"I share with complete strangers my most personal of pleasures," sings Jarrod Gorbel on "Frame By Frame," the opening track from Anything Else But The Truth, the debut full-length from Brooklyn-based band the Honorary Title. It's true. Gorbel bares his soul using his soaring voice and intricately worded narrative, while bassist/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Kamstra augments the melodies using an assortment of synths, organ and piano parts.
Drawing on an eclectic range of influences that includes Elvis Costello, Bright Eyes, and Jeff Buckley, the Honorary Title combines raw emotion with pop hooks and remarkably poetic lyrics to write songs that defy simple genre classifications. The band's indie sensibility is fleshed out on the richly orchestrated Anything Else But The Truth, released in June of 2004. The album was recorded during the fall of 2003 in New York and Nashville, with the help of producer Roger Moutenot, known for his work with Yo La Tengo, Guster, and Josh Rouse.
Gorbel grew up amid the suburban sprawl of Long Island, New York. He started playing guitar when he was 13 and, after he got over his hair-metal phase, he turned to folk music. After attending college in upstate New York, he began regular performances at downtown spots like the Mercury Lounge, Brownies, CBGBs, and the Knitting Factory.
Shortly after he recruited Indiana-native Kamstra and rechristened the project the Honorary Title, things started heating up. In fall of 2002, the band played a series of dates opening for Dashboard Confessional, having been hand-picked by Chris Carrabba as a warm-up act. In the following months, the band fielded offers from several labels, but ultimately decided on the independent Doghouse Records, which is where both the Get Up Kids and, more recently, the All-American Rejects got their start.
Since the June 2003 release of Anything Else But The Truth, the Honorary Title has toured relentlessly, sharing the stage with the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Secret Machines, AC Newman, From Autumn To Ashes, and the French Kicks, and getting the chance to perform at several high-profile festivals, including SxSW and the Austin City Limits Festival. And in the fall of 2004, the band went on their first full national tour with Switchfoot and the Format, playing sold out shows at such venues as LA's Wiltern Theatre, New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, and Chicago's Riviera Theatre. From these shows alone, The band's album sales, and fan base, nearly quadrupled. Their live shows have also revealed that they never take themselves too seriously. Onstage, Gorbel is a ball of nervous energy, directing his hilariously lewd banter at himself, his bandmates and even members of the audience.
In the summer of 2004, the Honorary Title were named a long-list nominee for the Shortlist Music Prize.
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