets Rocky Horror”, expect the unexpected when Donna and The Aspinauts deliver their infectious brand of irreverent, diversity friendly performance art musically confronting today’s most important socio-enviro issues.  Venture out and have an inter-arts, off the wall, avant-garde, surreal experience of rock band meets the fringe theatre of spoken word, gestural signing and vibrant characterisations at any of our very different Aspinauts gigs. Upcoming shows featuring Donna Williams and The Aspinauts include:

Donna Williams and The Aspinauts

Who says Footscray is full of bogans? It’s a cultural place filled with a multitude of languages, foods and cultures, it’s the new St Kilda, as switched on and maybe a little more grounded. And the Dancing Dog of Footscray is welcoming the crazy crew of Donna Williams and The Aspinauts to tickle your funnybones this Saturday night. There is no subject so sacred we can’t launch into irreverent satire about it and even invite those willing along for a sing along! We got avant-garde spoken word that would have Lewis Carroll and TS Elliot sit up and listen and a surrealist inter-arts music show that was made for theatre. We got trombone, clarinet, tin whistle and kazoo and a drummer who plays his drums through a keyboard. We’ve got a keyboard player known as ‘the walking cartoon’ and a pair of backing vocalists doing shoo wop and doo wah. We’ve got a lead guitarist whose aiming to be a reincarnation of Eric Clapton and a bass player whose claim to fame was he made the record books playing in an all nude band to an all nude audience at a nudists convention. We’ve got a lead singer who gesturally signs as she sings and launches into characterisations in a blink. Described as ‘Talking Heads meets Rocky Horror’, we guarantee to take you through the looking glass and onto a rollercoaster of silliness. So beware, enjoy and dare to be there this Saturday night. 8:00 PM The Dog Theatre @ Dancing Dog Cafe 42A Albert Street Footscray, Footscray Cost: $10-$15

The Aspinauts adored him instantly and we made ourselves at home at his cosy studio, PV Sounds in Ferntree Gully.  There we rehearsed and took his kind offer to sideline as our drummer (he is actually drummer for Soul Surfers) past our March deadline and into April with gigs lined up into July.  But Paul may feel designed for 4 lives but he’s only 1 person so something had to give and we decided we should do the giving and give him back his time.

We will miss him biggly, mostly his sunny, unassuming, nature, his realism, integrity, oh, shit, I’m sounding schmaltzy.  Paul, you are a mensch.  Hope you really enjoy the space we’ve created by our departure and that you don’t immediately fill it with more things to do unless it’s smelling the roses.

Warmly,

Donna and the dags and ratbags of The Aspinauts.

Two new members join The Aspinauts

ANTHONY JULIAN is an Aspie known for his surrealist youtube clips. Our most flamboyant member, 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. Welcome aboard Anthony.

SARAH WARD has been a singer since she could talk. She’s improvisational, out there, and is a warm, bubbly multi-instrumentalist/percussionist/backing vocalist who also composes and enjoys quirky in all its forms.  She enjoys musical improvisation and gets excited over new instruments. She’s at home with blues but can step into any musical genre.  Welcome to The Aspinauts Sarah!

SUNDAY 3rd May is the Annual Chestnut Festival at Kalorama Reserve on Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd (near Grange Rd) which has been going for over 30 years.  Over the years it has grown into a major event in the picturesque tourist spot of Dandenong Ranges.

Aside from the rainforest at Grant’s Picnic Ground and the gum forests of Monbulk, Kalista and Kalorama just minutes from the festival, there will be fairground rides, buskers, market stalls, roast chestnuts (of course), Devonshire teas, cakes, sausage sizzle, raffles, face painting, plants & showbags at the festival itself and the warm hospitality of the hills folk (of which I am one!).

Proceeds to the Mt Dandenong Pre-school up here in the hills. And you can hang out with me and the band, Donna Williams and The Aspinauts.

The lineup of performers will be:

• Actress and Children’s entertainer, Bethany Fisher will perform 12-1pm,
• Fresh back from her UK tour, hills singer-songwriter, Janette Geri 1-2pm,
• Off the wall, avant garde, inter-arts, musical surrealism with Donna and The Aspinauts 2-3pm

Hope to see some of you there.

Donna Williams

http://www.donnawilliams.net

http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts

Donna Williams and The Aspinauts @ The Butterfly Club 09

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.”

Heidi Everett

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

CONTACTING US
You can find our slideshow and samples of live recordings here.
If you’re interested in booking us, we’d love to hear from you.

Email us at:

aspinauts@donnawilliams.net

Donna Williams and The Aspinauts @ Rock n Rebuild 09

Following the the hottest Melbourne temperatures on Australian record and a four day heatwave, on the 8th of February bush fires then swept across Victoria, leaving thousands homeless, devastating communities, killing thousands of bush animals and trapped pets and leaving over 200 hundred people dead and families, friends and neighbors in mourning. My older brother and cousin ran for their lives with only the clothes on their backs, others were not so lucky. The fires changed the lives of Victorians. Climate change was knocking loudly on our consciousness. We were no longer in a 20 year drought. We were in a new world, one we hadn’t planned on.

Here’s a video using a slideshow of Aspinauts performances set to a live demo of a song called ‘What Used To Be’ written about the Black Saturday bushfires. The Aspinauts and I performed it at the Rock n Rebuild Bushfire Relief Concert in Hurstbridge in March 09. The event raised over $10,000 for the Bendigo Bank Bushfire Relief Appeal. Here’s the clip.

Warmly,

Donna Williams *)

http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts

http://www.donnawilliams.net

So you wondered what Donna Williams and The Aspinauts look like playing live? Now you can see for yourself in The Aspinauts slideshow. What’s more we’re even able to do a video concert for your event, even look into doing one live via teleconferencing facilities here in Melbourne. With Donna and The Aspinauts you get an abundance of atmosphere and the sky’s the limit

Warmly,

Donna Williams

author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter

http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts

http://www.donnawilliams.net