Their tour and recording band includes Ben Franz (bass), David Ross Macdonald (drums) and Tony Bourke (keyboard / piano).

The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases.

[1][2] Their father, Jimmy Simpson, was a seasonal salmon fisherman at Cosy Corner beach and had bought Donna her first guitar when she was 15.

[1] In February 1992, 20-year-old Donna and her 16-year-old sister Vikki headed off in a Kombi van to tour the state as Colours.

[5] Jason MacNeill of Allmusic described The Waifs as "a more than adequate stab at troubadour folk and acoustic pop ...

[7] MacNeill felt it was "[s]tructured in a cozy, country-like frame of harmonies and acoustic guitars, most of the album works all too well.

A few songs, including the soulful "Time to Part", seem a bit askew from the others, but aren't annoying to the senses".

MacNeill states, "Abstaining from traditional folk for a more rural, quasi-country sound, the band rarely misses the mark, although "Love Serenade" is just satisfactory'.

[citation needed] In June 2002, the Waifs, Butler and Stevens founded the independent label Jarrah Records.

[9][11] The label was initially set up to issue both artists' material in North America, later it handled all their Australian releases.

[9][11] The growing international reputation of the Waifs led to the release of Sink or Swim in the US in 2002 by Jarrah Records.

[12] In October, "London Still" received two nominations at the ARIA Music Awards of 2002 for 'Best Independent Release' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single'.

[15] Dylan offered the group a support slot on his subsequent tour of North America, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival.

[12] The track tells the story of the Simpsons' grandmother, a war-bride of a United States Navy sailor, Bob Cain.

[12] A month after the Asian 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the Waifs joined a cast of Australian artists to perform at the WaveAid concert in January 2005 in Sydney to raise funds for the relief effort.

In November, the group announced a collaboration with label mates, John Butler Trio, for the Union of Soul Tour in January – February 2008.

The tour had five concerts, with shows in various Western Australian cities, Denmark, Margaret River, Swan Valley, and two gigs at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

[3] Simpson had attended rehab at Hazelden Treatment Center in Minnesota in 2008 for her alcohol addiction and wrote the album track, "Just Like Me", about her experience.