September 04, 2008 |
We wil be on KEXP radio on John in the Morning on KEXP today at 11am (est), 8am (pst). 90.3FM in Seattle, 91.5FM (KEXP) in NYC (WNYE Radio New York and www.kexp.org worldwide. We are so thankful to the station as well as John in the Morning for showing us love right away when we released the record. If you don't know the station, they are originally from Seattle but are also now syndicated via NYC. They are definitly one of the coolest radio stations in the US. And KEXP is a radio station full of real music lovers! Thank you for the love Jon and KEXP!! |
August 26, 2008 |
KAISERCARTEL: Paging Dr. KaiserCartel Jul 30, 2008 By Jennifer Monteagudo I like to think of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel as the two unknown characters on Captain Planet. They fist bump their power rings and magically form KaiserCartel, the sweetest, most genuine indie rock band to come out of Brooklyn in a long while. Their debut full-length, March Forth (Bluhammock), features soft instruments, gentle melodies and powerful vocals, especially on the part of Ms. Kaiser. The two are doing extensive touring this summer in support of March Forth, but we caught up with them via phone as they were droving through Arkansas. Courtney and Benjamin clued us in on why they think of themselves as musical doctors, and more. I noticed you're conducting a pretty epic tour. Are gas prices making it difficult? Kaiser: Yeah gas prices are the highest we've seen yet. The plus side is that there're two of us, so we can drive in a car. The car we're driving is a Prius and it's better for the environment and it's better for our wallets for gas. We're still doing well but we're not making as much money as we could on the road. Are less fans coming to shows because of gas prices? Cartel: Actually, we're attracting more fans than we ever have before because of lots of radio play, and we've been out in some areas at least two or three times already. Are you surprised by the attention March Forth has gathered? Kaiser: We're just excited that other people are excited about the music we make. We're really happy that the CMJ charts are doing well, that college radio enjoys it, that people are requesting the music. We're glad to have a team behind us that is helping us instead of us just doing everything by ourselves. We're just grateful for the love. How long did it take to record March Forth? Kaiser: It took eight days with Matt Hales, our producer, and we did it in L.A. We spent some time before that working in Minneapolis and Chapel Hill. We [spent] a lot of time playing the songs in New York and throughout last year, so we knew the songs really well. That made going to the studio a lot easier. How do you get the inspiration to write songs? Kaiser: We can be inspired by movies, by people telling us stories, by our own experiences, but I think it varies. I think on that record it's a good hodge-podge of things like that. I think we can be inspired by just about anything. Cartel: I'm always into a good story, if it's someone else's story or my own. I always look for the story aspect when I'm talking to people and listening. My favorite song from March Forth is "The Flood." Was that in any way inspired by Hurricane Katrina? Kaiser: "The Flood" was definitely inspired by Katrina as well as An Inconvenient Truth. That movie came out, and it was also raining tons in New York. Just raining and raining and raining. I love that song too, I think it's really powerful. It could be scary. Ben has a cousin and a friend [who] both live down [in New Orleans], and they had nowhere to go. The house was destroyed. My friend's mom was going down to New Orleans. She'd go every other two weeks to volunteer and even months later she said it was just the same thing—still no help, still people just devastated. What are the challenges of being a couple in a band? Kaiser: I think it's about the same as being with band members. The difference is that we don't have the separation of space. A lot of couples just go to their jobs and you have that separation. But with us we're together all the time. The only challenge is giving the other person time to themselves. The advantage is being together all the time. When people tour with their band and they're away from their significant other, it's really challenging to the person who is at home, because they're at home doing the chores, doing [everything] by themselves while their partner is out on the road having a good time. What's your favorite band that's also a couple? Kaiser: (giggling) Ben likes Dean And Britta. Cartel: Another one—Sonic Youth. Kaiser: I agree with that. Also we have a band that we were introduced to via a promoter is a band from Northampton [Massachusetts] called the Winter Pills. I really dig that band. What do you want people to take away from your music? Kaiser: I like to see music as... like we're a doctor or something. And people can listen to us play and it soothes them and heals them in whatever ways they need. Cartel: I think it is kind of a spiritual thing. Kaiser: We like to have an effect on people. At the end of our shows we sing the song "Shira," which is at the end of our record. We try to recreate the experience of an audio recording by, at the end of the show, walking around, serenading the crowd. [I] sing to each and every person and I'll be really, really close. There's always a different response. Some people start tearing up, some people are really freaked out about someone being that close. People always love it in the end, even if it made them uncomfortable, having someone so close and being soothed by music that lively. On the recording we try to do that by leaving one room and moving into another room and having the microphone set up and moving back so you can feel this type of movement idea. And I think when we do that, getting that close, we really do feel that kind of emotional grasp of people. It's a really intimate and amazing moment. So you try to make every person feel closer to the music? Kaiser: Absolutely. Not everybody was sung to as children, and you don't get sung to as an adult. People don't actually soothe you or get to you that way, and I think it's really affective. People really feel like it's something they're intimate with, now they've crossed the line of watching and observing and now they're sort of included. Are you working on new material? Kaiser: We've started playing some new songs on the road. [There's] a sound check song we're writing as we're sound-checking each city so by the end of the tour, we'll have a new song. Are your new songs a departure? Cartel: They're not extreme departures, but I'm starting to feel that the conversation in March Forth was between Courtney and I. Now it's a conversation between us and our audience. http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=70047708 |
August 26, 2008 |
Posted by Matt Cuthbert August 25, 2008 12:44 PM Categories: Music KaiserCartel Performing 8/26 at Bottletree. John P. Strohm opens. Tickets $7. Once upon a time, Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel were living cushy lifestyles as elementary educators. But their lofty schoolteachers' salaries weren't enough for them. Overcome by corporate greed, they decided to ditch their careers, pack their stuff up in a car, and drive around the country playing wispy folk-pop songs late at night in dimly-lit music clubs under the moniker of KaiserCartel. Seriously though, can you imagine what kind of devotion to music that sort of move takes (for any band)? To make their story even sweeter though, the two also became a couple. Their love for their craft and for one another is evident in the songs put forth on their debut album March Forth (a nod to the date they met). In particular, their song "Good Ones" has been on heavy rotation in my MP3 player lately (you can hear it on the duo's MySpace page). Their sound falls somewhere along the lines of Mates of State or The Weepies (coincidentally, two other boy-girl indie-pop couples). KaiserCartel are bringing their sweet melodies to Bottletree tomorrow night (Aug. 26) at 9 p.m. Check them out, and you just may fall in love with them too. The connection between the couple is brought to life when they play live, surrounded by...stuffed animals. It sounds silly because it is, and in the wrong hands could come off as precious, but somehow KaiserCartel makes their army of toys work like magic on the audience, bringing out their inner kids with infectious indie lullabies. And if that wasn't enough to make you sigh, "Awww..." The band's reps say that by the end of a show, the duo makes it a priority to walk through the audience and serenade onlookers. Their concert is a late addition to Bottletree's calendar, and that could leave them with an unfortunately sparse audience. Do your part to make them feel welcomed in Birmingham. Tickets are only $7, and John P. Strohm is opening (two more reasons to attend). |
August 23, 2008 |
Monolith Interview - Kaiser Cartel by Adam Schragin August 22, 2008 - 8:00am Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel had individual careers as singer-songwriters before fate fused them together, both as the cooperative musical troupe KaiserCartel, and, as romance would have it, a couple. Now Cartel and Kaiser live together in Brooklyn, teach children when they aren’t playing music, and debuted with their album March Forth just this past June. ML: As a couple/band, what is it like touring and working together constantly? Benjamin Cartel: It is challenging as a couple and as a band, as well as rewarding. Courtney Kaiser: The plus side is that we're together rather than one person at home paying bills, doing house chores while the other is playing shows and meeting new people. ML: Courtney, you were a back-up singer for John Mellencamp some time ago. What was that experience like? C.K.: It was amazing. The band members are all incredible musicians and I learned a lot from them. John gave me the opportunity to sing in front of thousands of people - which I had not done - and in a way he showed me that it was something I could do. I put my solo record out after doing two tours and really think he helped me to open my eyes and show me what I was capable of. I loved the tour bus, and will always think of that time period in my life as challenging as well as fun. I look forward to having a veggie-powered bus for KaiserCartel in the future ;) ML: How did your styles, as Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel, differ? Do you find that your direction changes when you combine forces? B.C.: We come to a musical middle ground, which sounds different than what we sounded like as individuals. C.K.: I think also in our coming together and in our newer experiences with life and our surroundings, our blend has been a natural progression, not a premeditated idea. We have never said, "Oh, for a KaiserCartel song, Ben's song needs to have this instrumentation" or anything like that. B.C.: Part of what brings our sound together is the lo-fi ethic that we started out with… C.K.: …which came out of necessity because we were touring in a small car, but have kept it because we like the minimalist quality. ML: I was going to ask if you minded the adjective “cute” in regard to your music when I learned you decorate your stage with stuffed animals. I’m taking it that “cute” is something you’re not only comfortable with, but wholly embrace? C.K.: The stuffed animals started with a cat puppet. People started giving them to us, and we would find them. Each animal seemed to be telling a story of their past or their owners past, and we just kept them with us on stage. We don't mind people thinking we're cute, but we don't want people to not take us seriously. We work really hard at our song writing and putting together the right harmonies and instrumentation. ML: What other couple-y bands do you admire? Do you get a constant stream of Mates of State comparisons? C.K.: I have been hearing that I sound like whatever singer is popular at the time. That started when I was sixteen. I think people have to relate musicians to other musicians because it makes them more comfortable with their description. As far as couple-y things, I like the Winterpills from Northampton. B.C.: We like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Peaches and Herb, and Roy and Dale;) ML: March Forth is your debut record as KaiserCartel. Could you talk about what it was like making it, and your thoughts on the finished project? B.C.: We had worked on the album for a long time, but then recorded it in eight days. It was a big contrast, and only took a short time because we knew the songs so well. C.K.: We really like how it turned out. Matt Hales was a great producer and the label worked really hard at pulling the studio and gear in L.A. together for us. All the choices were made seventy-two hours before we left NYC to visit my parents for Christmas. ML: Is Brooklyn a good place to be in an indie-folk-pop band? C.K.: We live in Red Hook, Brooklyn and it's the best. We have great, supportive neighbors who are also creative types either in music or art. There's a lot of space to breathe in while you are also in the mix of crazy multitasking maniacs. We love it. B.C.: Brooklyn is a great place to be for any kind of band. There's lots of diversity and cultural influence. It's an exciting and vital place to be right now. ML: Both of you are teachers, correct? Is there one teacher, in music or otherwise, who inspired you growing up? B.C.: I was lucky to have a lot of great teachers growing up in the suburbs of NYC. I was very inspired by Peter Kanyack, who was my elementary band teacher. He made music a lot of fun for me. Also, John Murray, who was my high school art teacher, gave me a second home in high school in his classroom. C.K.: My music teacher Mrs. Bartalomeo gave me the leading role of Annie in the first grade. That was a big deal. I remember my friend Megan being really mad about it…but really, all my music teachers were amazing. My vocal teacher Camilla Williams at IU was a pretty hard-to-forget teacher. ML: What are your thoughts on playing Monolith? Is this the biggest festival you’ve played so far? C.K.: We are really excited to play Monolith. I have played Red Rocks before with Mellencamp so I know how beautiful it is. ML: Who else are you looking forward to seeing during the fest? C.K.: We are looking forward to seeing our friends play and hoping to see something new. Kaiser Cartel performs at Monolith at 2:45 pm on Saturday, September 13th. - Adam Schragin http://www.madeloud.com/article/812 |
August 13, 2008 |
http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2008/08/13/song-of-the-day-kaisercartel-oh-no/ Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is Oh No by KaiserCartel from the 2008 album March Forth on Bluhammock Records. KaiserCartel - Oh No (MP3) Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel started playing together on March 4th as a way of expressing musical sensibilities that didn’t fit in their previous, separate projects. Their cleverly titled debut, March Forth, proves their new project was worth investing in. The Brooklyn duo worked as elementary school teachers before deciding at the end of this last school year to devote themselves full time to their latest endeavor. Recorded in LA with producer Matt Hales (aka Aqualung) and mixed by Hales and Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros), March Forth is brimming with simple, fun pop melodies reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian or even Seattle’s own Arthur & Yu. Everything about this pair exudes simplicity. They’re not concerned with pushing limits but rather using the things they know well to create an accessible, blissful listening experience. Their spare harmonies ring softly above conversational, storytelling lyrics that speak of day-to-day life without ever sounding mundane. KaiserCartel is currently on a full US tour that reaches its zenith September 13th at Colorado’s Monolith Festival. Check their MySpace page as they just might have a date near you, and we, of course, have the official video for Oh No: |
