Cartel AIM Interview

Hear a brand-new version of Cartel's smash, 'Honestly.'


CARTELinbubble: good morning
CARTELinbubble: this is Nic from Cartel
NadineInMusic: HI!
NadineInMusic: are you awake?
CARTELinbubble: yeah, working in it
NadineInMusic: hahaha
CARTELinbubble: we're slowly coming down...apologies
NadineInMusic: no worries at all!
CARTELinbubble: lets go
CARTELinbubble: it's Will
NadineInMusic: hello Will! how's it going in there?
CARTELinbubble: not too bad...we're still alive
NadineInMusic: hahaha
NadineInMusic: is it like a greenhouse in there?
CARTELinbubble: nope...like a freezer.
NadineInMusic: yikes! so why on god's earth would you decide to record and live in a bubble for three weeks?
CARTELinbubble: why not? we thought it'd be a huge promotion opportunity, as well as something no one has done on this scale.
CARTELinbubble: it's a news maker
NadineInMusic: that's for sure
NadineInMusic: so, did you write all the songs beforehand or are you writing them in there?
CARTELinbubble: we have demos that we worked on beforehand and some stuff that we're working out now
NadineInMusic: do you feel a major amount of pressure to deliver?
NadineInMusic: i mean, not just because it's your second album, but also because you only have three weeks to record?
CARTELinbubble: none more so than we would if we were home
CARTELinbubble: we record fast anyway
NadineInMusic: that's good
CARTELinbubble: a band who takes months to record would be screwed
NadineInMusic: totally
NadineInMusic: so some kids think you've "sold out" by doing this promotion. how do you respond to that?
CARTELinbubble: it's impossible for people to understand this sort of thing without being involved in it in some capacity.
CARTELinbubble: we don't think it's selling out...we look at it like a big promotion.....we're not writing Dr. Pepper songs or putting their graphics on the cd....it's just a TV show and some webcams exposing our fans to the process of recording.....and it happens to be sponsored....we nor anyone else could do this alone....it's a group effort on many fronts.
NadineInMusic: that's a good attitude
CARTELinbubble: it's the truth.
NadineInMusic: what can your fans expect from your new material?
CARTELinbubble: their brains will explode
NadineInMusic: HAHAHA
NadineInMusic: how do these songs differ from the ones on Chroma?
CARTELinbubble: no...seriously
CARTELinbubble: we arranged the frequencies so that upon first hit of the record...boom
NadineInMusic: HAHAHAHAHAH
NadineInMusic: but then you won't have any fans left cause they'll all be headless
CARTELinbubble: yeah...but we'd be the band who made everyone's brains explode.
NadineInMusic: true!
CARTELinbubble: that's a big deal
CARTELinbubble: the songs on this record are just better...that's a product of time and progress as a band
CARTELinbubble: it's been 2 years since Chroma, so we've had a while to get what we want out of our music
NadineInMusic: will there be any bubble references in your lyrics? maybe a bonus track called "the bubble song"?
CARTELinbubble: hell no
NadineInMusic: hahaha
CARTELinbubble: we're actually doing serious stuff in here..it's not all fun and games....we have a lot of good times but we have to remain focused
NadineInMusic: what did you think of the first episode of your show?
CARTELinbubble: it's pretty funny
CARTELinbubble: we were all having a great time watching it
NadineInMusic: i did too
NadineInMusic: so tell me more about inside the bubble...are there copious amounts of KFC and Dr. Pepper lying around?
CARTELinbubble: nah....we have a fridge full of Dr. Pepper separate from our food fridge....we have to order kfc when we want it but we get whatever we want so it's fun...we just order the whole menu basically
NadineInMusic: yum!
CARTELinbubble: yeah....0 trans fat
NadineInMusic: have you gotten anything outstandingly cool passed to you through the bubble from your fans?
CARTELinbubble: just a lot of baked goods and sweet tea
NadineInMusic: were those on the top of your request list?
CARTELinbubble: at first...but we have to ask for the essentials now....salt and pepper
NadineInMusic: wait, you don't have salt and pepper?
CARTELinbubble: not at first....we have pepper....we now need salt
