JeeWee Donkers profile picture

JeeWee Donkers

About Me

Guitarist JeeWee "Junior" Donkers is not an unknown in the music scene of Wageningen and surroundings; he has been playing in the salsa jazz formation Worst van Walraven for more than seven years.
"Junior's" roots are clearly in the blues: greats like the three Kings and Eric Clapton are amongst his idols, as was Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler. In a later stage the music of Jimi Hendrix made him familiar with more varied styles, including improvisation. Finally Pat Metheny pointed him into the direction of jazz. This resulted in the formation of the successful jazz group Douleur Locale in 1993, which had a repertoire of jazz and ethnic originals.
Even though JeeWee has been reportedly playing in Big Bands and loud blues jam sessions, he has been developing his own style of solo accompaniment, inspired by Joe Pass, Gil Dor and Tuck Andress. This style has proved to be very appropriate in small ensembles like TwoGetherness and the brazilian bossa-nova trio Sotaque.
The past few years his interests have developed into writing and recording original material, instrumental as well as vocal. As he continues to peform live with TwoGetherness he is at the same time pursuing a singer-songwriter career with Live Poets Society
Musical Track record
2007-present. Live Poets Society - Singer-songwriter project with JeeWee on vocals and guitar.

1995-present TwoGetherness - jazzy pop/poppy jazz duo.

December 2008: featured in Editor's Big Eight in Guitar Player Magazine
2007. Lead Guitarist in The Who's Rock Opera "Tommy", with Musical Club Sempre Sereno

2001-2002 Tex Mex Nightmare - world music = folk music = good music = sad music

1988-2000 Worst van Walraven - Partyfunksalsabop with beautiful moments

1997-98. Semicidal Tendencies - PowerPop

1994-1998 Guest soloist with a.o. Ad Jeuken Band, Paint it Black, Bullfrog Blues Machine

1996. Douleur Encore - experimental jazz/world music trio - quintet

1995-96. Big Band Utrecht

1990-96. Stegeman Trio (Worst van Walraven's sidekick act) - guitar, two horns; jazz

1995. Foursome - Powerpop

1993-95. Douleur Locale - experimental jazz/world music quartet

1991-95. Sotaque - Braziliaans bossa-nova trio (vocal/horn/guitar)

1994. Workshop Ensemble Improvisation (led by Michiel Braam)

1992-93. The Medley Gang - transvestite music theatre

1991. No More Madonna's - feminist music theatre involving Heleen vd Hombergh

1989-91. Central Heat Big Band , Heelsum, the Netherlands

1989-90. Kaketoo - Surinam Latin Rock

1990. Spastic Plastic - jazz & jazzrock

1988-90. Combo acc. Youth Choir Voces Pacis (Heelsum) - Gospel

1988. Workshop Surinam Jazz (led by Kenrick Guenther)

1987-88. Plastic Eggs - Blues & Rock collegeband

1985. High School Graduation Band. GSGenderdal Eindhoven, the Netherlands

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/27/2006
Band Website: www.sugarbeat.nl/jeewee/
Band Members:

Just me, myself and I :-)


JeeWee Donkers on SellaBand

How to make a jeewee
Ingredients:
3 parts competetiveness
3 parts self-sufficiency
3 parts beauty
Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add a little lustfulness if desired!
Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.comMyspace Layouts by Pimp-My-Profile.com


