The Donots were founded in 1993 by Ingo Knollmann on lead vocals, his brother Guido Knollmann on guitar, Jan-Dirk Poggemann on bass, Jens "Stone" Grimstein on guitar and Jens Trippner on drums. They celebrated their stage debut on April 16, 1994 at the Scheune in their hometown Ibbenbüren. They began playing as a support band in local venues and released the demo tapes "We Do Not Care So Why Should You?" and "Mellow D's and Harm on E's" in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Drummer Jens Trippner was replaced by Eike Herwig in 1995.