Updated: 09/28/06

by Kenneth Morton

Burden Of A Day is a band on a mission. Their Blood & Ink debut Pilots & Paper Planes has just been unleashed, and these dedicated guys are more than likely out on the road now, spreading their crucial message across the country. The band already has the distinction of surviving a full-on European tour and is now getting ready to hit the road here in the States yet again. We spoke with guitarist Bryan Honhart to find out more about this exciting new post-hardcore band…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Burden Of A Day, and how long the band has been together.
Hey, I'm Bryan Honhart. The band has been together quite a while, about 6 years now in name, we actually started as a little emo band writing songs about girls. The current roster has been together about 2 years. I played acoustic back in the day but now I play electric guitar in the band.

What is the music scene like in Sarasota, Florida, and how does your band fit into the scheme of things?
The music scene at home is dormant. There are only a few bands that are really good there, like Riley vs. Aubrey, Eversfield, and Until Eternity. If it weren’t for those bands, we would probably never play our hometown.

Is there any story behind the band name Burden Of A Day?
Well we were looking through an old Mennonite hymnbook one night and we found the words "Burden of a Day" in the hymn entitled "Beneath the Cross of Jesus." It talks about Jesus taking away our burdens and bearing them for us on the cross.

What is the story behind the album title Pilots & Paper Planes?
The title was taken from lyrics in the song Anatomy of a Scene; you can read the lyrics to find out. Haha

How did you wind up signing to Blood & Ink Records?
We played a festival in Orlando called Cornerstone Florida and they had a representative there that came and checked us out. We left to tour Europe immediately afterward and when we returned there was an offer from Blood & Ink waiting for us in the mail.

How was your show at Cornerstone this year, and what was the overall experience like?
It was my first time going to "the big cornerstone," as we Florida boys call it. I really enjoyed myself; it was an honor to be able to play on the Rock for Life stage. And it was great to see so many bands I hadn't seen in so long.

Where do you come up with some of the ideas for your lyrics, and please cite a few song examples.
All of the lyrics are actually written by our lead singer Kendall. I'm still in awe of his lyrical abilities and I really have no idea where he comes up with this stuff. You'd have to ask him about all of that.

How influential is Christianity on your band and your music?
Our faith is the foundation. We get a lot of hostility sometimes about something as small as having the "Christian" label on our myspace. In reality, "Burden of a Day" is just a front. We do the band because we know God has called us to go out there and let kids know He's real and He loves them. We do this because there is nothing more important than knowing Him.

Describe a live Burden Of A Day show for those of us who have yet to see you play.
Well our live show has changed a bit lately. We really want everyone to have a good time, and we think that you can have fun at our shows even if you're not into the style of music. We've recently added some automatic bubble machines and crazy lights, because we don't take ourselves very seriously... and there's usually quite a bit of energy on stage.

What was it like touring Europe and how difficult was it to arrange that tour?
Touring Europe was both awful and spectacular. But it made for fantastic stories. The tour was all arranged through a mission’s organization called YWAM; we basically traveled around to different music festivals in Europe, where we would serve during the week and then play the festivals on the weekends. Kids over there are great though; they don't care at all about what genre you are, as long as you play music.

Have you ever played in the Los Angeles or OC area, or do you plan to do so in the future?
In the past we've only played in northern Cali, but we'll be playing in LA in January, hopefully on tour with either Blessed By a Broken Heart or The Devil Wears Prada. We'll see.

Why do you think there has been such a big resurgence of Christian hardcore and post hardcore bands as of late?
Has there been? I guess I haven't really noticed. But for some reason I've always been more into hardcore bands that are Christian, even without first knowing where they stand on the issue of faith. I think that the Christian ones seem to always have more passion and intensity to their music, because they know as we do that they're singing about something and for someone that is far more important than any topic a secular band might sing about.

What do you think sets Burden Of A Day apart from other post hardcore bands?
I'd like to say it's our live show. I think that our joy is completely evident; that we're not trying to portray an image or be something we're not. We love to play this music and we're not concerned about what people think.

Are there any Burden Of A Day groupies wandering around the great State of Florida or beyond?
Oh don't say groupies, we hate that word. We've made friends all across the states though, it's always great to reunite when we go out on tour.

Which member of Burden Of A Day is most likely to own the latest Ashlee Simpson CD? What about a Slayer CD?
It wouldn't surprise me at all if every single member of our band owned an Ashlee Simpson album. I think she gets more of her songs played in our bus than she gets radio airtime. I don't think any of us own a Slayer album though, how ironic is that? I guess we're just wimps.

If there was one thing you'd like a listener to remember after hearing your CD, what would that be?
The final words in High Noon are "When life ends, Life begins." Hopefully people can understand the point that we are trying to make, that everyone lives forever but we choose where that life will be.

Any final words of wisdom?
Eat your vegetables.

The Burden Of A Day lineup is Kendall Knepp on vocals, Terry Clark on bass, Bryan Honhart on guitar, Jesse Hostetler on drums, and Josh Sommers on guitar. Pilots & Paper Planes is now available from Blood & Ink Records!

Burden Of A Day links

Burden Of A Day: Their Official Home Page!
Blood & Ink Records: The Record Label for Burden Of A Day!
Burden Of A Day on Myspace: Their Official Myspace Page!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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