Minneapolis songwriter Taylor James Donskey’s new song ‘What Do You Think (of love)’ is the first single from his upcoming rock-infused album ‘Joy Ride.‘ It’s a song that addresses more than just the traditional romantic – or lustful – love that might come to mind, as it asks more abstract questions about motivations to pursue passions “you don’t sing that sad old song for diamonds or for gold” and queries the listener’s stance on a more general ability to live a life infused with love “in this cold world.” Good questions all, and the answers are likely to involve compromises all over the place despite the tendency to align with Donskey’s impassioned championing of this most positive of emotions. As he says of the song it is “about letting the little things go and embracing what might be your next beautiful chapter. Whatever happens next, you’ll still be you.”
Raised in La Crosse, Wisconsin and influenced by his time in the Driftless Region, Taylor James Donskey picked up the bass at 14 and began his life as a sideman. He played in pop punk bands and school jazz combos. He sang in choirs and played trumpet, trombone, percussion and most importantly, the bass. This led him to playing paid gigs in high school, sitting in with his uncle’s cover band playing music by Bowie, Petty, Harrison and McCartney. It left its mark he says: “a lot of that music had incredible bass lines like I’d never really heard. It really inspired me.” Recognizing his talent, his uncle gave him a Sigma acoustic guitar. “He bought it in the seventies, and I’ve continued to play it. A relentless old companion, it’s followed me wherever I go, and it is the instrument from which many of my songs have grown.”
