17 solo projects to check out from 2016

It’s been a great year for music, with no shortage of fantastic releases to fill our headphones. Among those releases are an abundance of solo projects from established acts. Whether they’re moving on after the end of an era or balancing more than one creative outlet, here are just a few of the solo projects you should check out from this year.

BADXCHANNELS (CRAIG OWENS)

Craig Owens may be best known for fronting Chiodos, but he’s definitely no stranger to channeling his creative energy elsewhere. He has had a hand in Cinematic Sunrise, the Sound Of Animals Fighting, Isles & Glaciers and D.R.U.G.S., but this year’s badXchannels is one of his more unique-sounding projects. The electro-pop/R&B blend was announced via social media in late October, and the first single, “l. one car funeral,” dropped a few days later, with Owens telling Billboard that Chiodos is done and this will be his main focus. His debut EP WHYDFML dropped Nov. 18 and features Issues frontman Tyler Carter on a track. Owens is currently out on a handful of dates through December with support from Marina City and Colours.

JOHN THE GHOST (JOHN O’CALLAGHAN)

The Maine frontman John O’Callaghan once ventured into other sonic territory with Eagles In Drag, a project he worked on with guitarist Jared Monaco, Eric Halvorsen of A Rocket To The Moon and Ryan Gose of This Century. The latest outfit in his creative arsenal, however, is a solo effort titled John The Ghost, which he launched in mid-April of this year. O’Callaghan released his Sincerely, John The Ghost EP later the same month, which can be ordered via 8123 with an accompanying book scribed by him.

AARON GILLESPIE

Aaron Gillespie rose to recognition as the drummer and clean vocalist of Underoath, which he balanced with his side project, the Almost, beginning in 2007. He parted ways with Underoath in 2010 (and later rejoined in 2015), allowing him to shift focus to his eponymous solo endeavor for which he just dropped his fourth full-length, Out Of The Badlands, this past  August. The album features covers of U2 and Bonnie Raitt, as well as fresh takes on Underoath (“A Boy Brushed Red…Living In Black And White,” “Reinventing Your Exit”) and Almost (“No I Don’t,” “Say This Sooner,” “Southern Weather”) songs. There are also plenty of originals, such as the raw standout “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.”

ANDY BLACK (ANDY BIERSACK)

Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Biersack adopted the moniker of Andy Black for a solo endeavor,The Shadow Side, which was issued in May. The John Feldmann-produced album  features an all-star cast of guest collaborations, from Mikey Way on bass and Gerard Way co-writing to 5 Seconds Of Summer’s Ashton Irwin and All Time Low’s Rian Dawson on drums. Biersack will be supporting the release on the final leg of his headline tour—aptly titled The Homecoming Tour: Curtain Call—with support from William Control and Palaye Royale in February and March.

LACEY STURM

Lacey Sturm stepped down as the frontwoman for Christian rock act Flyleaf in October 2012, leaving her open to work on and release two memoirs—The Reason: How I Discovered A Life Worth Living in 2014 and The Mystery: Finding True Love In A World Of Broken Lovers in October of this year. However, in October 2015, Sturm announced her decision to return to music and embark on a solo career. er first recorded release since Flyleaf’s New Horizons, titled Life Screams came out in Febriary, peaking at No. 74 on the Billboard 200, earning her the title of the first solo female artist to top the Hard Rock Albums Chart, which she snagged the week of March 5.

BRIGHT GREEN (ZAC EISENSTEIN)

If you’re missing Man Overboard following the announcement of their hiatus and Farewell For Now Tour in April, then vocalist/guitarist Zac Eisenstein’s Bright Green is right up your alley. His debut, The Highs Are Getting Lower EP, isn’t much different on the back end, with him working with Man Overboard vocalist/bassist Nik Bruzzese and long-time producer Jesse Cannon on the six acoustic tracks. Eisenstein will take his project on the road to support Set Your Goals for a handful of dates celebrating 10 years of Mutiny! in early December and late February.

FRANK IERO AND THE PATIENCE (FRANK IERO)

My Chemical Romance guitarist/backing vocalist Frank Iero has been quite busy since the band announced their breakup in 2013. He released his first post-MCR solo full-length, Stomachaches, as frnkiero andthe cellabration in 2014 and dropped Death Spells’ (his brainchild with James Dewees) long-awaited LP debut, Nothing Above, Nothing Below, this past July. Most recently, however, Iero transformed his solo project into Frank Iero And The Patience and offered the world the punk-fueled Parachutes this past October. Iero planned a U.S. run in support of the album for October and November, but a traffic accident during an Australian tour resulted in injuries to band members, forcing the dates to be cancelled.

TWO TONGUES (MAX BEMIS/CHRIS CONLEY)

While not technically a “solo” project, Two Tongues features Max Bemis and Chris Conley tearing themselves away from Say Anything and Saves The Day, respectively, to offer the world this electric collaboration. Their debut hit shelves in 2009 and was followed up seven years later by Two. The band planned their first headlining tour for this November/December, but it was cancelled about a month out “due to unforeseen circumstances,” with the promise of future shows still to be announced.

