The Donnelly Connection
Das Quintett mit Alexander Donnelly (Gesang & Gitarre), Wolf Wolff (Schlagzeug), Igor Vedeneev(Keyboard), Falco Borzinni (Bass) und Ivan Galic (Gitarre) ist in Blues und Soul zu Hause, sprengt in seinem Repertoire aber mühelos die Genregrenzen und wechselt mit einer solchen Leichtigkeit auch in andere Stilrichtungen. Neben Klassikern aus Blues und Soul gibt The Donnelly Connection mit neuen Eigenkompositionen einen Vorgeschmack auf ihr erstes Album.

Before I turned 13, music had always been a mystery to me. I hated both guitarists and guitars, for reasons that are still unknown to me, maybe because I was primarily listening to radio and mainstream music. 
I first started to take an interest in the instrument, after hearing a friend of mine play. That moment changed my life radically. I soon realized that I had to acquire a guitar for myself, so I begged and urged my parents 24/7, until I was finally rewarded. 
Another hobby I was quite fond of was working out and playing different kinds of club-based sports. It did not take me very long to find out, that both are indeed quite time-consuming and having to meet other obligations such as school as well, I fully committed myself to the art of guitar-playing. But it would not stop there. 
At the age of 15, I became a member of the band “Beyond the Trail” and started to get heavily into singing. About a year later the band agreed to take a break and I decided to dedicate more of my time to crafting and improving my voice, by taking vocal lessons and advancing/complementing my style with additional scream and growl techniques. 
I am the lead-singer of the heavy metal band "Fundament Of A Dream" and I am also working on my own solo-project.

Enjoy my music

Deutschsprachige Pop-Rock Musik aus Hamburg

“This album nearly broke me,” recalls State of Illusion vocalist/guitarist Jacob Porter regarding the band’s newest release, Pluto’s Ghost. “I doubted myself nearly every step of the way. I couldn’t find band members. I suffered a crushing writer’s block for over a year. It made me feel like I wasn’t a good musician or songwriter. It felt like I had no purpose—like I should just give up. And, in the end, I think that’s what makes this album so special. State of Illusion persevered and I think you can feel every bit of frustration, every question, every doubt throughout this album. And I think you can feel that they were all overcome.”

Pluto’s Ghost catalogues State of Illusion’s journey to another world, much like the actual otherworldly audio provided by NASA found in every song, finding their unique identity along the way. While keeping the easily accessible rock core of what State of Illusion established on their previous effort, Aphelion, Pluto’s Ghost sees the band adding progressive elements, ethereal soundscapes, and doubling down on mood and emotion.

The record, self-produced by Jacob Porter and mixed and mastered by Nick Coyle (Cold/Lifer) and Brandon Hart (The HartBeat Studios), takes on a variety of challenging topics, such as self-worth, purpose, the crossroads life brings, striving to become a better person, starting over, and dealing with tragic loss.

With soaring-yet ethereal, simple-yet-complex radio-ready single “Starlight" to heavy-yet-melodic tracks, "Artificial Paradise" and "Wasted Life," to quiet moments, highlighted in the reflective "Home," Pluto’s Ghost promises to be a launching point for State of Illusion. 

Notable performances:
State of Illusion are honored to have toured with Cold and have shared the stage with: Staind (hand-selected by vocalist Aaron Lewis),  Chevelle, 10 Years, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Spiritbox, Shinedown, Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Megadeath, Bush, Lamb of God, All That Remains, Pop Evil, Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Fuel, Flaw, Smile Empty Soul, and many more.

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