An Honest Year Interview 2013
-Who are all of the band members? And what do they do in the band?

Matt Mckay (vocals), Stephen Morrell (Lead Guitar), Jon Pfingsten (Rhythm Guitar/backup vocals), Jonathan Bogart (bass), Greg Pinney (Drums)
-What's the origin of your band name, An Honest Year? Have you changed the band's name before?

An Honest Year was always the name and it came from our of idea of picking a name that related to us being honest with ourselves in regards to what
we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, and that was obviously music, but it's also in relation to the style of music we decided to write, we grew up
on bands like Blink-182 and New Found Glory, An Honest Year is 5 guys going back to their roots on the music they grew up on.
-What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?
Pop rock/Pop Punk. Our biggest influences are All Time Low, Yellowcard, Sugarcult, New Found Glory, and Blink-182.
-How old were you when you started this band?

Same age we are now, the only person whos aged since the inception of this band has been Jon. He's 20 now. An Honest Year is still new, and we've accomplished a lot
in such a small time-frame.
-How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

Theres no general time we've all known each other, like Matt and Jon are cousins and have known each other for 20 years but Greg didn't meet Some of the guys until
the band started up last year. It's all over the place.
-When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

An Honest Year started in the summer of 2012. We were inspired to do music because we've all worked day jobs we don't like, and we all share the passion of
wanting to do music for a living and doing something we actually love. And we encourage anyone to chase that same path.
-Do you have a record label? If so, what is it?
No record label currently.
-What can you tell me about your instruments? (i.e., Are you subject to brand loyalty or will you play with whatever's available? What made you choose the instruments you have now? Was it cost or was it a style/model/brand/color preference?
Everyone has their own style, some of the brands we favor are Shure, Peavey, Orange, Marshall, Gibson, Tama, Vic Firth, Zildjan, Meinl, Evans, Taylor, Martin, etc. etc.
-Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?

We haven't played together live yet, but individually we've had our own projects and played all across the east coast over the last few years. 2013 will be a big
year for us, we'll be playing live a lot including March 2nd at a big festival in Deland, FL.
-Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list for your shows?

We don't favor any songs and play one any more than the other. We've covered Taking Back Sunday, John Mayer, Yellowcard, Brand New, and Boys Like Girls to name a few.
-Who writes your songs? Is it a group effort?
We all try to get together and chip in our own opinions.
-What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?

Most of our songs are based off of the current state of our emotions. Whatever song you're listening to is probably about how we were feeling at the time that song
was written.
-Could you briefly describe your music-making process?

It's very natural, we'll let things marinate until something else comes along that matches. We have a bunch of ideas always floating around, takes time to puzzle
them together, and that "idea" can be anything from a lyric piece, melody, or 2 notes on an acoustic.
-What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

We play together every day, we run through every song, and we try to play as if we're live in front of a crowd.
-How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

The biggest evolution in our writing style has probably been adjusting to everyones own personal styles and tastes.
-What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

The biggest challenge yet for An Honest Year was spending the first 6 months as a band separated, Matt and Greg lived in Pennsylvania. and Pastry (Jonathan), Stephen,
and Jon all lived in Florida. 1 Week ago they actually just moved down to a big ol house down here in Florida. So we're together now and ready to make this happen.
-What's your ultimate direction for your band? Are you seeking fame and fortune?

We're shooting for the stars for sure. Of course we'll try to be as humbled as we can be, but make no mistake. We want An Honest Year to be remembered.
-What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

Don't find someone who can just play the guitar, or the drums or sing, or whatever it is. Form a group with members that have legitimate talent and can help take you
to the next level. A band is a group effort, once it stops being that, it ceases to exist.
-How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard your music before?
Fun and poppy.
-How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

They can listen on YouTube or download it through iTunes.
-Website links in which other people can find your music, or more information for your band?

you can seriously just Google "An Honest Year" and everything we have available will come up.
-Would you ever do an interview like this with us again?

Of course!
-Would you like to do more fun/funny questions in another interview?

We love those questions ;)
-Any last words?

We're writing for our full length album now, should be done by this summer. Thanks everyone!