July 15, 2008 |
By Jim Walsh Courtney Kaiser has been a student and teacher of music for so long that even if she didn’t have a couple degrees and indie-rock street cred going for her, the confidence in her voice when the subject of unrequited artistic dreams comes up is enough to make any would-be singer sit up and listen. Or, croon. “There’s very few tone-deaf people in the world, scientifically speaking,” says Kaiser, one-half of the Brooklyn-based pop-art duo KaiserCartel, who perform tonight (9 p.m. at Macy’s Day Of Music) and Sunday (3 p.m, 7 p.m., and 10 p.m. at the Bryant Lake Bowl). “That’s how adults always describe it when they say they can’t sing. But if you ask, there’s always a story that happened at some point from early childhood or in school where they were in a choir or in some sort of performance, and the teacher was like, `You should sing a lot quieter.’ Or hush them. Or told them to lip-synch. “I think singing is a lot of a psychological thing. You have people who think they can’t sing high. But if you get them standing on a table and you pull on their arms, and they’re trying to resist you, and you get them to sing higher and higher as you’re trying to pull them off the table, people always sing way higher than they think they can.” “Torture,” deadpans Kaiser’s partner Benjamin Cartel, “can be a very effective tool when it comes to singing.” To read the rest click here |
July 10, 2008 |
We are excited to announce a new Chicago, (technically Lisle, IL) date. We will be opening for Paula Cole at the beautiful Morton Arboretum on July 12! For more info and to buy tickets, please go to the website: www.mortonarb.org |
July 10, 2008 |
A 4 star review for KaiserCartel!! AcedMagazine.com |
July 10, 2008 |
"Oh No" Video Premiered online at AOL's Spinner. |
July 10, 2008 |
Brooklyn-based band KaiserCartel recorded their debut album, March Forth, in only eight days, but we promise that you'll be listening to this album way longer than that....Read More |
July 10, 2008 |
July 10, 2008 |
July 10, 2008 |
July 10, 2008 |
Kaiser + Cartel = Tru Luv 4Eva Two elementary school teachers from Brooklyn fell in love and became a band. How cute is that? Read Article |
July 10, 2008 |
July 10, 2008 |
They live in Brooklyn, the part of Brooklyn where melody reigns, whistling is compulsory and anything (like a milk frother) could be considered an instrument. Read More |
July 09, 2008 |
"Oh No" video love from MusicRemedy.com. |
July 09, 2008 |
"Okay" video love from MusicRemedy.com. |
July 09, 2008 |
Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel have logged thousands of miles, lost continents, parted ways with rock stars, formed and broken up bands -- all for you to hear March Forth, the debut from the duo. They live in Brooklyn, the part of Brooklyn where melody reigns, whistling is compulsory and anything (like a milk frother) could be considered an instrument. Rather than conjure the twee miasma that those ingredients could create, KaiserCartel have constructed a gorgeous album of songs about living and loving, something they know about, as their musical and romantic lives are so entangled, it's difficult to say where one starts and the other begins. Read More. |
July 09, 2008 |
Our new video "Oh No" was posted in the "Recently Uploaded Videos Section" on the MySpace Music Videos page. Click here see the page. Check out our MySpace Page |
July 02, 2008 |
he lounging dewdrops and mellow sounds of Belle & Sebastian found a new home in the music of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel. Together, they form KaiserCartel and they have recently released their second record March Forth, named after the date that the two decided to make music together, March 4th. Produced by Matt Hales of Aqualung and mixed by Hales and Ken Thomas of Sigur Ros, March Forth is a wholesome dose of fresh air. There is a purity in KaiserCartel’s music that makes the melodic phrases seem ungarnished but diligently finished and the vocals of Kaiser and Cartel are beautifully bare. By the first bars of the opening track “Oh No,” you may feel like KaiserCartel are a repeat performance of Belle & Sebastian, but in fact as the album unfolds, more about the duo is revealed and it all makes an indelible impression on listeners as Courtney’s pitch is reminiscent of Nicole Atkins...read more and make us really happy, vote! |
June 24, 2008 |
We sat down with uncensored interview waayy back at SXSW. We had many "indie" thooughts. Here is one that is just now surfacing: |
June 04, 2008 |
Check out KaiserCartel at SXSW on
Blender.com |
June 04, 2008 |
June 04, 2008 |
PasteMagazine.com chose KaiserCartel's "Okay" Video as the video of the day. |
June 04, 2008 |
KaiserCartel and their upcoming album March Forth was featured in the Summer 2008 issue of Zink Magazine. |
June 04, 2008 |
KaiserCartel's "Oh No" video was accepted at VH1.com today! |
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