Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s featured selection, The Donettes, are one of the artists performing at the 23rd Annual Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball, running this Thursday through Saturday, September 23-25, at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. Their featured song today “Shut Your Mouth” is a new song by The Donettes found only on the Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball Volume 7, which will be available at the Ball.
Beginning back in 1999 as an all-female rockabilly band, The Donettes grew into a full quartet with Rebecca Kimberling’s silky smooth vocals paired perfectly on-stage by Jonathan Stuart on guitar, Kirsten Ballweg on bass, and Tom Forster on drums. While the Seattle group was definitely known as a hard-hitting rockabilly band, they also threw their fair share of country blues and jazz in the mix as well. After lead singer Rebecca Kimberling moved to Austin, the band went on hiatus. Without Rebecca, the other three band members also perform as The Black Crabs, a band originally built to back Wanda Jackson and who have played the Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball previously. This year, though, The Donettes have reunited for the Ball finale this Saturday night, 9/25, and are ready to rip it up!
You can find out more about the band and listen to additional tracks on their MySpace page. Here they are performing at Seattle’s Chop Suey back in 2006:
