Jarrod Gorbel: Bracing for Indie-Pop Success with The Honorary Title

The Honorary Title is an indie-pop band that has mastered the art of taking some of the best elements of 80's alternative (Psychedelic Furs, early U2) and updating the sound to make it all their own. The foursome,(Gorbel, bassist Aaron Kamstra, guitarist Jon Wiley and drummer Adam Boyd) originally from Brooklyn are poised to release "Scream and Light Up The Sky", a disc that features shimmering guitars, a powerful yet understated rhythm section, sweet harmonies and the soaring, introspective vocals of frontman Jarrod Gorbel. While the band was on tour this summer I had the pleasure to speak to their lead vocalist and gain a bit of insight into the world and sound of The Honorary Title.

Associated Content: Tell me how The Honorary Title went from being just you on guitar and vocals to a full band. Was this the plan all along?

Jarrod Gorbel: It just sort of happened. There really wasn't any plan. Aaron (Kamstra) the bass player came on board and we just started writing together. It really just was a natural progression.

AC: The band is from Brooklyn and it is no secret there is a serious music scene in that part of New York. What do you make of the Brooklyn scene and sound?

JG: When people talk about the "Brooklyn scene" usually they are referring to bands like Secret Machines, TV On The Radio...don't get me wrong these are great bands but we are not in the same "school" as those groups. Leaving New York actually made us grow as a band. We never fit into any scene. Because we have traveled so much we have been thrown into a bunch of different "scenes". By the time we end up headlining our own shows, we end up with fans from a bunch of different musical scenes coming to check us out.

AC: Your sound seems to be reminiscent of 80's alternative. Are you a fan of bands from that era?

JG: Yes, definitely!! My brother got me into The Cure and early U2. I loved their first five albums. They are still in heavy rotation in my home! My gut feeling is that every fifteen years an era is embraced and back in style again and that is what is happening now.

AC: "Scream and Light Up The Sky" was produced by Rob Schnapf. His resume includes artists such as Beck and the late Elliot Smith. How was the experience working with this veteran producer?

JG: He was a super cool guy!! He was very easy to work with. We were eager to work with him because we were confident in his skills. He really helped us out with arrangements of songs; shortening parts... he was able to trim the songs a bit. We only butted heads once during the recording process. He gave our songs the haircut they needed!

AC: Some of the production on the disc is reminiscent of the work done by (producer/songwriter) Butch Walker. Have you worked with him in the past?

JG: We actually toured with him for a bit and he did produce one of the songs on the disc! He came in and helped us with the song Stuck at Sea.

AC: Lyrically do you prefer to tell other people's stories or are you ok with sharing you own thoughts and feelings.

JG: It's Both. I like doing both when it comes to my lyrics. It gets boring sometimes just writing about me. Sometimes I am inspired by what has gone on with me and sometimes I am inspired by other people's stories.

AC: What's on deck for The Honorary Title? What are you up to in the near future.

JG: We are probably going to make another video to help promote the disc...we will be touring as a support act and also headlining our own shows and hopefully building out fan base!!

If you would like to be part of the building process, do yourself a favor and check out The Honorary Title.