Donnas ready to take (it) off

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:12 a.m.

Who: The Donnas with OK Go and the Plus Ones.

When: 7 p.m. Monday.

Where: The Huntridge Theatre.

Tickets: $10 (advance), $12 (day of).

Information: (702)678-6800.

From their amped-up guitars to their sex-laced lyrics, the Donnas are more rock revival than teeny pop.

Yet on one of the band's recent visits to Las Vegas, the four-piece girl group couldn't wait to catch pop music's No. 1 icon in concert.

"We saw Britney Spears there a couple of times, and it was really fun," Donnas bassist Maya Ford (aka "Donna F.") said in a recent phone interview. "It's all entertainment. If it's a good pop song, I don't think you should bash it. Sometimes, you just want good dance music."

That girls-just-want-to-have-fun attitude typifies the Bay Area band's approach, even in the face of its sudden, unexpected success. Riding the wave of last October's chart-climbing album, "Spend the Night," the Donnas play the Huntridge Theatre Monday night at 7 with OK Go and the Plus Ones.

Together for more than 10 years, the Donnas have finally hit it big, moving to a major label, Atlantic; holding down a regular spot on MTV's "Total Request Live" video program and even performing on "Saturday Night Live" last weekend.

But speaking from the back of a New York City taxicab, Ford hardly sounds as if fame has changed her much.

"We've been running around all day power-shopping and eating," Ford, 24, said, laughing. "When we first started our band, we had no idea anything would come of it. I'm really glad that I didn't waste 10 years of my life, that something cool happened."

The Donnas suspected their fortunes had changed for the better when MTV began airing their video for "Take it Off" last year. Until then, Ford had done her best to get the single onto "Total Request Live," even e-mailing the show with a plea for the song.

"Yeah, I voted for myself. And I wrote, 'Donna F. is a great bass player. I want to take her to the prom,' " Ford said. "I was hoping they would scroll that across the screen when they played our video, but they didn't."

Part of the Donnas' appeal is evident from a quick glance at the cover of "Spend the Night." Four attractive women all aged 23 and 24, singer Brett Anderson ("Donna A."), guitarist Allison Robertson ("Donna R."), drummer Torry Castellano ("Donna C.") and Ford are also living proof that women who write their own songs and play their own instruments can sell albums and sell out concert halls.

Listen to the album, and it's also clear why critics are suddenly singing the band's praises after all but ignoring the Donnas' first four studio efforts.

Loaded with catchy hooks, "Spend the Night" also features a string of blunt lyrics -- most of them written by Ford -- dealing with relationships and sex, from a nontraditional female point of view.

Some sample lyrics from "Take it Off:" "Stop starin' at my D cup. Don't waste time. Just give it to me. C'mon baby just feel me up."

The new album also includes songs titled "You Wanna Get Me High," "Please Don't Tease" and "Take Me to the Backseat," all of which leave little to the imagination.

"I write from personal experience, but of course I exaggerate to make things more interesting," Ford said. "And sometimes, something didn't really happen but it's a good rhyme so I'll put that in."

One exaggeration that still follows the band around on tour can be found in "40 Boys in 40 Nights," a track off 2001's "The Donnas Turn 21." The story of a make-out contest between Ford and Castellano, the song inevitably draws comments from male fans hoping to be No. 41.

"The make-out contest was kind of a joke. I made out with some guys, not 40 ... more like five, but it was kind of cool to point at a guy you thought was hot and grab him and force him to make out with you," Ford said. "I was kind of doing it because I was mad at my ex-boyfriend, and it always helps if you have a bottle of Jack Daniel's or something."

If you're surprised at Ford's frankness, you're not alone. The bassist said she and her bandmates are regularly confronted with assumptions about their sex lives, something Ford doubts their male counterparts have to deal with.

"Everyone always asks us if we're big sluts or something," Ford said. "But guys have been singing about stuff like that forever. Guy rock bands ... all their songs are about sex. So why can't we sing about it too? That's one reason we started our band."

It's too soon to tell if the Donnas' atypical approach will translate into long-term success for rock's reigning girl group. But now that they've finally broken through, Ford says the Donnas aren't likely to stray far from their course anytime soon.

"We just like to sing about stuff that's really fun, and we don't want to bring anyone down with political issues or women's rights or anything," Ford said. "We're just a party band, and I don't see us changing that much."

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