Interview

I am here with Jarrod Gorbel of The Honorary Title.

EP: So Jarrod, how has this current tour been with Northstar and Communique?

Haha, it’s been really good. The first of the tour had lucero, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard them but they’re awesome, Northstars good, really good and Communique just jumped on the tour they’re awesome also. Yeah it’s been going really good, the shows have been small but they have all been sold. Two to three hundred kids each night

EP: Awesome. So, how did you and Aaron meet?

I was playing solo shows in the NYC area, his girlfriend at the time came to one of my shows, she always used to go to my shows because she is a friend of mine. She mentioned Aaron, like Aaron moved from Indiana, they started hanging out and she was like “Do you need a bass player because this guy moved here, he’s pretty good and I have been hanging out with him.” And he came over and started playing keyboard and stuff with me and that’s how it happened blah blah blah.

EP: That's cool. So, how did The Honorary Title's sound form to basically what we hear today?

Um, I would bring in some songs that I had written by myself and we would just layer on different keyboards or kind of come up with the instrumentation together. You know, I’d have like a vision of what I want to hear and we would use the instruments we had whether it be a rogue, casio, organ, bass, drums, all that shit. Put it all together.

EP: Awesome. Now how, with your folk, pop, whatever you want to call it approach to music...

EP: Folkalgulin.

There you go.

Folkalgulin is uh Star trek the next generation- was actually the term used by the Folkins for ancient rituals and folk music on the planet earth.

EP: Awesome, haha.

Awesome?

EP: Hey if its awesome, it’s awesome. You spot awesome.


EP: Anyway, how did you, especially in the New York area, how did you get your music out to kids and the people that would come to shows?

I guess Chris Carabba was the first one who hooked me up. He heard the first Honorary Title ep, and he invited me to play some shows with him. I also played some shows with Ben Kweller.

EP: When was all this?

A couple of years ago. Like, three years ago. I used to open for bands like Taking Back Sunday. You know you play with one band and then the opening band hears you and then the other guy who was there to see the guy from Dashboard who is in Taking Back Sunday who knows Billy from Thursday After Friday’s death on a Monday afternoon. It’s like a chain reaction.

EP: Not gonna lie to you, gotta lugie.

Cough it up.

EP: I got it. Haha, how does the writing process go with only having to people in the band?

Well, we will play with other musicians. We’ll kinda jam out with a drummer and I like conceive the song in my bedroom then I’ll bring it to a whole band. Rock it out, experiment with it.

EP: Who IS doing the drums for this tour?

His names Adam Boyd. He’s in a band called the format.

EP: I love the format.

Yeah me too, we just toured with them so we borrowed Adam because the format wasn’t doing much.

EP: Do you guys write the drum tracks?

Well kinda like, the song will be written, we do tour rehearsal with whichever drummer we are playing with at the time and we explain to the drummer at “can you do something like this?” You know? And then whichever drummer at the time, of course will add their own ‘flava’. Or whatever. Style.

EP: Definitely.

I’ll like come up with the basic of what I want to hear.

EP: That’s cool. So while you are on the road and such what city do you like to play in the most?

Chicago and LA. We do really well there for some strange reason.

EP: Did that format tour with Switchfoot come down here?

I’m like where the hell are we? Ha, uh no it didn’t come here. It went to Orlando.

EP: How did that do there?

That tour did well everywhere, it was sold out. They’re a pop band and there were like a million fans from MTV. But we are glad to be here.

EP: Yeah, we’re stoked that you’re here.

I’m stoked to be here. Is this near Jannus Landing?

EP: Yeah, Jannus Landings not far, you gotta go to St. Pete. It's like a half hour drive.

A couple years ago I played a solo show opening at Jannus Landing. Well one for Dashboard and one time opening for fuckin’ Less than Jake.

EP: Really?

Yeah.

EP: That place is crazy huge compared to this place.

Yeah both shows were full but Less Than Jake was just a bunch of kids who were just like “Shut up! You Suck!”

EP: They’re playing down here actually at Jannus again in... I think a month with Hidden in Plain View.

I’ve never heard them.

EP: Oh, well. What do you like to listen to? What are some things you make sure to have handy on the road?

Those moist toilette things. The modern ones, not the wet ones because the alcohol ones will just like... I have to lather up and lather down with a moist toilette. Red bull, uh lets see... my iPod.

EP: I broke my ipod. I’m so pissed. I stuck a fork in it!

They tell you to do that in the directions.

EP: Well, the metal casing underneath it was loose, so I tried to push it in with a fork and I missed and scratched the little chip.

Ah such a little technological enhancement.

EP: Yeah. Alright well anyway, what are some of the most I guess “memorable” shows for the tours you’ve recently been on?

EP: For some reason Buffalo, New York which is like seven hours upstate from where we live was a really good show. Toronto, we never played Toronto before. It was fucking freezing when we did. It was snowing and shit. We thought it was gonna suck. Northstar had to cancel so it was just us and Lucero and it was awesome. Everybody was there and it was a cool city. I can’t really remember, these are supposed to be memorable right? Oh, we toured with The Movielife once and I was really nervous for some reason...probably because I was drinking or something. We played like three songs and for some reason I thought the set was over. I was like “Alright thanks a lot guys this was awesome!” and the band was like “Dude what are you doing?” Yeah everyone thought it was pretty funny. I’m an idiot. Uh...we say funny shit on stage sometimes...

EP: If you have to start pulling stuff out of your ass its okay, we can go onto the next question, hah.

Ok, lets do that. Hah.

EP: Alright, so. What is the future of the honorary title looking like?

Other than the typical band stuff of touring and recording next month we are touring with Straylight Run.

EP: I want to go to that, but it’s not coming here.

Yeah that’s weird I don’t know why it’s not coming to Florida.

But yeah we are touring. Then we are gonna make a video for Everything I Once Had. And it will be better than our cheap ass video we have now.

EP: Haha, I love that video.

You like that? It’s so homemade dude.

EP: I know that’s what makes it cool.

It’s insane that they played it so much on fuse.

EP: Really? I haven’t seen it


Yeah it’s been on a lot.

EP: I’ve only seen it on the internet. I guess you could say it’s a my space favorite.

That’s really cool. But it’s so homemade. We really want to make a real video you know?

EP: Yeah I know what you mean. But anyway. What does the future sound for the new record look like? I know it’s a big jump into the future to answer this.

Bigger band stuff. Like more rocked out. Like heavier. But then there will still be the folk thing still kinda happening.

EP: Nice.

Yeah.

So what are some of the big influences on your music as a band when writing?

EP: Aaron is really into some of those big New York bands like Interpol. I like uh..Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, um fuck. I always listen to old shit. Like Eddie James and shit on tour. Then I have my classic rock section with like The Rolling Stones, The Who, all that. Then I have like the new indie rock section with like Mates of State, Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley. Some Brit pop stuff too.

And of course Ashlee Simposn. No I’m kidding. Haha. Lindsay Lohan mix, of course.

EP: Well that pretty much sums it up. Have anything else you’d like to add?

Everyone should check out Lucero. We have been touring with them and they’re awesome.