Artist description Sprite vocal harmony over an acoustic/electric instrumental blend, woven with a powerful percussive thread to defy the boundaries of musical genre...four souls worship at the altar of melody. Don't Ask is continually forging new original music out of the fires of imagination and experience. From the flames of Waco and Sarajevo to the wiles of the wombat, indulge in a feast of thoughtfully crafted songs courtesy of Todd Christoffel, songwriter extraordinaire, Crispin Faget, meister of guitar and vocal embellishments, Doug Aslin, indefatigable tanner of skin and cymbal and Allison Roberts, purveyor of vox and hand percussion.

Music Style pop/folk/rock

Musical Influences melodic songwriters

Similar Artists Lennon/McCartney , James Taylor , Paul Simon, Elton John, Crosby Stills Nash, Eagles, Dan Fogelberg,Jim Croce, Ian Anderson, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Barenaked Ladies.

Artist History In the early 90s, Todd Christoffel and Crispin Faget formed String Theory with the concept of performing and recording the music they were creating. Over the following years other musicians passed through the ranks and added their talents to the voices and guitars of the two founding members. In 1996 one of these musical gypsies, Doug Aslin, decided to put down roots and incorporate his fine percussive skills into the mix. With a new member and new sound came a new name - Don't Ask (Inspired by the standard refrain to the question "What kind of music do you play?"). In the new milennium Allison Roberts, an accomplished vocalist and percussionist, became the most recent addition. Don't Ask continues to perform in the Seattle area and has recorded two compact discs. The music is ever evolving and revolving around the twin pillars of originality and melody.

Group Members TODD CHRISTOFFEL Born in Chicago, Todd got his first taste of songwriting while making up irreverent lyrics to hymns which he belted out in Catholic church. As a youngster, he remembers his grandfather weeping while he serenaded him with Christmas carols (Was he really bad or really good?). Todd is self-taught and influenced by melodic songwriters such as the Beatles, Paul Simon, Elton John and the like. Todd has lived in Seattle for over 20 years now, has an amazing lack of stage fright and has written songs for as long as he can remember. These songs take up a tremendous amount of his limited gray matter. CRISPIN FAGET A native of New Orleans, Crispin bonded with the guitar in his early teens and developed his musical skills without formal training. Despite a southern residency, his influences were British, notably Wishbone Ash, Barclay James Harvest and British blues a la Eric Clapton and John Mayall. In 1989 Crispin moved to Seattle and soon became a founding member of Don't Ask. An occasional songwriter, his primary contribution to the band is the guitar, embellishing the songs with melodic accompaniment and solos. Additionally, he performs the vital function of capo position enforcement, citing (name withheld) for numerous infractions. Crispin has more than enough stage fright to offset Todd's lack thereof but nothing a couple of pints and an appreciative audience can't cure. DOUG ASLIN When he was young, Doug was an aspiring trombonist. As luck would have it, he knocked out his teeth in a bicycle accident and fate handed him drum sticks instead (Not to worry, he has teeth today). Thus began his drumming career at age 8. A Northwest native, Doug joined Don't Ask in 1996. Influenced by the perfected art of Dave Weckle, Dennis Chambers and William Kennedy, he takes a minimalist approach to the band's music. His role, as he will tell you, is to drive the group with subtle nuance, to get down when necessary, and embellish the melody at all cost. ALLISON ROBERTS As a native of Detroit, Allison's early influences come directly from Motown, thus her love of lush vocal harmonies and precise rhythms. Her first musical instruments were given to her by her mom; a percussion set for her fifth birthday. Particularly memorable were those groovy wooden blocks covered with sandpaper. However, she left percussion behind to sing in school choirs and explore the dances of the time, becoming the first kid on her block to master the latest dance craze, the Mashed Potatoes. She later moved on to guitar, performing in small groups. Allison moved to Seattle in 1992 but it wasn't until the year 2000 that her rhythmic roots came to the fore once again. She dabbled in Afro-Cuban drumming and settled on hand percussion, playing a wide variety of shakers (they all sound different!) and a veritable multitude of other percusion instruments. Allison is very pleased to be the newest member of Don't Ask as of spring 2002, providing vocal harmony and hand percussion. By the way, she can still do the Mashed Potatoes and still has a set of those groovy wooden blocks covered in sandpaper.

Instruments Acoustic and electric guitars, drums and hand percussion.

Albums There's a Monkey in My Grape (1999); Nothing (2002)

Press Reviews Don't Ask There's a Monkey in My Grape #DA52355, Wily Wombat Wecords, PO Box 9599 Seattle, WA 98109 One of the bands that can be found on www.mp3.com these days is Washington's own Don't Ask. Comprised of Todd Christoffel,who writes most of the group's material, Crispin Faget,guitar, and Doug Aslin,drums,with There's a Monkey in My Grape, Don't Ask offers a mix of acoustic and electric pop. Christoffel is a powerful and thoughtful lyricist,who creates vivid images, as can be found in tunes like "Highway's End":"In the cool sunshine,just a dream away,just around the bend, as the clouds drift past, down the highway." Faget offers some fine tunes as well, particularly his tale of the passing of childhood, and the trials of adulthood, "Can it be?" Aslin's percussion provides just the right amount of rhythm behind Faget's guitar. Founding members Christoffel and Faget have been playing together since the late 1980s and it shows. Together, their voices blend as though they were brothers. There's a Monkey in My Grape is an album that is fun, well produced, and shows the talents of these fine musicians. Great stuff! (Allen Price)

Additional Info BUY NEWEST RELEASE

Location Seattle, WA - USA

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