Girl meets guy. They each write songs, fall in love, and decide to form a band... the perfect starting point? Doomed for failure? Bands like
The White Stripes and
She & Him have done it (with or without the love bit). This is kind of a different vein though, a somber look at love by two people who are experiencing it first hand, and writing about it together. And it sounds just as sweet as the back story when
KaiserCartel lays down a track.
Recently featured in
Paste, the singer/songwriter pair are gaining traction.
Courtney Kaiser and
Benjamin Cartel met one fateful night at
The Knitting Factory. From their brief encounter, they eventually began a cross country trip together with nothing but their instruments and a car, which naturally led to writing songs together (and being together). They range from happy upbeat whistlers ("Season Song") to apologetic positive melancholy ("Okay"). None of it is really "depressing;" all of the music has a nice fine coating of warm fuzziness, with the two voices moving in and around each other with such fluidity, you'd think they were one person. We guess that's love. The cool thing about the duo is how the sound grows, especially during "Okay." The build up is what KaiserCartel does best. Perhaps a boy/girl duo writing team is the best way to achieve a well balanced song.
It's a personal thing too. The duo's debut album,
March Forth came out last week, and it feels like an intimate view of the couple in their everyday lives. Kaiser says it best;"seeing looks that we give, or music that we write it's seeing us in our living room." We like what we see. -
joe puglisi
KaiserCartel on Tour
6/20 - Baked - Red Hook, Brooklyn
6/27 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7/1 - Wilberts - Cleveland, Ohio
7/3 - Schubas - Chicago
7/4 - Milwaukee Summerfest - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
7/5 - 80-35 Festival - Des Moines, Iowa
7/8 - Record Bar - Kansas City, Missouri
7/11 - KARE 11 (TV spot) - Minneapolis, Minnesota
7/11 - Macys Day Music - Minneapolis, Minnesota
7/12 - The Terrace - Madison, Wisconsin
7/13 - Bryant Lake Bowl - Minneapolis, Minnesota
7/16 - The Basement - Nashville, Tennessee
7/21 - Hi Tone - Memphis, Tennessee
8/2 - McCabes Guitar Shop - Santa Monica, California
8/3 - Anthology - San Diego, California
8/4 - The Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, California
8/14 - Shugas - Colorado Springs, Colorado
9/13 - Monolith Festival - Denver, Colorado
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KaiserCartel on Myspace