Local band ‘Honna’ returns home after rocking their first tour
An up and coming band has roots right here on Daniel Island. Recent high school graduate and island resident Hannah O and her band “Honna” just completed their first regional tour. O describes the band’s style as a combination of eclectic soul and indie influenced by jazz.
The band started their tour here at home, in Charleston, and performed at gigs across the east coast including Washington DC, Nashville, and New York on their July tour.
Before the group formed in December of 2018, O played a lot of solo gigs but enjoys the group dynamics of a band.
“It’s a lot more fun and inspiring to play with a band because having four different perspectives instead of one leaves room for a lot more growth and creativity,” said O.
Along with O as lead singer/guitarist, the group includes three other young locals. Alex Brouwer plays the drums, Damon Otero is the lead guitarist, and Cole Vanderwege is featured on bass.
“The guys in my band are all amazing musicians and amazing people. I can’t explain how much love I have for them...We all wanted to be in a band, and all like to play the same kind of music, so it was great that we could all begin playing together. I would never have been able to make the EP or go on tour without them,” she added.
During the tour, Honna entertained audiences with songs from their recent EP, “Baby.” The EP was released this March and is available on iTunes and Spotify. There’s a story behind the songs, with inspiration coming from real life. Songs for “Baby” were written as O was transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.
“Songwriting is a way for me to process my emotions,” she explained. “I usually just start writing and whatever comes out helps me to better understand how I’m feeling about life.”
The tour produced many memorable moments for the band.
“The biggest highlight was getting to see so many cool cities and getting to do what we love most in each place (playing music),” said O.
The band seized the opportunity to visit tourist attractions along the way from exploring New York City to seeing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The tour also gave band members the chance to work with other musicians.
“It was really fun getting to know the musicians of the other bands that we played with… we met so many talented people and made a lot of new friends,” added O.
There were a few hard parts of the tour, especially the unpredictable schedule and driving in unfamiliar areas. O noted it wasn’t easy “going to sleep late and waking up so early to drive for a long time.”
The band will be recording new music and plans to do an even bigger tour next year. But you can catch them close to home this month at the Tin Roof on August 24. Visit their Facebook page, “HONNA Music,” for the latest band news.