Don't Ask

Acoustic and Electric. Melodic and Eclectic.

The Original Folk/Rock Music of Don't Ask.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.

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. Dandy Dan Mohler threads it all together with his superb bass playing talents on this work.

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?"). 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.

Don't Ask plays live at intimate venues, pubs, coffehouses and clubs in the greater Seattle area.

Todd Christoffel- melodic songwriters such as Elton John, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Paul Simon.

Cris Faget- Wishbone Ash, Barclay James Harvest and British blues a la Eric Clapton and John Mayall.

Doug Aslin-Dave Weckle, Dennis Chambers and William Kennedy.

We blend acoustic and electric guitars with tasteful percussion.

Reviewer: Tom Petersen

(Local/Folk rock) DON'T ASK: NOTHING Wily Wombat Records (www.mp3.com/dontask) Available through CDBaby.com The Seattle band Don't Ask has delighted audiences by defying categorization. Nothing, its third release, is a richly listenable mix that will enchant fans on every niche along the folk and rock spectrum. This is not a band that can't make up its mind, however. Todd Christoffel, Crispin Faget, and Doug Aslin are mature musicians with deep roots and vast abilities and every minute of this CD is assured and precise. Front man and chief lyricist Christoffel skips along pop's dark side, enthusiastically singing about life's little emotional mishaps and disappointments. Faget creates fantastic textures with six- and twelve-string acoustics and electrics, while Aslin's drumming bucks modernity with some of the most tasteful and creative and honest stickwork heard in years. the clean, precise sound the band cultivates is especially captivating: in an age where the digital slickness of the big-label acts battles with the studied amateurism of the garage bands, it's downright thrilling to find a record where the musicianship can be enjoyed with the same intimacy and honesty as if the group were playing live in a bedroom. Don't Ask is a group that produces itself, and by eschewing studio trickery and treading but lightly on the effects pedal, every note rains upon the listener like drops of clear ice water. Nothing is an album made to play all the way through, and it stays interesting and engaging, with new messages emerging, play after play. (Tom Petersen)

"...fun,well produced..." "...fine musicians""...great stuff!"

Reviewer: Allen Price for Victory Music

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)

Beautiful, dynamic, energetic, melodic, haunting, classy, memorable.

Reviewer: Bruce Taylor

Nothing, by Don't Ask, is an audial treat. The music is crisp, professional and original. One song, My Heart Is Taken, is simply one of the most beautiful love ballads this listener has EVER heard. Others that are commanding in terms of fine audial artistry: Dream Away, My Memories, No One Said Love Was Easy. Do yourself a favor: GET IT! And after you listen to it, call up your local radio station and ask them why the hell they ain't playing these guys. Also, their first CD, There's A Monkey In My Grape sure ain't no slouch either. Better get 'em both. You won't be disappointed. Bruce Taylor