Donny Toronto
Donny Toronto is a solo project from Massachusetts based songwriter Steve Volante with a lot of collaboration from former bandmates Rose O’Malley (Diuretic, The Beeps), Carrie Furniss and Travis Hagan (Pleaser, Carrie’s Fantasy). This project is the first musical endeavor since Steve became a parent. “I played bass in Boston with Rosie and the Rosies and later with Patty Melt but everyone moved away and I had a couple kids so didn’t play shows for a while” says Steve.
The project draws from a range of influences including Emmylou Harris, Guided By Voices, Damien Jurado, and The Drive by Truckers.
“2025 was a year of immense personal loss for me, my family and my friends. It was a year of misery, exhaustion, longing, confusion, anger, remorse, with a few attempts at levity sprinkled in for good measure. That said, I didn’t set out to make something that will spread despair around or drag the listener down. What ended up coming out was an attempt at relating the slog through grief and all it entails. It felt like the only honest way to communicate in the face of inevitability this past year. When you’re constantly trying to convince those around you (your kids, your family) that everything will be OK it’s good to have a place to hide sometimes.”
Donny Toronto’s debut was recorded at home in the beginning of the year on a 4-track Fostex. The sessions were shaped by a period of personal loss, with the songs addressing grief as an ongoing process rather than a fixed subject. Recording and mixing took place over a concentrated period, including a weekend of work with O’Malley. Additional contributions from Furniss and Hagan appear on select tracks. The project was completed with informal feedback from close collaborators and support from family, allowing the material to be developed with intention and sensitivity over time. “Without all of them this wouldn’t exist and I am incredibly grateful for that”.
Donny Toronto’s debut The Natural is releasing May 15th on Strange Mono Records with proceeds benefitting Cradles to Crayons, a Boston based clothing distributor for kids facing clothing insecurity.
Contact
Booking: steve.volante1[at]gmail.com