Wednesday, November 6, 2013

A Donkey that Brays a Sweet Vermouth


As interesting as the Swing Revival of the 90's seemed (and relatively long-lived for fads, lasting the whole decade and dripping into the 21st century), it's had little long-term impact on pop culture at large, aside from fastening fedoras to the heads of awful young men the nation over.  Oh, sure, a tiny handful of bands gained impressive fan bases and piles of cash, the two big ones being the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (of "Zoot Suit Riot" fame) and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, but even mentioning Royal Crown Revue will bring most music fans to a screeching "Huh?".  That being said, for somebody like me who isn't an expert on Swing Revival bands, encountering a band like Donkey, who were most likely tangential to the movement  but could have only seen widespread success within its confines (not that they did), is an interesting moment.  Formed in Athens, GA, Donkey was the house band for The Point, a nightclub in Atlanta that is now a clothing store, and they released two albums in the mid-90's (or three if you believe Amazon lumping in the '97 album Stroke My Wings Gently by an unrelated indie rock band).  They crafted a unique mixture of Swing Revival, the Fine Young Cannibals, and Steely Dan-esque lounge rock in their brief time in the sun, and came to my attention primarily as a dollar CD at In Your Ear in Boston.  The value of their album Slick Night Out is inversely proportional to the amount of information about them online, and considering their Allmusic entry is only two sentences long you can take my word for it that it's a dang good time.


Donkey was never really meant to be seen on a national stage, and in that spirit Slick Night Out is a live album, capturing a typical, yet gleaming, night at The Point with everybody's favorite music boys.  As much as we all adore Thad Jones's big band from the 70's it's easy to forget that they were the Monday night house band at the Village Vanguard, and their songs could be heard any given Monday simply by walking there.  What gives Donkey their beauty is that they seem free to explore many different avenues, maintaining a healthy allergy to pigeonholing.  "Phantasmo del Gato" seems almost Tom Waitsian in its bar-music synthesis, with the guitar solo at 1:00 ripped from whatever glorious universe Progressive Rockabilly exists in.  This quality is kind of hard to detect on a song-by-song basis, but maybe a song from their second album, Ten Cent Freaks, will help:


Many of their songs possess a rock intensity and focused songwriting that jazz is so very good at eschewing.  Jazz's most individual quality is improvisation, and Donkey never much bothered with extended solos, instead finding its drive from the vocals of founder T. B. Ferster, a voice more akin to Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page than a stereotypical crooner, the latter of which was a prized possession among Swing Revival bands.  As is the case with obscure groups the most interesting songs of theirs never make it to YouTube, so I can't play you one of their rockiest and most musically interesting songs, "Sweet Vermouth".  The one that immediately follows it, "Baby Mae", is of course fully available-


-and Ferster has slipped so much into Steven Page's singing voice I thought I was hearing "Brian Wilson" all over again.  The song also illuminates how well a horn section fits into a rock context, a lesson you'd think we already learned from Blood Sweat & Tears but we apparently forgot.  While every member of the band does click Donkey never really raised their voice, perhaps because of their nightclub gig but also due to a wisely laid-back persona reminiscent of the Grand Saturday Night.  This is probably the biggest factor that kept them from the big time - as well as the fact Slick Night Out was released on Georgia-based Steam Records, though I have no evidence they released anything other than this album.  The live recording lacks the booming presence and polish of a bells-and-whistles studio recording, and "Zoot Suit Riot" will always sound better on your car stereo because of equalized, overcranked levels.  Donkey seemed masters of the club stage, and while I'm glad their stuff was captured on disc ripping them from their small pond may have done more damage than good.  I also like that they weren't going for an artificial gloss like the other Swing Revival groups, rather stretching out into their own little groove - and that freedom ensures its relative timelessness, while Swing Revival may seem more and more embarrassing in the future.  Slick Night Out won't become your favorite album or change the way you look at rock, but it's a great CD for your next party and is a welcome alternative to the more dated 90's music that gained more fame in its time.  Take Donkey in slow and deep, like a fine single malt, and you'll do just fine.  And hey, what bar band do you know that got their own music video (before YouTube, of course)?


~PNK

7 comments:

  1. I’m completely blown away…it’s unbelievable to find the most succinct description of Donkey as I have ever read\heard. To find someone who appreciates them as I do and especially one written in 2013! I lucky enough to stumble into a show at the Sapphire Supper Club in Orlando Florida and after that made sure to see them several more times in the 90's. I was blown away by their live performances just as you've outlined. I too have turned on many friends to their music and wished they had produced more. I cherish my two CD's purchased at their shows, thinking I would never find replacements if they were ever ruined. I wonder what happened to T.B. Ferster? Is he playing in other bands, did he record any other music? To me he is as talented as Michael Buble' or Harry Connick Jr! If anyone reads this or knows of where to obtain more Donkey or T.B. Ferster music please drop me a message to moonfish@outlook.com.

    Thank you ~PNK for giving Donkey their due and to turn others onto amazing music and band.

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    1. Thanks! It's comments like this that keep me blogging. I'll be updating this one real soon, I've just been busy with my three other blogs (which are in my bio). If you've got any suggestions for the blog I'd love to hear them.

      Peter

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  2. Must echo Moonfish . . . blown away. Could go on and on about this band, but here it is . . .

    One of the few connections I have on Facebook is Todd Ferster. There are a bunch of postings of his lately alluding to a reunion show in Orlando 4/2/2014. thus here I am.

    When my now wife and I were looking to get married in Blacksburg VA in 1995, we wanted a fun band so we went to the local chapter of my fraternity to inquire about possibilities. The brothers told us to go downtown and see a recent graduate currently managing a bar in the downtown area. He gave us a bunch of demo tapes of potential options - and we were TOTALLY blown away by Donkey. They had issued their two albums at that time so we made CDs or cassettes for everyone and had the most blowout time of any of our friends getting married at that time. What a band! Unfortunately we didn't think to videotape the party but any time a Donkey CD hits the player it is smiles all around. Todd and I both live in the Philadelphia area and I can only hope that this potential reunion is for real!

    PS Peter - you happen to know anything about treehouses being up in Seattle and all?

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  3. So love this band. I saw them so many times here in Atlanta I can't count and was at the live recording of "Slick Night Out".
    Thanks for a great article. And I just heard through the grapevine they are playing here next month.

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  4. Thanks for a good read! Loved this band in the 90s! Anyone recall seeing them play at Johnny's Hideaway? Stoked they are opening for Drivn N Cryin July 25th and July 26th!

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  5. Donkey will headline Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta GA on November 7, 2014!

    https://www.facebook.com/events/1552957721600038/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

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  6. Slick Night Out is still one of my top 5 CD's of all time. I was lucky enough to be invited by their photographer, Nathan Feder, an old high school friend at the last moment and to this day, am grateful that I said yes to the "friend outing" or a "date-date outing" but seeing the band was the best part of the night...Hehe. They transported you to a different time and place when you were at their gig at the Point, definitely their own version of a timepiece on stage. The Slick Night Out CD is great, especially very loud in my car but pales in comparison to seeing their live performance and feeling their energy and chemistry. Front man in his baby blue suit, with his sexy stage persona, sipping from a rocks glass between songs like a true Rat Pack fan was the cherry on top! I would pay big money to see them perform again. They are one of Atlanta's best kept secrets.......unfortunately.

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