About Me
BOSTON HERALD: "The Country Queen of Boston" // GIRLS-WORLD 2000: "The Grande Dame of Austin Music" // AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN: "Austin's Underground Country Queen" // "Miss Xanna Don't does. Sing great, that is." / "rousing" / "unique country sound" / "...fiery twang vibe that has won fans over from Emo's to Cibolo Creek Country Club to gay pride rallies." // SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS: "Though it may take awhile for her to be crowned the country queen of Texas, Miss Xanna appears to be well on her way to becoming at least a princess. She certainly has taste and style...and has hair that will make my mother-in-law jealous. What's not to love?" / "a powerful singer who also knows how to say something through her songs" / "Patsy Cline fronting Rev. Horton Heat" / "magnificent beehive hairdo" / "a natural honky-tonk singer" / "...you'll not want to miss the fiery alternative/honky tonk of Xanna Don't and her band." / "Xanna's hair is awesome, her voice as crying as it gets, her song selection - original and cover - nothing short of inspired." / "for everyone who's interested in the twang of Edge City honky-tonk" / "country music that would make most Nashville denizens blanch" / "huge head of hair and a voice to match" / "Miss Don't, whose hair is about all enough to make the Tower of the Americas nervous, can belt out tunes ala Patsy Cline while the band drives songs with a distinct punk edge. In short, Don't & the Wanted are big fun." / "honky-tonk princess" / "big hair and voice" // AMERICAN AIRLINES AMERICAN WAY: "Miss Xanna Don't is hard to miss. She has beautiful eyes and white porcelain skin. But what really makes her stand out, aside from her stilleto heels, is her black beehive hairdo, a foot to a foot and half high 'depending on the weather.'" / "Judge was looking for the fabled 'Texas big-hair look'...Miss Xanna was perfect."// 1994 and 1997 South By Southwest Showcasing Artist // 2000 Indiegrrl SXSW Showcasing Artist // 2001 South By Southwest Showcase Co-Producer // 'ZINE: How I spent six years of my life in the underground and finally...found myself...I think: Book By Pagan Kennedy, p.128, "I hoped heads would turn as I entered the club, people would whisper, fans would crowd me. This is what happens (sort of) when I go to Primal Plunge events, because (if I may flatter myself) I'm a wacky Allston character almost on the scale of Xanna Don't." // THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE: Best of 1996 / "In a town where country singers are as common as cell phones and tech jobs, female country singers may begin and end with [Susanna] Van Tassel and Miss Xanna Don't." / "You wonder if Patsy's getting jealous in hillbilly heaven." / "Beehives never looked so good." / "the best head of hair in town, hands down" / "go for the hair but stay for the sweet as strychnine ballads aimed straight at your heart" / "Don't twists classic barroom country with gender-bending muscle reminiscent of k.d.lang, and then some." / "None of the recent compilations of local 'new country' bands have seen fit to include Miss Xanna Don't, which likely means she's doing something really offbeat and therefore really worth watching." // MUSIC CITY TEXAS: "very impressive" // TEXAS TRIANGLE [Austin/Houston]: "The former Country Queen of Boston has built quite a following here. Check her out and find out why." / "pushing the limits of country music" / "mixes punk with Patsy Cline and her classically trained voice with a rockabilly sensibility" / "outstanding" // FAG RAG [Austin, Dallas & San Antonio]: BEST OF 1996. / "This girl can really get your attention, so don't miss her." / "...a classically trained singer who belts out rockabilly 'til you can't sit!" // DIRTYWATER.COM: "Miss Xanna Don't did much, from 1988 to 1993, to bring country music back to a Boston rock audience."// BOSTON GLOBE: "[one of] Boston's most respected musical minds" / "Her role in introducing country-rock to the local scene cannot be underestimated." / "a Patsy Cline heart with a punk rock attitude" / Top 10 Records of 1991 / "country diva" / "heck of a voice" / "strong impact" / "she's got the voice and the beehive" / "bright, winsome" / "one gets the real thing" / "Miss Xanna Don't as Mary Magdalene will rip your heart out." / "soaring" / "convincing" / "jaw dropping" / "Xanna Don't scores as Mary" // EAST COAST ROCKER: "Her voice is splendid, soothing, and melodic; her music is uplifting, sincere and country. Yes, country." / "powerful" / "intriguing" / "a very cool country act" // BOSTON ROCK: "Aqua Net goddess of the midnight hour" / "great, spirited vocal performances" / [S]he is a self-made starlet, a diva with spurs, a cowboy queen. // BOSTON PHOENIX: "star quality" / "golden throated" / "country diva" / "a mighty voice and a sincere feel for the music" / BOSTON PHOENIX READERS' POLL Nominee '89, '90, '91, '92, '93, Winner Best Country Act '90--"And the Best National Country Act was again won by k.d. lang, at this point still pure country and semicloseted. Not the case with our Best Local Country Act, Miss Xanna Don't, currently raising hell and eyebrows in Austin."// BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS Nominee '89, '90, '91, '92, '93 // THE FINE PRINT: "The Susan Lucci of The Boston Music Awards" // THE NOISE: "Boston rock's girl-next-door" / "cowboy diva" / "beautiful voice" / Voted Female Personality of The Year '89, Nominated Best Vocals '90, '91, '92 and Winner Best Female Vocalist '93. // STUFF MAGAZINE: "Her voluminous voice sounds built for country." / "an inspiration" // BAY WINDOWS: "deserves a yee-haw!" // P.S. NORTH SHORE [pre-teen newsletter]: "Miss Don't wails like a contralto banshee!" // THE LOWELL SUN: "bouncy and enthusiastic originals with the emphasis on original" / "open sincere performing style--a far cry from the sequins and banality of other country women" // THE TAB: "diva-esque" / "compelling voice" METRONOME: "Don't has proved herself both indomitable and resilient." / "refreshing" / "great stuff" / "an eye opener" / "inimitable" / "You've got to love this gal." // NO DEPRESSION: "...buy this single."... // YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING: "legendary diva-with-spurs-cowboy-queen" NMI NOUVEAU MUSICAL ET INTERACTIF (France) (translation): "...'97 South By Southwest was a sold out Saturday evening show with performers such as the extraordinary and attractive Miss Xanna Don't & The Wanted from Austin." / "...flaunts herself in a hair-style from the 18th century." / "a mix of bluegrass and Hillbilly swing" / "...a member of a fascinating trio of friends including Candye Kane and her pianist, Sue Palmer" / "We will be hearing from Miss Xanna in the months to come..." // ROCK'N'REEL (Great Britain): "gutsy vocal performance" // AUSTIN CITYSEARCH.COM 1998: "The only thing's that certain is "Death & Texas." This song sums up the cheeky appeal of Miss Xanna Don't & the Wanted. Featuring Xanna's ethereal vocals in a "devil went down to Georgia" style competition with the lead guitar, it was included on the Triggerfish compilation CD "L'Austin, Space." A staple in Austin's alt punk scene with her mile-high hair and heart-felt country crooning, Miss Don't bleeds every drop of emotion possible from her insightful original songs. Don't let the glam-trash image fool you, this little gal can effortlessly evoke the spirit of Roy Orbison with her long lonesome wail." LYCOS.COM: "Smart and sassy tunes from a woman who's been doing the alt-country thing for over a decade now." //
BIO: The Boston Years: In the late 1980s/early 1990s, Miss Xanna Don't was unequivocally considered Boston's premiere original trail-blazing, alternative-country musical act. In 1992, she performed opening night at Silverado, Boston's first country & western nightclub in over a decade. As a result, she was photographed for the cover of the Boston Sunday Herald Magazine. But it was by establishing herself in rock'n'roll nightclubs, art museums, galleries, and other unconventional venues, that Miss Xanna Don't is credited with bringing the alternative-country genre to Boston audiences. More info on her Boston years can be found at The New England Music Scrapbook.
Everything's Big In Texas: In 1994, Xanna moved to Austin, Texas, where she was soon chosen to represent the city of Austin at the South by Southwest Music Conference. Following her South by Southwest debut, Xanna performed at Austin's highest-profile venues, including Liberty Lunch, Emo's, Hole In The Wall, Austin Music Hall, La Zona Rosa, and The Electric Lounge, and regionally throughout Texas. She was selected for South By Southwest again in 1997 and was chosen to perform at the launch of Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Network in San Antonio in 2000.
The A-List: Miss Xanna has performed at such prestigous venues as CBGB's and The Bitter End in New York City, and throughout New England and Texas. She's opened for and performed with national acts including: Lucinda Williams, Southern Culture on The Skids, Kentucky Headhunters, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mojo Nixon, The Bottle Rockets, The Old '97's, Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Doug Stone, The Del Fuegos, Kinky Friedman, The Beat Farmers, Rick Danko, Don Walser, Killbilly, David Bromberg, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dave Mason, Trout Fishing In America, Kennedy-Rose, Phoebe Legere, Treat Her Right, Morphine, Wayne "The Train" Hancock, Don Walser, The Derailers, The Ex-Husbands, Scud Mountain Boys, The Impotent Sea Snakes, El Vez, The Damnations, The Gourds, Lou Ann Barton, Pansy Division, and Devo.
The Pen Is Mightier Than Bar Chat: Starting as a features writer for The Fine Print in Cambridge, MA, Xanna has been published several times by TechnoDyke.com. Some of her features include a review of the lesbian love flick "But I'm A Cheerleader", a two-part extensive review of The Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival 2000, and a feature on the performance series "Throws Like A Girl". A short stint in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2002/2003 resuming her writing and publication of her celebrated newsletter, Don't Label It!, led to a career as a recap writer for "One Life To Live" (Emmy Winner, Best Daytime Drama 2002) for SoapCentral.com. She composed the site's monthly Whaddya Think? poll for OLTL in 2003 as well.
