Evan Honer

An Americana singer/songwriter whose plainspoken songwriting belies his past stardom on social media, Evan Honer follows in the footsteps of such Americana mavericks as Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers. With its spare instrumentation and forthright execution, Honer's music may recall that of his idols, yet on his albums--West on I-10 in 2023 and Fighting For in 2024--he displays a friendly touch that lightens the mood. A native of Surprise, Arizona, Evan Honer learned guitar at the age of 13, He took to the instrument quickly. Around the same time, he launched a YouTube channel called How Tos By Bros with his brother Aaron. He kept the channel afloat throughout his adolescence, simultaneously cultivating an interest in songwriting in part spurred by his affection for the Americana maverick Tyler Childers. By the end of high school, Honer started penning his own songs. While he was a senior in college, Honer began posting music on social media in 2019. Relocating to Nashville, he started his career in earnest early in the 2020s. A 2022 audition for American Idol resulted in rejection --the singer/songwriter later remembered on a social media post that Luke Bryan "told me I should stick to driving"--spurring Honer to chase his musical dreams. After issuing a cover of Tyler Childers's unreleased "Jersey Giant" in late 2022, Honer launched the imprint Cloverdale Records with the single "You'd Never Know." Early in 2023, his full-length debut album West on I-10 received positive attention, with the subsequent singles "idk shit about cars" and "Mr. Myers" maintaining his audience. By the end of the year, he also collaborated with Julia DiGrazia on the Someone You Don't Know EP and released the live Woodstock Sessions. Honer opened up his 2024 by releasing a series of singles-- "Nowhere Fast," "A Thousand Times," "Wake Up, Come Down," the Wyatt Flore duet "Take Me As I Come"--which all wound up on Fighting For, his second full-length album. Honer released Fighting For in June, supporting the record with his first headlining North American tour. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine