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Kaiser Cartel will be playing Radio Radio in Indianapolis on Saturday, May 15. For more information, please go to the Radio Radio website: http://www.futureshock.net/radioframeset.html

Kaiser Cartel has much love for Indianapolis as it holds a long-standing place in Courtney Kaiser’s heart. Kaiser was born in Indianapolis and spent her academic career at the Indiana University in Bloomington studying opera and world music vocals. Kaiser joined up with John Mellencamp to lend backing vocals to the band. Later meeting Benjamin Cartel in New York City, the two took shape and became a mid-2000s Brooklyn fixture.

Since then they recorded and released the critically acclaimed March Forth (Megaforce) which some of the songs later received treatment for a few television shows: HBO’s Bored To Death and Private Practice. The two has also been heard in the MTV show Exiled and the Discovery Channel’s Alter-Aco. Later in 2008 after the release of March Forth, they teamed up with other Indiana musical fixture Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s to tour.

During the preparation for their upcoming release Secret Transit (Daniel), the duo joined up with Pledge Music, an online resource that raises money directly from fans in order to release albums or fund tours, in order to bypass the label process. The band asked fans to help them release the album, offering gifts to those who pledged. In addition, 15 percent of the pledge money went to support Art Of Conservation, an organization that works with villages in Rwanda and teaches children the importance of conservation.

Secret Transit presents a mysterious yet more unified transition for the group, and the opportunity for the two to work more closely together both in composition and song-writing, a feeling that the two further expand on.

Link: http://www.kaisercartel.com/

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With your upcoming visit to Indianapolis and Radio Radio, tell me a little bit about Secret Transit and what these songs mean to you, and how this album stands within the gamut of your career as musicians?

Benjamin Cartel: Many of the songs on Secret Transit are about our experiences on the road over the last few years. Most of the material comes from our own real life experiences with the people and places we have encountered on the road. In some cases the songs are autobiographical, in other cases there are songs about friends, and there are even songs about friends of friends.  The last album, March Forth, contained some songs that were written together and written separately. On this album, all songs were written together. Secret Transit represents a departure from the things we’ve done as solo artists.  We now approach all of our song writing as a team.

Courtney Kaiser: It’s hard to say what this set of songs mean to us. Some of the subject matter is personal, others are metaphorical. Everything we write has meaning for us. At times, I don’t really know what something means or even what it’s about until much later.  Our subconscious makes little messages within the music, but their meaning isn’t realized until after the fact. As far as where the record stands within our music career…well we are both really proud of it. We have toured more in this band than any other project we have been involved in.  Both Ben and I have worked really hard and have been extremely focused on not only the creative side but the business side, especially now that we are putting it out ourselves.  We are just getting started.

How do you feel these songs will transfer to a live setting, and as a duo on stage, how do you like to interpret them on the spot?

BC: I feel that we write a lot of songs with the attitude that if it’s a great song, you can make it sound great by singing, playing guitar and drums. Our interaction on instruments and the harmonizing of our two voices is at the heart of what we do…always. Our audiences hear these songs as they are meant to be performed…played and sung by Kaiser and Cartel.

CK: The songs from Secret Transit late translate well to the live show because that is their original format.  When we write new songs, we add them to the set immediately.  That way we get to know them really well.  When we record we tend to add keyboards or other sounds because we can, not because its needed.

Courtney is no stranger to the ties of Indiana as people may or may not know about the back up gig with Mellencamp. What does it mean for you to get the chance to visit and play here in the city?

CK: I was born in Indianapolis, moved to Bloomington for college to study opera and world music vocal styles. I bought a house in Bloomington after graduating while I was in the Mellencamp band so it’s coming home for me. I always look forward to being in Indianapolis or Bloomington.  I am very proud of the music scene I grew up in.

Tell me how you two met and what led you to both to start playing music together and form Kaiser Cartel?

CK: We met at a gig in NYC. We liked each other’s song writing and musicianship, so we teamed up for a short tour in the midwest.  It was a very stripped down version of our individual solo stuff.  Two guitars, a snare drum, and a child’s xylophone. People really responded, so we never stopped.

How has the musical relationship changed from then to now? What do you feel like  you have learned from each other especially since the two of you have to rely on each other and have trust.

