 Donahue was born in Kingston, New York.Donahue helped form Mercury Rev, along with vocalist/guitarist David Baker, bassist Dave Fridmann, guitarist and clarinetist Grasshopper (born Sean Mackowiak), rooster-tail bass flutist Suzanne Thorpe, and drummer Jimy Chambers, in the late 1980s as a source to create soundtracks to the members' personal student films.The members were further encouraged to explore their talents by their mentor, minimalist composer and multimedia artist Tony Conrad.