Gothic Theatre
Thank You Donny
Thank You Donny is a band out of Des Moines, Iowa. They are young Iowans through and through. This matters because, like all young Iowans, they are products of their environment and it gives them a sort of quiet anger. It’s the kind of anger spawned by harsh temperatures, never-ending flatness and beer-drinking boredom… Step outside into an Iowa January night without a coat or stand and look at the flat horizon on a scorching August afternoon when the heat rises in waves and then maybe you’ll understand where these boys are coming from.
There are four of them. Jon Bramhall sings, Ben Bramhall plays guitar, Jay Ludeman plays bass and Brandon is on the drums. They got together because they love music and they are good at making music together. It’s easy to see when they play together.
Fuck it. Maybe this is a better way to explain Thank You Donny.
I was drinking whiskey alone at this bar in Iowa City. The Barmaid was pregnant. I felt bad to smoke in front of her. The bar was empty. In between drinks I’d get up and pump quarters into the jukebox. The music was all right. MUSIC makes things all right. So I was just sitting there in front of the pregnant barmaid listening to songs when a friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a while walked in. He took a seat next me at the bar.
“So what’s the word?” He asked.
“Just drinking. I’m supposed to write this thing for some friends of mine. They’re in a band and I’m supposed to write them up. You know, tell about their band. But all I’m doing is drinking. I can’t think of what to write.” I said.
“Shit, it can’t be that hard.” He said.
“Well, fuck.” I said.
“So who are they? This band?”
“They call themselves Thank You Donny. They’re good.”
“What kind of music do they play?” He asked.
“Well, I’m no music critic and I don’t want to pigeon hole them…But I guess I’d say they’re kind of like angry punk rock with good harmony, or good punk rock with angry harmony, either way, man. But they’re also just Rock n’ Roll. They’re just rock n’ roll in their attitude.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” He asked.
“Okay. Here’s an example. They have band practice in the bassist’s apartment, in Jay’s apartment. The thing about this apartment is that it’s in the same building as a Baptist Mission. They’ve got all their gear set up down there. And they practice like animals, man. They’ve got their shit down tight. I mean, they really know how to play the hell out of their songs. But they share this religious space with the Baptist Mission. And part of me, the drinking part of me, likes to think that they are baptizing themselves in there too. I think they cleanse themselves with beer and loud music.”
“How much have you had to drink?” He asked.
“At any rate, Thank You Donny played at Gabe’s Oasis last spring. And here is what’s rock n’ roll about them…There were only maybe two, three dozen people there. It was their first show at Gabe’s. But Thank You Donny took the stage like they were playing a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Not in a cocky or arrogant way, just a fucking energetic way, you know what I mean?” I lit a cigarette and took a drink. He did the same. I continued…
“Jon was singing into the microphone like the thing wouldn’t sit still and he just wanted it to listen. Ben was playing the hell out of his guitar and singing backup. Jay was keeping things steady on the bass, his head bobbing to the rhythm and every now and again he’d crack a smile at someone in the band. Brandon was immersed in his drum kit, banging away like if he stopped the world might. That’s how they play. They have a good time when they play. They gave off this rambunctious energy. The kind of energy from a band that makes you get up off of your ass and sing and yell and jump. Every song was a highpoint. They were wild, but controlled and damn good. I left that show humming at least three different songs at once. That is what’s rock n’ roll about them. They play their balls off.”
“Sounds like a show I’d like to see.” He said.
“You should.”
“Do they write their own songs?”
“Yeah they do.”
“What about?” He asked.
I thought about his question and ordered another whiskey. The barmaid was still pregnant and I was still drunk.
“Okay, you asked me what they write their songs about. Well, they write their songs about things in life. I mean it’s not too deep and its not too shallow. They write about drinking too much. They write about feeling stuck in a place. They write about being young. They write about girls and how much trouble girls can cause. They write about things in life.”
“Like what in Life? What do you mean?” He asked.
“Specifically?” I asked.
“Specifically.” He said.
“All right, they play this song called Des Moines…And I know you’re not from Des Moines, but their song about it is right on the money. I guess its about loving and hating something at the same time.”
“Ah, I get it.” He said.
I’m not sure which one of us was bullshitting the other at this point. We both sat there with our drinks in front us. I lit another cigarette and looked at the barmaid. She was sitting in a makeshift chair on the floor behind the bar. Her belly was protruding beneath her shirt. I didn’t feel like making her get up. I drained my glass and hummed the refrain to Des Moines in my head.
“All right, man, I’ve got to get going.” I said.
“But you shouldreally check them out. Their name is Thank You Donny. They’re good.”
“They sound cool.” He said.
“They are.”
