If the Jonas Brothers get their way, in the near future minivans all over the country will bear bumper stickers proclaiming "My Child Is a Fan of Honor Society."
Honor Society is a New York-based pop-rock band that's the first talent to be signed to the Jonas Brothers' label, and the group will perform at the Murray Theater Oct. 24.
Like the Jonas Brothers, band members challenged the label "boy band." "We don't get the reference," said Alexander Noyes, drummer for Honor Society. "Through touring, and our live show, they'll realize we're not a boy band."
The good-looking, fresh-scrubbed quartet released its debut album, "Fashionably Late," on Sept. 15, after touring all summer with the Jonas Brothers and Jordin Sparks. The album debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard album charts, a remarkable ranking for a new band.
Part of the reason for the band's popularity is that each band member is a relentless addict to Twitter, communicating with fans as often as a laptop and a thought present themselves. As of the afternoon of Oct. 20, the band had 59,613 followers (twitter.com/honorsociety), while each band member has thousands of his own followers.
They aren't planning to join Tweeters Anonymous meetings anytime soon, because the band has also initiated a series of meet-and-greets using Twitter. When Honor Society visited Los Angeles for the first time, Nick Jonas took the band members to a Pinkberry frozen-yogurt shop, and since then they can't get enough of the tart soft-serve dessert. Whenever they visit a Pinkberry or similar eatery that serves tart frozen yogurt, they send tweets inviting fans to join them.
"We made it a tradition," Noyes said. "Pinkberry Corporate loves it. Between 400 and 500 people come every time."
The band was formed in 2007 in Rockland County, N.Y., a Manhattan suburb with an active music scene. Lead singer and guitarist Michael Bruno, keyboardist Jason Rosen and bassist Andrew Lee were seeking a drummer when they got a recommendation to look up Noyes, who had been a drummer for the Jonas Brothers.
Problem was, Noyes had given up music and planned on attending college. "We pulled Alexander out of retirement," Lee said.
The band, armed with pop songs influenced by radio-friendly R&B and urban sounds, embraced social networking, building a rabid fan base seeking the next Jonas Brothers. It didn't hurt that Rolling Stone touted Honor Society as a breaking band to watch in 2009.
Earlier this year, after Honor Society sold out shows at New York's Irving Plaza and Los Angeles' House of Blues, it was only a matter of time before the quartet caught the ears of the Jonas Brothers, nascent music producers.
Chances are, while in town, Honor Society might get wind of Lunaberry, a tart frozen-yogurt shop at 358 S. 700 East. If you're one of the group's online followers, perhaps you'll get invited for a local fro-yo appearance.
Honor Society performs, with opener Esmée Denters.
When » Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
Where » Murray Theater, 4961 S. State St., Murray
Tickets » $12 at SmithsTix

