The Mellotones
Mike Donkers
Vocals & Guitars
Jaap Lagerweij
Guitars
Mike Sedee
Bass
Lorenzo Hardijzer
Drums
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Mike 'The Kid' Donkers Vocals & Guitars.
Mike Donkers was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands on May 10, 1967. Although he was always listening to music he didn't start playing guitar and singing until he was 18. He knew that he was about 10 years behind on most other players and singers and so he practiced twice as hard! Mike is completely self-taught and for the first five years played rhythm guitar only because in his philosophy chords make a song and solos don't, a philosophy Mike still stands firmly behind. Mike did start playing lead guitar after those first five years but his approach has always remained very rhythmic and rooted in a chordal approach. Mike likes to think himself as kind of a 'non-guitarist' and claims he makes 'sounds' instead of notes. In the ten years he headed Mike & the Mellotones as a Texas blues trio he learned to play rhythm and lead at the same time. Now that the band is a four-piece and is called The Mellotones Mike has added influences from classic and southern rock to his playing, singing and songwriting.
Mike is influenced by many different people, too many to mention, but here's a shortlist:
Guitar influences: Doyle Bramhall II, the Vaughan Brothers, Ronnie Earl, Dave Gonzalez, Paul Kossoff, Duane Allman, Ry Cooder. Basically any rockin' blues player and bluesy rocker with a big tone.
Vocal influences: Doyle Bramhall II, Kim Wilson, Sugar Ray Norcia, Darrell Nulisch, Paul Rodgers, Johnny Van Zant, Greg Allman, Doug Gray. Basically any rockin' blues singer and bluesy rocker with a big voice.
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