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Cartel Bio:
Cartel is a band from Washington, D.C. that came together because of a shared affinity for more melodic and atmospheric rock that ran counter to what was predominantly heard in their local DC scene.
Ed Barnabas and Luke Mangels decided to form a band after playing together and forming some basic song structures. They soon added guitarist Mark Hemingway and bassist Francisco Lazzaro whom they met through a record store flyer and a local music website bulletin board, respectively. With four people in place, they began to play. After playing and writing, Brian Leatherman responded to the band’s “singer wanted” ad. He thought of himself as primarily a guitarist, but responded to the ad anyway. He showed up with guitar in hand and proved to be over-modest about his singing ability. His songwriting skills also impressed and the band began to adapt their sound around him.
With the lineup established, the band began to play out in DC area clubs to great crowds and favorable response. The band recently completed the recording of a demo and found Jason Caddell, formerly of Dismemberment Plan, to engineer and mix. The result of this recording yielded the EP, "Safety In Numbers" which was recorded at Quincy St. and Inner Ear studios. Jeff Saltzman, who has worked with acts like Death Cab for Cutie and Stephen Malkmus, signed on for mastering duties.
Cartel is currently playing throughout the east coast and for some select shows, opening for national touring acts. They are also currently fielding responses from labels, management, booking agencies, and radio. Stay tuned for more on Cartel….
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