NadineInMusic: well after your fans read this interview, i bet you'll be swimming in it
CARTELinbubble: yeah...but we already have it now....we don't need an abundance of spices.
NadineInMusic: so what do you guys do to keep yourselves entertained when you're not recording?
NadineInMusic: i watched you on the webcams for a minute and you were all just hanging out in the kitchen
CARTELinbubble: hang out...celebrate.
CARTELinbubble: yeah...it can get boring at times.
NadineInMusic: what is one thing you'd change about the living quarters?
CARTELinbubble: size....i'd make it huge...so that that window isn't so close
NadineInMusic: do you feel a bit trapped?
CARTELinbubble: in essence, yes, but we don't look at it like that...it's more like therapy because you have to try to have a good time all the time...it teaches you how to always keep a positive light about the situation
CARTELinbubble: it's something we'll use in the future
NadineInMusic: what is the first thing you guys are going to do when you get out?
CARTELinbubble: probably just hang out...get some food...sleep in without sunlight or obligations...just try to be normal
NadineInMusic: ok so we've got some questions from fans that we'd like to ask you
CARTELinbubble: cool
NadineInMusic: Lindsay M. from Birmingham asks, "If you could pick one band that you are fans of to go on tour with, who would it be and why? Also, where would your favorite place to tour be?"
CARTELinbubble: there's a few different ways to answer that...
CARTELinbubble: if they were still around...The Beatles
CARTELinbubble: if genre didn't matter....Radiohead...to watch them every night
CARTELinbubble: for real touring purposes...Jimmy Eat World
CARTELinbubble: fav. places: anywhere in the northwest because it's beautiful, the south because it's home, Chicago, NY, L.A., Boston
NadineInMusic: awesome
NadineInMusic: Christina G. from Baltimore asks, "What other bands are you guys fans of?"
CARTELinbubble: short list: Beach Boys, Beatles, Zeppelin, Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead, Mew, Silverchair, As Tall As Lions
NadineInMusic: ooh As Tall As Lions?
CARTELinbubble: yup
NadineInMusic: i used to work with those boys
NadineInMusic: great band
CARTELinbubble: absolutely
NadineInMusic: ok sorry...moving on..
NadineInMusic: Alex G. from Minneapolis wants to know, "What and where was the first Cartel gig ever played?"
CARTELinbubble: Swayze's in Marietta, GA. Oct. 26, 2003
NadineInMusic: ok Lisa G. from Dallas would like to know, "Why did you decide to do "Band in a Bubble" and where did the idea come from?"
CARTELinbubble: our label brought the idea to us as a possible marketing tool...we thought long and hard about it considering all the corporate branding involved and decided that something on this scale would be dumb to pass up...it's not for everybody but we didn't want to be the band that passed only to see the idea get huge and us be mad about it...plus we needed to record again anyway...this a great way for exposure too.
NadineInMusic: nice! and finally...
NadineInMusic: Ashley H. from Akron has a question for Kevin..."How do you get your hair to look so fabulous? Seriously, I envy it."
CARTELinbubble: he doesn't do anything to it at all...no comb, rare shampooing...just letting nature do it's thing
NadineInMusic: hahaha i wish my hair was like that!
CARTELinbubble: people always say that....it gets in his way a lot too.
NadineInMusic: so what are you guys up to for the rest of the summer?
CARTELinbubble: we've got some one-off Six Flags shows and i'm sure some press to do...otherwise we're just going to kick back and relax as much as possible because we're touring our ass off in the fall.
NadineInMusic: cool.
NadineInMusic: so we're gonna wrap this up so you can get on with the rest of your day, but is there anything you want to say to your fans before we go?
CARTELinbubble: we can't wait for them to hear what we're doing in here...that's what it's all about anyway.
NadineInMusic: agreed. well thanks so much for waking up early for this, Will!
CARTELinbubble: no worries
CARTELinbubble: take care
NadineInMusic: enjoy the rest of your time in there and good luck with everything
CARTELinbubble: thanks

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