The Honorary Title started in 2004, by singer/songwriter, Jarrod Gorbel. Under the name, The Honorary Title, he released two full length discs and a handful of EP’s. All of which were well received and kept him touring for three years. In November of 2009, THT played their “last show” to a sold out crowd. This is when Jarrod Gorbel the brand and entity emerged from behind the shadows of the name.
In 2009, he released his first solo EP, Ten Years Older. Which is essentially the same as previous efforts, but with more passion. He is currently embarking on the first leg of his solo tour and thus far the crowd has not disappointed.
The new record, Devil’s Made A New Friend is set to be released some time in September and Gorbel describes it as being, “more emotional folk with female vocals.”
When asked to, “State your name, position, and something completely random about yourself.” Without hesitation he launched into a story about how much he loved almond paste. He seemed ready for such a question.
On tour, he listens to W-H-Y, (yes, he spelled it out), Feist, Regina Spektor and classic soul music.
With the rise of social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and you know, actual websites, it’s easy for an artist to over saturate the market with redundant news. That, or it’s a tool for over sharing. Gorbel is a combination of the two. He tweets his natural stream of consciousness. His Twitter, at times reads like a new wave stoned haiku in less than 140 letters. “Well, let’s just say, I’m not always sober and well, if you know me, which you should, on a one-on-one basis, that’s just the shit I say”¦this is how I think.”
For as emotional as his music is, Gorbel has a light hearted manner about him. Laughing in all the right places, over explaining simple things, and all he really wants is to reach a wider audience than he originally had with the Honorary Title. His talent is undeniable and in the words of Gorbel the music is, “Uh, um, hm, uhhh melodramatic sappy emotional”¦shit?” How could you not fall in love with that?