History?
In late 1996, we all played in various local bands around Vancouver.
We
quit those bands and drove to Las vegas as friends and came back as The
Cartels. We've been touring and recording ever since.
Please tell me a little about every member
Brian Bresset (guitar and vocals)- a great musician, an even better
songwriter, drinks too much, personality crisis, one hell of a shot.
Dave Troutman (drummer)- great drummer, hits the snare
like a fucking
mack truck, drinks too much, skirt chaser, poor financial judgement.
Greg Laikin (bass and vocals)-drinks too much.
Youīre on Lucky Seven in Europe do you have any other label over there?What have you done excpet Kingpin and how can I get it?
We put out a 7" vinyl in Germany on Middle Class
Pig Records with
Fuck You and Another Friend. You probably have to get it in Germany.
We
are signed to ST2/Universal in Brazil with Kingpins, and we've gone through
a couple of indie labels in North America.
How is life in your country right now?
Life is good because summer is here and we're going on tour.
Touring
Canada in the winter is fucking dangerous.
How is the punkscene nowadays?
The "punkscene" is still the same as it has been the last
4 years except
there are fewer places to play in Canada. I like that the "punkscene"
is
becoming the "rock and roll scene" again with bands like The
Hellacopters,
and Nashville Pussy.
What do you know about Sweden
Great hockey players. Real Blondes.
Have you heard any swedish bands worth to mention?
Aren't The Hellacopters from Sweden? And of course I have to
say thanks
again for ABBA.
What does punkrock mean for you?
No Rules. No income.
When somebody ask you, what music do you play, what do you say?
Rock and Roll.
You play bass and sings, can you play any other instruments and are you doing it in any other group beside of The Cartels, do the other guys play in any other group?
I just play the bass. The Cartels keep us all to busy to play
in any
other bands.
You like cars, isnīt you, some favourite car?
We like classic American cars (1950's to 1970's). I like Cadillacs.
Five records you canīt be without?
The Ramones-The Ramones
The Sex Pistols - Never mind the Bollocks
The Rolling Stones- Sticky Fingers
Hank Williams Sr.-Greatest Hits
ACDC- High Voltage
The last record you bought?
Kid Rock- Devil without a Cause
The first
record you bought?
ACDC- Back in Black
What is the best of being in a band and what is the worst of being it?
Touring.
Are you spending time with the other guys when you donīt play?
No I hate them both. Especially Dave.
What are you doing when you donīt play?
Sleeping.
How is a good concert with the Cartels?
They're all good.
How does the average Cartels fan look like?
Drunk.
You and Brian does the songs, whatīs difference of your type of writing and of Brians?
Our influences. Brian writes very old school punk because he
loves
bands like The Ramones and The Clash. I tend to write more bluesy rock and
roll because I love bands like The Stones and ACDC.
Is there any good lyricwriters you like? Donīt you care about your lyrics or do you thinksítīs important?
Lyrics to me are kind of secondary.
Obviously they are
somewhat important, but if a song has great melody I like it. Louie Louie
by the Kingsmen is a good example of that.
Which song are you most satisfied with, musically and lyrically?
I Miss You. I like it because lyrically it is to the point and
it's
only 3 chords.
Idols when you were small?
Keith Richards and Borje Salming(I'm not
kidding)
Are you often out and play?
We've done a lot of touring throughout North America. Recently,
we
just finished recording and mixing our second c/d so we've only been playing
live in Vancouver. But we are back on the road this summer.
Have you been to Europe?
Well, I was born in West Germany but I only lived there for 6 months.
The Cartels haven't played there yet. Maybe this fall?
Is it many interviews?
There havebeen more interviews than usual since we signed with Lucky Seven. But
that's a good thing.
Is it boring to be interviewed?
No. It's me who's boring.
What do you think about the new way to commuincate, with email and internet and that stuff?
I think the internet is good. It is a great way to communicate
because
it is so fast. I'd like to learn more about how to use it though.
You have an own homesite, who does it?
Our website is: http://home.istar.ca/~cartels
or www.outlawentertainment.com
Do you have any favourite homesite when you look on internet?
.Wisdomword?
There's no business like show business.
Future plans?
I want to play in the NHL.
Something more to add?
Thanks Peter. Maybe we will see you this fall.