Influences: Inspiration.
The mystical and magical phenomenon generating an unmistakeable and never ending flow of creative energy. What inspires me? Who inspires me? The mere existence of people and places is enough to light the spark of creation. In the end it all comes down to love. Finding love, losing it, the love for a new born life, the loss of a loved one.. The energy of love ties all things and thoughts together and inspires to create the new.
Learn to Love - Live to Love - Love to Live
My ultimate goal is to move someone with my music, preferably in a positive manner. To me, there's no bigger compliment than someone telling me that listening to my music made them feel good, or at least a little bit better.
Throughout my musical career I have come to love many musicians and styles. I learned from all of them in what I call "the Miles Davis Way": learn everything, forget you learned it, and it will all come back to you when you need it. Effectively I sucked up everything I could lay my hands or ears on, integrated it into my playing, making it part of me, not just my vocabulary. After more than twenty years of playing the guitar I still learn to love new things, and they sneak into my playing alltogether.
Influences
Pat Metheny
PTR Donkers
Miles Davis
Tommy Emmanuel
Gil Dor
Tuck Andress
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Satriani
Eric Clapton
Mark Knopfler
Carlos Santana
Steve Vai
Wayne Shorter
John Scofield

Sounds Like: In the words of Michael Molenda (Chief Editor Guitar Player Magazine) as featured in the December 2008 issue:
(Commenting on 'Love, I Presume') "Donkers' thick and articulate tone is so clear, sad and insistent that it shot right through my speakers to command my rapt attention. His evocative touch really brings melodies to life, and a sick bend, a surprising stylistic twist, or a dynamic shift keeps things from getting too sweet. Awesome."
Here's a couple of video examples:

Record Label: Anybody..? ;-)
Type of Label: Unsigned

My Blog

JeeWee's crash course in Guitar Amplifier Philosphy

What is JeeWee using to get his Monster Guitar Tone? What made him decide to use certain brands and makes of guitar amplifiers? Is he using amplifiers anyway, or is he faking them with a... computer??...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:54:00 GMT

New Live Poets Society videos

Hi all,I just posted three new Live Poets Society videos from our gig last wednesday on the Poets' space: www.myspace.com/livepoetssocietynl. Please go check 'em out and tell us what you think about t...
Posted by on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:03:00 GMT

the urge of songwriting

I've been going through quite some changes lately. I don't know whether this has to do with the fact that I'm over - erm - forty now and starting my second youth or something. I don't know, but fact h...
Posted by on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:18:00 GMT

New songs uploaded @ Live Poets Society

Hi all!This is just to inform you that I've just uploaded three brand new recordings of songs I wrote for Live Poets Society, the vehicle for my singer songwriter ambitions. ;-)Take time for a listen,...
Posted by on Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:58:00 GMT

JeeWee's Guitar Player feature

Allright, it took me some time to get to the details - Europe lagging a while behind the US - but here it is, in Michael Molenda's own words: 'Donkers' thick and articulate tone is so clear...
Posted by on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:48:00 GMT

JeeWee chosen in Guitar Player Magazine's Top Eight

Dearly beloved, This morning - still drowzy and barely recovered from a flu - I received an email from Guitar Player Magazine's chief editor Michael Molenda. Good news! I was personally picked by Mic...
Posted by on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:27:00 GMT

TwoGetherness 1 in Dutch internet jazz chart

Last August TwoGetherness has reached the top position in MusicFrom.nl's Jazz Chart with their version of Thé Lau's song "In Vrijheid" (In Freedom). TwoGetherness jumped from 7th to 1st in that month....
Posted by on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:36:00 GMT

Live Poets Society opening fotr the Golden Earring?

Hi All, Today I got the message: LPS is entering the competition for opening for the Golden Earring on sep 6th in Ede, my hometown.In an open stage contest we will compete with 11 other local bands to...
Posted by on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:55:00 GMT

New Song: No one compares with you

Hi all, Just wanted to inform you about my new song "No one compares with you", written and recorded last few weeks. Check out my profile or on my website, where you can find multiple versions and int...
Posted by on Thu, 15 May 2008 02:20:00 GMT

Les Paul, BFG (Best Fucking Guitar)

Being a long time strat-addict, I have gone through some interesting changes lately. Admitted, I was never too fond about the bridge pickup of a strat for lead tones, but I can allways be caught pants...
Posted by on Sat, 05 May 2007 06:38:00 GMT