Donora is an American indie pop

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

/rock

Indie rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

 band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

. They first gained visibility in 2006 as semifinalists in the contest, "Calling All Bands", sponsored by MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 and Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless

Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....

, for their song "She's Just a Girl". The band then had music included in the MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 reality series Engaged and Underage

Engaged and Underage

Engaged & Underage was a reality show on MTV. The show follows couples between the ages of 18 and 22 in the final weeks leading to their wedding.-Season 1:*1. "Lauren and David"*2. "Ashley and Byron"*3. "Chantel and Jacob"...

and Cribs

MTV Cribs

MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...

, and the straight-to-video comedy Lower Learning

Lower Learning

Lower Learning is a 2008 comedy film starring Jason Biggs, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddry, Ryan Newman, Monica Potter, and Andy Pessoa. It was directed by Mark Lafferty and written by Lafferty and Shahin Chandrasoma...

, starring Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria

Eva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...

 and Jason Biggs

Jason Biggs

Jason Matthew Biggs is an American actor who is best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films.-Personal life:...

.

The trio is composed of drummer Jake Hanner, his younger sister, vocalist/guitarist Casey Hanner, and bassist Jake Churton. The band released their debut album, Donora, in December 2008 on the Pittsburgh-based independent record label Rostrum Records

Rostrum Records

Rostrum Records is an independent record label, founded in 2003 by Benjy Grinberg in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The label is currently focusing on its newest artist, Mac Miller, as well as his first album, titled Blue Slide Park which was released on November 8th 2011.With success by Rostrum...

, and have received regular airplay on the adult album alternative

Adult album alternative

Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....

 radio station WYEP-FM

WYEP-FM

WYEP-FM is a non-commercial radio station that specializes in eclectic music and programming. The community radio station, which is run by the Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, operates on 91.3 MHz with an ERP of 18 kW, and is licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.- History :WYEP-FM,...

. Jake and Casey Hanner are the children of country musician and record producer Dave Hanner, from the country-rock duo Corbin/Hanner

Corbin/Hanner

Corbin/Hanner is an American country music group founded by Bob Corbin and David Hanner. They began as a five-piece band called the Corbin/Hanner Band in 1979. Corbin and Hanner served as lead vocalists and guitarists, with Al Snyder , Kip Paxton and Dave Freeland completing the lineup...

.

The band is named after Donora, Pennsylvania

Donora, Pennsylvania

Donora is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river. Donora was incorporated in 1901. Donora got its name from a combination of William Donner and Nora Mellon, banker Andrew W. Mellon's wife. Agriculture, coal-mining, steel-making, wire-making, and...

. Bethany Hanner, the wife of drummer Jake, saw a road sign for the town and suggested it as the band's name, although the band is from the Gibsonia

Gibsonia, Pennsylvania

Gibsonia is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Allegheny County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, north of the city of Pittsburgh. It had a population of 2,733 at the 2010 census. Its ZIP Code is 15044.-Geography:...

 section of Richland Township

Richland Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Richland Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 14.6 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...

 in Pittsburgh's North Hills

North Hills (Pennsylvania)

The North Hills is a term generally used to collectively describe the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The independent suburban municipalities that are always included in the North Hills are Ross Township, Borough of West View, Shaler Township, West Deer Township, Frazer Township,...

. The band had never been to the town until they performed there as part of a town celebration.

Discography

Donora (2008)

• 1) Shout (3:14)
• 2) Shhh (3:08)
• 3) Weekend Tongue (3:08)
• 4) The Chorus (3:51)
• 5) Shak'ida (3:12)
• 6) Backbeat (2:48)
• 7) Photograph (3:30)
• 8) I Think I Like You (2:21)
• 9) Saturday Night (4:24)
• 10) London (4:30)

EPs 3&4

• 1) Shak'ida (3:19)
• 2) Baby Baby (4:42)
• 3) SK-5 (3:42)
• 4) Take It. Shake It. (4:28)
• 5) Justa Girl (3:05)
• 6) Shhh (Remix) (3:10)
• 7) Back When (3:08)
• 8) Back Beat (2:57)
• 9) Na-Na-Na (3:11)
• 10) Moment (3:20)

Demo

• 1) She's Just A Girl
• 2) SK-5
• 3) Back When
• 4) Moment