FARRO (JOSH FARRO)

Guitarist Josh Farro left Paramore along with his brother and drummer Zac in 2010. Josh launched Novel American in 2011, which Zac would join later, but eventually they pulled the plug on the band and parted ways to focus on fronting new projects—Zac with the ambient band HalfNoise (who also released a full-length this year titled Sudden Feeling) and Josh with his indie effort, Farro. Josh released his first Farro single, “Color Rush,” in November 2014, but his debut full-length Walkways didn’t drop until February of this year. Farro supported the Rocket Summer on his Zoetic Tour in the spring and wrapped up the year with a headlining U.K. tour in November.

MAIKA MAILE

Former Hopeless Records signees There For Tomorrow released two full-lengths and two EPs via the label before self-releasing their final EP, Nightscape, and calling it quits in 2014. Frontman Maika Maile and drummer Chris Kamrada reunited under the name AFTRHR with a new single, “So Divine,” in December 2015. Since then, AFTRHR have released another single, “Perfect,” in June, while Maile launched an eponymous solo project with debut single “Dark Circles” on Oct. 18. Both projects have been teasing something in the works since each respective single was dropped, so only time will tell what’s next.

RIVER OAKS (SHANE TOLD)

Shane Told has been fronting Silverstein since their 2000 debut, and in October 2015, he revealed plans for a solo project onstage while opening for the Wonder Years in Toronto. Further details were divulged in late January, when Told announced the project —dubbed River Oaks—had a self-titled debut EP available. River Oaks will be closing out the year by embarking on a mini U.S. tour with support from former Spitalfield frontman Mark Rose.

AARON WEST AND THE ROARING TWENTIES (DAN “SOUPY” CAMPBELL)

Wonder Years’ frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell launched his solo project, Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties, in May 2014, citing in an introductory video that he had a desire to “expand lyrically and as a songwriter.” His solo debut We Don’t Have Each Other, which was produced by the Early November’s Ace Enders, is about the worst year in West’s life. The follow-up EP, Bittersweet, dropped in May 2016.

ANTHONY GREEN

Anthony Green is a busy man. This year marked his return to Saosin in the form of the Epitaph Records release Along The Shadow. Circa Survive will also be hitting the road for an On Letting Go 10-year anniversary tour early next year, and Green confirmed via a Reddit AMA that a new album is on the horizon. Despite his dedication to other projects, he found the time to pour his heart into a collection of tracks for his fourth solo full-length, Pixie Queen, which dropped in September.

MAT KEREKES

Mat Kerekes fronts Citizen but also dabbles with hardcore act Power Wrench. He’s released two splits: one solely with Spitback in 2014 and another with Spitback and the equally hardcore Snarl (fronted by the Story So Far’s Parker Cannon) in 2015. Kerekes also helms a more Citizen-like solo project that dropped a debut self-titled EP in 2014 and a full-length, Luna & The Wild Blue Everything, in August of this year. He released a video for “My Lucky #3,” which he collaborated on with Citizen guitarist Ryland Oehlers for the latter’s directorial debut. Kerekes also joined Secret Space in opening for Anthony Green on his Pixie Queen Tour this past September.

PROMISE OF REDEMPTION (SHANE HENDERSON)

Valencia announced their hiatus in October 2011, playing a final show in December of that year. Five years later, they broke their silence and announced two reunion shows slated for this December, but between then and now, frontman Shane Henderson kept busy. Henderson turned to work on Shane Henderson And The Future Perfect, self-releasing the  Control EP in 2013. This year, he moved on from that and dusted off Promise Of Redemption, a project he had been working on since the early 2000s. He released two albums under that name—The Lights That Flicker Will Surely Fade in 2004 and When The Flowers Bloom… in 2008—before Valencia started to take off. In May, Henderson signed to Know Hope Records, a label co-owned by Valencia guitarist JD Perry. Promise Of Redemption dropped a blend of acoustic and full band tracks on the Where You Ought To Be EP in July through the label.

VICKY-T (VICTORIA ASHER)

Cobra Starship announced their end via a farewell from frontman Gabe Saporta on the band’s website in November 2015. Keytarist and backing vocalist Victoria Asher has never shied away from the creative arts, having assisted director Thomas Cobb on the opening title sequences for Orange Is The New Black and Homeland, as well as director Michel Gondry on a Nespresso commercial starring George Clooney. Asher also co-directed one of Cobra Starship’s music videos, “Kiss My Sass,” so it’s no surprise she would direct her own solo debut for the sugary-sweet pop anthem “Protect This Love” that dropped this April. Her website reveals an EP is in the works, and she has recently been teasing via social media with stills of her next music video for an unreleased track, “Push Comes To Shove.”

RAY TORO

Like Iero, My Chemical Romance guitarist/backing vocalist Ray Toro embarked on a solo career following the band’s breakup announcement in March 2013. Toro posted his first (and totally DIY) solo song “Isn’t That Something” in May of that year. He launched a website in August 2014 with a few more demos and the announcement he would be entering the studio with producer Doug McKean (who also produced Gerard Way’s 2014 solo release Hesitant Alien). Toro released his next track, “For The Lost And Brave,” in January 2015 after being motivated to share the song following the suicide of 17-year-old transgender girl Leelah Alcorn. Toro released another snippet of solo material titled “Hope For The World” in July of this year, and “Take The World” in October. His debut album Remember The Laughter dropped Nov. 18, and it included many of the songs he had teased fans with since 2013. He wrote all of the songs and played most of the instruments on the album himself.