I was intrigued to learn more about the band and it's history by talking with Donnie. Incredible gigs, musical family members, a solid new lineup and new music are just a few of the things that have enabled Absolutely Not to continue thriving. We're psyched to have them join the roast this year!
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| Absolutely Not, staring into the light |
I couldn't help but notice two band members share the same last name, Moore. Is there a family relationship in the band? And how did the band start?
You are correct! That little lady on the keys is my sister. We are like The Osmonds or The Partridge Family, just more mentally unstable.
As far as how it started... well, I started recording Absolutely Not songs alone in my apartment in Florida circa 2005. At that time I was playing in a band that wasn't really what I wanted to do musically, to say the least, so I wanted to create a solo project. I slowly started playing the songs for family and friends and they all seemed to enjoy it enough for me to start looking for a live band!
You guys have landed some great gigs, including opening up for Thee Oh Sees. I noticed in this video (watch it here) there seem to be more than 3 people on stage. Has there been a few changes in lineup or structure of the band? Are you liking the three piece setup you have now?
I have been very lucky with landing some great gigs. Thee Oh Sees are a fantastic band and fantastic people. That was probably my favorite show. A very close second would be opening for Menomena, they're a fantastic band as well.
Since Absolutely Not is technically my solo project, the line-up changed quite a bit during the first few years I was playing shows. When I started out in Florida, I ended up having two of my dear friends play shows with me until I started to realize that Florida might not be the best place for Absolutely Not (haha). I moved to Chicago about a year later and reformed the band with new friends that I had made in the city. We played together for about 2 years and then they both eventually moved out of Chicago. At that point I wasn't sure what to do, so I just had whoever was available from my circle of musician friends play gigs with me. A few months later, my sister finally made her concrete plans to join me in Chicago. She had been a fan of Absolutely Not from the beginning, so who would be better suited for the band!? Once she got here, we found a little baby drumming angel, Jenna Horwath, who was playing in an AMAZING band at the time called Heart Shaped Hate. I knew after I saw her play for the first time that I would want to try to get her to drum for me eventually, and luckily she agreed! So now for the first time in 6 years, I've got Absolutely Not just the way I've always wanted and needed it to be.
I really like the Extended EP. It seems you've been a band since 2006, have there been other releases I've missed? Who's on the cover of Extended? Anything coming out soon?
Thanks, I'm very proud of "Extended". It is actually the 3rd album I've released, and the first to feature other people playing with me (Madison on keys, Jenna on drums). I stopped selling the older EP's because I plan on re-recording or re-packaging the good songs from the first two albums at a later date. As far as new material goes, I hope to have the new 7 song EP, "Mister Something," out by fall. We just started playing some of the songs that will be on "Mister Something" at recent shows, and they seem to be getting a good response from people, so that's awesome!
Absolutely Not - I Don't Want To Get Married On A JumboTron by RockPigRoastChi
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