Donora featuring Emerson Jay

Jake Hanner met the future lead singer of his band a few hours after she was born. He was disappointed she was a girl and cried. Eighteen years later, Jake got over it, and he and sister Casey decided to start a band. “We didn’t grow up listening to a lot of the same music,” explains Casey, “but when we started writing together, we realized that we approached creating music in the same way.” The brother-sister duo also quickly realized that their shared upbringing could translate to solid pop tunes.

Casey sings and plays an old black and white Silvertone guitar while Jake H plays drums, triggers samples from his octapad, and sings backup. Bassist Jake Churton, the studied musician of the group, entered the picture when brother and sister decided to complete their live band. “One day the guy we hired to play keyboard couldn’t make it to practice,” remembers Jake H, “So Jake C started playing the lead keyboard lick with his bass. Casey and I just looked at each other and both knew we had found our third member.” After shooting down Casey’s idea to name the band “Casey and the Jakes,” they became Donora.

Donora’s third full-length release on Rostrum Records is titled Ha Ha Heart. As the band puts it, this album is about letting go of everything that is holding you back; it’s about celebrating who you are. Casey explains, “We wanted to be as honest as we could be with this album. From the creative process to the music itself, to the artwork… This is us.” www.donoramusic.com



Now featuring opening performer: Emerson Jay! The Pittsburgh native, Emerson Jay, produces synth-ridden compositions over top of a driving kick and snare and often complimented with catchy guitar and bass. This is music that will make you want to dance like a kid again.

His first release, “THEEP,” got Emerson off to a solid start gaining attention from music blogs across the globe. He also landed some big gigs opening for artists such as Robert Delong, Goldroom, and Lotus. Emerson has really been finding his place in the ever expanding electronic music scene. He capped off the year 2015 with a sold out show at one of Pittsburgh’s hottest venues, Stage AE, there seems to be nothing but big things to come for this guy in 2016.

As described by Michael Schreder from NYC’s music blog, Oblivious Pop, Emerson “has masterfully crafted the perfect soundtrack for a crazy summer of beach days that lead into the humid nights of drinking and city lights.”

Free to attend. No tickets required. General seating.

Location

Eden Hall Campus
6035 Ridge Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044

Contact Information

Chloe Bell
(412) 365-1375
cbell@chatham.edu

Related Links

• Eden Hall Summer Series