The Envelope, Please: Five consecutive nominations in her hometown gave her the title of The Susan Lucci of The Boston Music Awards, although The Boston Phoenix awarded her Best Country Act in 1990. She also won Best Female Vocalist and Best Female Personality in Boston's local underground music rag, The Noise. In The Austin Chronicle, Miss Xanna's band made Fall 1995's Critics Picks and, in 1996, received a specially created "Best Tease" award for her infamous beehive hairdo in their annual Best Of issue. (Xanna's famous hairdo is constructed of her own natural hair, and she styles it herself in only about 30 minutes.) Miss Xanna debuted the "Fresh Blood" column in the Austin American-Statesman's XLent supplement. In the Texas-wide gay publication The Fag Rag, Xanna was chosen as a "Best of 1996" pick in their year-end issue. She was the first to co-host the popular Flashback Lunch radio show at the invitation of 101.X-Austin's program director (subsequent co-hosts included Howard Jones and IggyPop). Her full press kit is over 100 favorable pages of true published articles from established, respected print media.
We Are Family, I've Got All My Sisters With Me: In 1997, Miss Xanna created a live music series for female performers at Austin's only lesbian nightclub, Sister's Edge, garnering the club a favorable review in The Austin American-Statesman. She worked for the Lesbian & Gay Rights Lobby of Texas booking and promoting their annual events, including Gay Pride 1995, 1996, and 1997. She even performed for Gay Pride in Waco, Texas! She has also done volunteer work, including performing, for The Sims Foundation, an Austin-based entity providing low cost mental health referrals to musicians. In June, 2000, Xanna booked and produced the live music event portion of the KOOP Stonewall Media Festival. With nine performing acts from Chicago, Kansas, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Houston, and Austin, it is thought to be the first national showcase of all-gay bands ever held in Austin, Texas. Xanna's proudest accomplishment for her community was the creation and co-production of South By Southwest's first-ever official gay music showcase, featuring Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls, The Butchies, and Melissa Ferrick, in March, 2001. The show sold-out-to-capacity Austin's largest gay nightclub, Rainbow Cattle Company, and was mentioned in The New York Times. She continues to strive for the acceptance of openly gay artists.
And, Action!: In 1998, Xanna tapped into central Texas' blossoming feature film industry. She performed as a movie extra for the Mike Judge cult film "Office Space", and as a featured extra with Lili Taylor in the Toni Kalem film "A Slipping Down Life" (SDL), which debuted at Sundance and was released theatrically nationwide in 2004. SDL can now be seen on several cable channels, including IFC. Always one for a good laugh, Xanna appeared on the Jenny Jones Show in 1999--the topic: Most Outrageous Hair, of course. She is also the only white cast member in a 30-minute PSA written and directed by noted author and TV personality Angela Shelf-Medearis on the rise of HIV in the African-American community. She garnered a principal role and a featured musical performance in the indie feature film, "Rowdy Round-Up: Night of The Killer Pinatas" (RRNKP), in post-production.
Notes (As in the Musical Variety): Miss Xanna Don't performs with acoustic accompaniment and with a full band. Her musical repertoire includes original material composed by notable published songwriters such as Dan Zanes, Alan Estes, Tom Russell & Katy Moffat, Phil Milstein, Asa Brebner (Johnathan Richman/Robin Lane & The Chartbusters), Frank Pugliese (The Sons of Hercules), and John Felice (The Real Kids). Xanna's seven-inch vinyl release called "The Ode To Punk Single" on At-A-Glance Records met with favorable reviews, including praises from No Depression magazine. Xanna also appears on four compilation CD's: "Boston Gets Stoned", a Rolling Stones tribute produced by Jimmy Miller; "L'Austin, Space ", a compilation CD of Austin-based acts from the Triggerfish label (Germany); "North By Northeast", a record chosen by The Boston Globe as one of the Top 10 Records of 1991, holding lofty company with national releases for that year by REM, U2, and Bonnie Raitt); her last compilation CD appearance is entitled, Dropped on The Head, Volume 1 (2003), on Illbilly Records based in Blue Ridge, Georgia (she's the only female artist on the disc). Xanna's most ambitious solo release, a self produced CD-EP called "The Cowboy Chronicles" (2001) sold out.
Coming Soon: SATANVILLE REVISITED, a retrospective of her early work, including six tracks produced by Sean Slade (Radiohead, Hole); Xanna's fictional movie band, The Satellite Ponies, will appear on the soundtrack to RRNKP; and a gay pride compilation CD called Loud and Proud, to be distributed by MusicZombie.com, will emerge in 2008. Xanna is currently recruiting musicians and new material in her new home base of Atlanta, Georgia, where she also teaches voice lessons to rappers.
