By Mike Cronin
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2007 The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
Drugs don’t fuel bass guitarist Tom Donaldson’s heavy metal music. But they sure help take the edge off.
“It’s just that our drugs happen to be caffeine, Motrin and Celebrex,” said Donaldson, 45, a grandfather, a Pittsburgh paramedic and the elder statesman of Order of Nine, a group whose youngest members are 36.
At an age when some rockers have put away their instruments, Donaldson has achieved a level of rock stardom some would envy. The band is big in Germany, where its most recent album — 2005’s “Season of Reign” — sold more than 47,000 copies.
The band last summer did a six-city tour of Europe, where they were “treated like Van Halen” by crowds as large as 13,000, Donaldson said. It plans another German trip to coincide with the planned release of an album in July.
Not bad for “an idiot paramedic from the North Side,” Donaldson said.
His bandmates work around Donaldson’s ever-changing schedule, practicing late when he switches to an evening shift. He said the job doesn’t conflict with the gig.
“Everyone’s a professional on some level. ‘Cause I don’t know if heavy metal’s going to support families,” said Order of Nine drummer J.R. Jameson, 37, of Moon. Jameson shoes horses for a living and has known Donaldson for a decade. “Although that’s the goal, it’s hard to play in a band and not have a steady income.”
Donaldson’s paying gig last week had him kneeling in the back of an ambulance as he patted the arm of a 20-year-old Brighton Heights woman. She called 911 after suffering a panic attack. After breathing through an oxygen mask for several minutes, the woman still struggled to relax.
“Take some deep breaths, nice and slow,” Donaldson told her. “Breathing too fast is like holding your breath. You’re not getting enough oxygen.”
She’s not the only one he’s teaching.
Donaldson serves as a mentor to Alex Plocki, 20, a University of Pittsburgh junior majoring in emergency medicine. He guides Plocki through the patient interview process so the paramedics can determine what the appropriate treatment should be. Plocki took a class at Pitt this semester that required him to work alongside Donaldson for two eight-hour shifts a week. Donaldson will decide Plocki’s grade.
“The best thing about Tom is he goes over everything with me after each call,” Plocki said.
Donaldson considers himself lucky: He found a job that’s given him fulfillment and, “All of a sudden I’ve become a rock star,” he said.
His family also loves Donaldson’s new status.
Cindy Donaldson, 54, said she isn’t threatened by local female fans who hover around her husband.
“I knew of his passion for his music and performing when I met him more than 15 years ago,” she said. “When he asked me what I thought about him joining Order of Nine, I told him this is what he’s waited his whole life for.”
Jessie Donaldson, 26, of Jacksonville, Fla., admires her father’s persistence.
“He’s never given up on his music,” she said. “It has to get kind of stressful when things don’t work out. You really have to be dedicated to be 40-something, doing double shifts and driving to gigs two hours away.”
Even mom’s OK with the heavy metal.
“I grew up with Elvis,” said Pat Donaldson, 69, of Frisco, Texas. “He was blackballed, too. My mother and father said we were all going to hell. Whatever music Tom plays is fun.”