This past Friday night, a new wave of country and jam fusion music took a historic downtown theater by storm. Daniel Donato and his self-branded “Cosmic Country” music took the main stage at Taft Theatre and brought in thousands of his best-dressed fans. The band features the frontman, Donato, on his electric guitar, as well as Will McGee on bass and vocals, using both a stand-up bass as well as a bass guitar, Nathan Aronowitz on keyboard, guitar and vocals, and finally, Will Clark on drums and vocals. With all four members bringing a different tone of voice, the range that the band possesses is quite remarkable. The musical sound, though, is what takes the headlines for new and returning fans.
Donato and his crew are some of the first to take the fusion of old country twang and add the modern jam band/Americana feel to it. They extend each of their studio songs as well as other classics into their own flavor of jam band music, taking each tune well over the 10-minute mark in continuous play.
As it goes with most bands of this variety, every set is unique and you rarely hear even the same two songs played together. Friday night featured the fan favorite, “Lose Your Mind,” from Donato’s most recent album Reflector. Those in attendance also got to hear the band’s take on the ever-famous Johnny Cash tune, “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.”
The night brought about incredible excitement and enjoyment from the fan base as the band delivered another electric evening of Southern twang and heavy guitar jams, totaling nearly three full hours of music. Donato and his new wave of Cosmic Country are only in the beginning stages of growth, but as the band travels the country, they continue to gain new fans with their live performances.
This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.