BIO

James Stephen Donica, is from the San Fernando Valley in California.   He attended Cal State Northridge and under the tutelage of Gary Pratt he eventually became a member of CSUN’s “-A- band”. From Northridge Donica would be recruited by the late great Maynard Ferguson for two US tours and from a seedy Hollywood nightclub by the late great Joe Strummer for a tour of England and Scotland with “Joe Strummer AND THE Latino Rockabilly War”. He can be heard with the later on Trash City and Permanent Record.  Upon return a road-weary Donica decided to further formalize his education by earning a degree in Jazz Studies from the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

An eclectic bassist/composer, he plays venues in NYC from the West Village to Broadway to Lincoln Center as well as major cities across the US. Throughout his career he has played with the finest performers including, Chita Rivera, Joe Strummer, Maynard Fergusen, the Marvelettes, The Shirelles, Lorna Luft, Peter Erskine, Randy Brecker, Bruce Barth, Frank Kimbrough, David Becker and many others ...
In the last few years Donica has been active on Broadway as part of the orchestra for The Visit and Allegiance and subbing on shows such as Evita, and If /Then.

Donica has also been matched up with great indie artists such as Violet, Chris Koch and Teeter Gray, Storm Large and rocker Queen V.

He currently divides his time between NYC and in the Hudson Valley Village of Nyack with his new bride Carol and faithful hound, Charlie Hayden Beauregard-Donica.

---