Belly Up Aspen features ‘one-of-one experience’ with Cosmic Country

The genre-blending sound of Daniel Donato’s band Cosmic Country will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, at Belly Up Aspen as part of the Horizons Fall Tour 2025. 

The show will spotlight tracks from the band’s latest album, “Horizon.”

“I really think Cosmic Country is American music,” Donato said. “It’s a mix of country, rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, jam, and psychedelia. We take songs from the American songbook, some well-known, some obscure, and reinterpret them in our own way. Sometimes people think they’re originals, but it’s just our way of making them new.”

Donato is joined by band members Nathan “Sugar Legg” Aronowitz on keyboards, Will “Mustang” McGee on bass, and William “Bronco” Clark on drums. 

Donato grew up listening to the live music scene in Nashville, with one band in particular making an impact during his teen years — a pivotal moment came when he saw the Don Kelley Band perform at Robert’s Western World, the last independent honky-tonk bar on Broadway (the city’s live-music strip).

“It was so wild. I saw that band when I was 14, and that changed my life,” Donato said. It was a sound he had never heard before, a “really fast bluegrass beat with a Telecaster, a lonesome song, and an upright bass.” 

He decided to go see that band every week for three years with his dad, always telling Don Kelley that he’d love to play with him one day. 

Then, one day, it happened. He got to play with the band, and Donato became about the seventh person to receive this rare mentorship to refine his guitar skills. Donato ultimately ended up performing in 464 shows.

“There’s nothing that beats actual experience when your nose is on the grindstone, playing on stage night after night,” Donato said. “That time taught me the fundamental values I operate by as a musician. It allowed me to access a part of myself that only comes alive on stage.”

Now 30, Donato is a true music aficionado. He’s a musician, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. He even wears a Sun Records shirt, a nod to the label that was instrumental in launching careers like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and more. 

Each Cosmic Country show is unique, with setlists and arrangements changing nightly. 

“We never play the same show twice,” Donato said. “People in Colorado come to every show because they know it’ll be different every time. It’s a one-of-one experience, curated for that night and that moment.”

Donato’s connection to Aspen is strong, fueled by the energy of the local audience. 

“We try to play in cities where we feel a frequency of connection, and Aspen is one of those places. The people bring such a beautiful energy to the show — it’s why we come back every year.”

For Donato, Cosmic Country is more than a band — it’s a community. 

“The gates are wide open to anyone who wants to join. We’re all about taking the journey and trusting the adventure together.”

Belly Up Aspen is located at 450 S. Galena St. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. For tickets, visit bellyupaspen.com/events/daniel-donatos-cosmic-country/.