KaiserCartel

Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel create the homespun songs of KaiserCartel, an unassuming Brooklyn-based duo featuring the talents of both songwriters. Kaiser, the premiere vocalist of the group, launched her music career by singing backup for John Mellencamp and the Wallflowers. She later issued a solo album in 2004. Meanwhile, Cartel began playing the saxophone as a young teenager before making the switch to drums. He, too, began pursuing a career in music performance and eventually crossed paths with Kaiser, having shared a bill with her at the Knitting Factory in New York City. The two became romantically and musically linked, and KaiserCartel soon hit the road in support of each musician's own material. Upon their return to New York, the two began writing new songs together, utilizing each other's instrumental talents to create a sound peppered with harmonies, acoustic guitars, keyboards, xylophones, and percussion. After issuing a series of raw, earnest EPs, KaiserCartel traveled to Los Angeles to work with producer Matt Hale. The result was March Forth, which marked the band's full-length debut in mid-2008. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide