When Torry Castellano became the drummer in the all-girl band that would eventually be known as The Donnas, she had no experience on any instrument. Luckily, she turned out to be a fast learner. After renting a drum set and practicing every day in her garage, she and her three bandmates, Brett Anderson, Allison Robertson, and Maya Ford, began playing shows around the Palo Alto, California area when they were still just in middle school under the name Ragady Anne and then The Electrocutes. By the end of high school, they had gained a loyal following of fans and had settled on the name The Donnas. They released their first four albums on Lookout! Records, The Donnas (1998), American Teenage Rock ’N’ Roll Machine (1998), Get Skintight (1999), and The Donnas Turn 21 (2001). They signed with Atlantic Records in 2001.
This hard-rocking girl group broke through with 2002's Spend The Night, a collection of catchy rock riffs, poppy drumbeats, and party-fluff vocal harmonies. The single “Take It Off” became the most popular song on the album, allowing the band to play on MTV's TRL, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and The Late Show With David Letterman.
Riding on the success of Spend The Night, the band has released two other albums, Gold Medal (2004), their last on Atlantic Records, and Bitchin’ (2007), on Purple Feather Records. They have also appeared on numerous soundtracks and in a number of video games.
Castellano's drumming throughout her career with The Donna’s has always been heavily influenced by classic rock and punk rock. She plays mostly fast, simple four-count beats that never stray far from those influences.
—Greg Dawson
Other Gear Vic Firth SD2 sticks, Aquarian heads, Pearl hardware, and Pork Pie throne
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