How did HonestKyle start?
Unless, you’re a close, personal friend of mine, you probably don’t know the full story.
Well, if we’re going to become awesome friends (and I know we will) I’d like you to know more about my past.
That’s why I’m sharing how this project came to be, and surprisingly, it was the result of a bunch of lost opportunities.
It Actually Started with a Different Band
What’s interesting about this origin story is that HonestKyle didn’t start as a product of my own imagination.
Instead it actually formed as a result of some lost opportunities.
You see, back in 2006, I had just graduated high school and one of my close drummer buds and myself were looking to form a band.
Yea, it was every kid’s dream to grow up and be a rockstar and we were still young enough that we could have those delusional aspirations.
(It’s not like I’m cynical or anything)
So, he and I joined up with some kids from Warren, OH and formed a power pop rock group called Let All Prevail.
It was a mix of pop, screamo, synth, rock, and a bunch of other stuff.
We quickly gained popularity by performing covers by our favorite bands at the time which included Senses Fail, Fall Out Boy, and Thrice.
Yea, we thought we were real hot shit.
Apparently, other people thought we were pretty good too because we went around playing band battles and local shows with a lot of good feedback.
Our travels even took us down to Dayton, OH (hours away from our hometown – which was scary to us) where we opened for Emarosa (Rise Records) and sold a crap-ton of stuff.
Honestly, that show couldn’t have gone any better.
However, as the band started its second year together, I was getting super busy with college and my availability as a song-writer began to decline.
In the beginning, I was writing 50-65% of the material, but eventually, most of the new songs were written by our lead guitarist and the band’s sound began to shift to something else.
Now, I wasn’t opposed to this new sound, but anytime I did have a new song to submit, I was finding less of my ideas were making it to the rehearsal stage.
My Songs Were Ending Up on the Cutting Room Floor
Again, I wasn’t unhappy with the direction Let All Prevail was going, but I sincerely missed writing and contributing to the band in that way.
So, more and more of my songs (or just snippets of ideas) began to build up with nowhere to apply them.
That lead me to the idea…
Hey, why don’t I just write and record these myself?
My dad is really big into music production and years ago recorded a number of songs by himself, so I had the confidence that I could do the same thing.
With a very limited version of Cubase, a stage microphone, and an Alesis Micron keyboard, I got to work.
First Came… Make it Storm
This was the first song I recorded for HonestKyle and I was so psyched at its final product that I probably listened to it on loop for two weeks straight.
Funny story; the rhythm guitarist of Let All prevail crashed his truck into a tree and every time he retold the story he always mentioned how “Make it Storm” was blaring on his radio.
This was back in the old Myspace days and when I released it to the world, I got some really good feedback.
What I didn’t count on was my interest in my solo project began to decrease my interest in Let All Prevail.
Within a few months, I had quit the band.
However, Another Band (Wake the Lion) Caught My Attention
Very soon after, I met a very talented bassist in college and I joined with his metal band called Wake the Lion.
This group really kept my attention for another couple years, but I was only a vocalist without any leverage to write guitar parts or anything, so more songs began to accumulate without any outlet for me to share them.
Eventually, everyone in this band began to have busier lives and the group just disbanded mutually.
It was bittersweet and I had a great time with those guys, but at the same time, I was excited to focus more attention on my solo project once again.
To Make a Smash, I Though of a Hit Single that People Like You Would Really Want
I don’t know if you remember what one of the biggest radio singles was back in 2012…
… but what I picked was “Airplanes Pt. 2″ by B.O.B., Hayley Williams, and Eminem.
Yea, none of that Part 1 foolishness.
Here’s the YouTube video below.
This got me some attention in the beginning and for awhile, I had people signing up for my email list and I thought I was really “on-the-way” to something.
However, once school and work picked up (I’m going for my Master’s degree), I found managing the website and creating new music to be too overwhelming and in a fit of panic and got rid of everything.
It was stupid, I know and I really wish I hadn’t done that.
Now, I’m picking back up where I left off.
I Have a Full-Length Album
I have a full-length self-titled album that I consider my baby.
I look back to the days I recorded it and think, yea, it’s not quite as polished as I would like, but for a guy doing it all by himself with no formal training in music production… it’s decent.
Not only have the songs been well-received by you and my other fans, but it’s been helpful to use as the intro and outro tracks on my podcast/video series for my muscle-building site, Noob Gains.
If you’re interested, I have a free 47-page ebook on building muscle that I’m giving away for free if you want to download it.
You can check out my full-length album through Amazon, iTunes, or CDBaby.
Whichever is easiest for you.
Download My Best Singles for Free
I’m planning to stop this in a few weeks because I’m trying to make room for more new material, but I’m offering my singles for free.
All you have to do is click this link, fill out the form, and you’ll be sent to a download page.
Now, on the download page, it’ll say I’m SELLING the songs (and that’s true).
BUT… if you sign up for the email list, I’ll give you a secret access code that allows you to “buy” the songs for $0.
It’s really as simple as that.
So, if you want to download my best singles for free click here.
I hope this gives you a little insight on me and what I’ve been doing.
Thanks,
Kyle