Biography
The Honorary Title started out in 2003 as a Brooklyn-based alternative rock quartet that began life as a duo pairing vocalist, lyricist, and guitarist Jarrod Gorbel with bassist and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Kamstra. Gorbel had first picked up the guitar at age 13 while growing up in the Long Island suburbs and sharpened his abilities through solo appearances at downtown Manhattan clubs before joining forces with Kamstra, an Indiana native who had moved to New York City. Their reliance on acoustic-driven melodies and emotionally candid storytelling drew the notice of Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba, who chose the pair to open a run of tour dates for Dashboard in fall 2002. That exposure sparked label offers, leading the group to sign with the Ohio indie Doghouse Records in September 2003. A self-titled EP showcasing only Gorbel surfaced that year, followed the next summer by the full-length debut Anything Else But the Truth, which featured both musicians.
Extensive touring in support of the album placed the Honorary Title on bills with the Format, Switchfoot, Lucero, and Taking Back Sunday. A brief February 2006 headlining stint with Limbeck resulted in a reissue of the debut album later that month, expanded by five bonus tracks and two music videos, after which the band secured a deal with major-label imprint Reprise Records under the Warner umbrella. While preparing their follow-up, they released the short EP Untouched & Intact in July 2007; it contained two B-sides and two new songs and also confirmed the elevation of former touring members Jon Wiley on keyboards and guitar and Adam Boyd on drums to official status. The second album, Scream & Light Up the Sky, arrived the next month and displayed a denser sound closer to contemporaries Rock Kills Kid and Jimmy Eat World than the group’s earlier acoustic material.
Extensive touring in support of the album placed the Honorary Title on bills with the Format, Switchfoot, Lucero, and Taking Back Sunday. A brief February 2006 headlining stint with Limbeck resulted in a reissue of the debut album later that month, expanded by five bonus tracks and two music videos, after which the band secured a deal with major-label imprint Reprise Records under the Warner umbrella. While preparing their follow-up, they released the short EP Untouched & Intact in July 2007; it contained two B-sides and two new songs and also confirmed the elevation of former touring members Jon Wiley on keyboards and guitar and Adam Boyd on drums to official status. The second album, Scream & Light Up the Sky, arrived the next month and displayed a denser sound closer to contemporaries Rock Kills Kid and Jimmy Eat World than the group’s earlier acoustic material.
Albums
