MANCHESTER, NH – Donaher’s frontman and songwriter Nick Lavallee is grateful for myriad reasons.
First and foremost, Lavallee, a 42-year-old Manchester native, is grateful for his sobriety, which provided the impetus to rediscover his musical ambitions after an extended hiatus where he pursued a successful stint as a stand-up comedian.
Then, in 2015, Lavallee changed courses, quit booze and discovered his life veering down a healthier path.
But something was still missing for the self-described “obsessive creative.”
“I wanted to fill a creative void,” said Lavallee. “This band is a product of my sobriety.”
So Lavallee dusted off the guitar he’d barely touched since playing and touring with 5 Bucks!—a Ska-punk band that traversed the East Coast in a van from 1997-2003, sharing the stage with prestigious headliners such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and The Ataris.
Newly sober and stepping aside from the stand-up comedy scene, Lavallee started writing the songs that would become his new band Donaher’s debut album “I Swear My Love Is True” in 2017, which was produced and engineered by Gary Cioffi.
And as far as gratitude for his bandmates and “brothers”—guitarist Tristan Omand, bassist Adam Wood and drummer Nick Lee—Lavallee has it in spades. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world right now,” he said. “Thanks to my bandmates, I feel like I’ve found myself.”
On Feb. 3, Donaher dropped their 9-track sophomore album “Gravity and the Stars Above”—which includes gorgeous cover artwork from Manchester photographer Karen Jerzyk and is also produced by Cioffi.
Lavallee said the new album is both “a compliment and a contrast” to Donaher’s debut.
“I’d describe the first album as bright and sunny, but this one is moody and manic with moments of sweetness,” said Lavallee. “But when it’s sweet, it hits hard.”
When describing Donaher’s sound, Lavallee calls them “a throwback, heavy on ’90s pop-punk nostalgia” with influences that range from Weezer to Green Day to some of his own personal friends and favorites: The Smoking Popes and The Get Up Kids. The Get Up Kids’ Matt Pryor lent his vocals on “No Other Dude” from Donaher’s first album.
While composing the songs for “I Swear My Love Is True,” Lavallee said he was trying to channel his 15-year-old self. “The songs were borne out of my sobriety, falling in love again, and subsequent heartbreak,” he said.
But in “Gravity and the Stars Above,” Lavallee wanted to avoid being the one-trick pony. “I wanted to dig deeper into feelings that weren’t so copy-paste,” he said, jokingly referring to the band—who are all men in middle-age—as “the fun-uncle rockers.”
In fact, Donaher puts their own signature on a cover of Carole King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” on the new album—whose music some younger listeners might not recognize.
A modest guy who makes his living working a 9 a.m.-5 p.m. job, Lavallee said he harbors “no delusions of grandeur” and remains appreciative of his band’s audience, who can breathe a new life into their latest endeavor.
“The only way an album can find its second life is to find its audience,” said Lavallee.
And when it comes to his “three brothers” in Donaher with whom he records, rehearses and shares the stage, Lavallee could not be more humble or grateful.
“I’m proud to play music with three of my best friends, and we get to share it with as many people as possible,” he said. “I just want to keep making music with my friends and live my most authentic self.”
Donaher’s music is available on every music streaming service (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and on Vinyl/CD at http://linktr.ee/donaher
Upcoming Shows:
- Friday, Feb. 18 – Manchester, N.H. at Shaskeen Pub with Colleen Green and Monica Grasso.
- Saturday, Feb. 26 – Lowell, Mass. at Thirsty First with the Graniteers and Dank Sinatra
Both shows start at 9 p.m., and tickets are available at http://linktr.ee/donaher
