Evan Honer really just started making a name for himself on the country music scene this year, and his growing catalog is already impressive.
Honer’s first official release, and most streamed to date, came in December 2022 as he dropped a cover of Tyler Childers’ unreleased yet oft-covered fan favorite “Jersey Giant” alongside Julia DiGrazia. The debut cover quickly became a streaming powerhouse, now with over 30 million Spotify streams a year later, and Honer has managed to maintain the impressive momentum all year long with the release of nearly 20 more songs in 2023, the vast majority of which being originals.
A clever songwriter who frequently conveys messages and themes in his music that are wise beyond his years, the young artist has already proved that he is more than capable when it comes to creating great original music. Despite the nascency of his career, there is plenty of proof in his growing catalog, especially in the 11 tracks on his debut record West on I-10 which dropped back in April.
But there is a reason his “Jersey Giant” cover continues to rack up the streams – Evan Honer can absolutely kill a well chosen cover too. In a recent three song EP titled Woodstock Sessions, Honer released recorded covers of classic Van Morrison, Jim Croce, and Bob Dylan tracks, that I highly recommend checking out. And if you like those, follow him on social media, too, because he’s always posting covers of his favorite music for his fans.
And the latest is one of my favorites, as Honer took to Instagram to cover The Red Clay Strays’ recently viral hit “Wondering Why.”
Give this one a listen below.
Originally released as a single in March 2022 before its inclusion on The Red Clay Strays’ spectacular April 2022 debut record Moment of Truth, “Wondering Why” began to experience its viral moment nearly 18 months later following The Strays’ live session with Western AF this August.
In recent months, “Wondering Why” has been climbing the Billboard charts and has spurred the Mobile, AL band’s unprecedented recent rise in popularity. Check out The Red Clay Strays performing this one on Western AF here:
No one can do this song justice quite like the band that is responsible for it, The Red Clay Strays, but Evan Honer’s acoustic cover is still impressive, and it’s always cool seeing up and coming artists covering each other’s music. If you’ve made it this far, see below for a couple more originals from both Evan Honer and The Red Clay Strays that should be on everyone’s radar, and continue listening to both artists as we approach a new year that I imagine will be big for both of their careers.
“Mr. Meyers” – Evan Honer
“Stone’s Throw” – The Red Clay Strays