BC: In the beginning we were two solo artists playing on each other’s songs. By the time we recorded March Forth, we knew were becoming more of a true song-writing / song-producing team. We’ve learned a lot about each other’s strengths and weaknesses – in writing, in music and within our own personalities. We’ve learned to trust those strengths more and more. I think we both feel that we are always learning new things about each other when it comes to writing, and creating songs.  We keep the door open when it comes to allowing new influences in, and that has always helped our writing, and helped to keep our spirits up.

Do you feel that Secret Transit is more varied in style than March Forth? Or do you see the similarities, and if so, what do you find that compliments the two?

CK: Secret Transit seems a bit darker to me.  The song may sound upbeat, but the lyrical content is super sad. I like having the dark and light balance. The two records are similar in that the songs could fit into various genres.

BC: I think the vibe and the lyrical stories of Secret Transit are different than March Forth. We’re looking at life from a different perspective. It may be Secret Transit is less whimsical and upbeat than March Forth. As far as being more ‘varied in style’ goes, yes I think we’ve learned a few new songwriting/playing/singing tricks and you can hear that on this new album new album. What remains the same on this album, as compared to March Forth, is our love of telling stories in our songs, our capacity for being both positive in our message/lyrics on some songs / melancholy on others, and our love of vocal harmony which is totally key and central to what we do. All of that has carried over on this album.

What attracts you to the duo aspect of the band?

CK: It is certainly easier to have just two people to worry about. I like the simplicity of two as well as the challenge. We make a big sound with little effort.  Sometimes we want another guitar player or cellist, but we travel in a Prius and that can be a bit tight with three. We had Anni Rossi in the car with us for a tour as well as our manager Patrice before. When we buy that veggie powered airstream I’ve been wanting forever, then we will add a couple of folks. It would be awesome to have someone help drive or sell merch. What a luxury!

BC: I enjoy knowing I that can come up with ideas that can be improved upon. And I like that I can add to a song idea, and help to construct it by putting in my 50 cents. My voice adds something to Courtney’s vocals, and vice versa. With two, you have the option of 3 personalities being represented; male, female, and the collective – the duo – as an individual.

Your songs have been getting more attention in the television circuit. What led to contributing your songs to “Bored To Death” and “Private Practice.” How does it feel to see them used in that context?

CK: Glenn from Bar None was our link to Bored to Death. He sent the March Forth record to his friend Michael Hill who happened to be the music supervisor for Bored To Death. We love the show, and being from Brooklyn, its extra special for us to be involved.  Both Ben and I are visual people and have been inspired by film to write some of our songs, so its awesome to see a scene with our music being the under tone.  We love it!
BC: We enjoyed the attention and exposure we’ve gotten from Bored to Death and Private Practice. I always felt that there is a lot of potential for our songs and our music to serve as a soundtrack for TV and movies. Our experience with TV thus far, gives me hope for more music in TV and Film in the future.

Why contribute to the Art of Conservation? What did that mean for the two of you?

BC: Art of Conservation came about, by chance, because of correspondences with a good friend, who turned out to be the director of this program. There is a personal connection involved here.  We enjoy having as many opportunities to use our music to help communicate positive messages.  This opportunity allows us to assist in educating children of Rwanda, many whom come from remarkably difficult, war-torn, poverty stricken situations.  It  is truly incredible.

CK: We feel strongly about the importance of education, especially in the arts.  We also feel strongly about being environmentally conscious (hence why we tour in a Prius). The goal of Art of Conservation is to teach the importance of the environment through art and music.  Some of the music we have written have been just like any Kaiser Cartel songs would be written. Others have been crafted using traditional Rwandan song structure, rhythm patterns, and instrumentation. We really enjoy writing songs for them and feel so grateful that the villagers trust us enough to share their music with us. Being able to watch videos of them dancing and singing is an ethnomusicologists dream. This is music you can’t get on itunes. It’s extremely special to us.  Also, my degree from the IU School of Music was in World Vocal Music.  I spent a fair amount of time studying southern African folk music and the mbira.  So, in some ways I get to use some of my previous education in what I am doing now.  I love singing in other languages and kri kri is quite a challenge!

New album, new tour, what other plans do you have cooked up for the rest of 2010?

CK: We plan to tour equally as much in Europe as in the US in 2010 and 2011. We are also already thinking of where to record the next record and what music will be on it.

BC: We’re planning on making more videos with the video team known as Grizlet (they did the videos for Okay and Blue Sky on March Forth).

CK: We would also really like to go to Rwanda to meet the villagers that have been singing the Art of Conservation songs!