Interview with Vocalist Cameron Kellenberger of Carbellion
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By Mick Michaels
The
Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The
Cosmick View! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!
Cameron Kellenberger: Hey! Thank you for
taking the time to talk with me about what Carbellion's all about.
CV: Give us a brief overview of
Carbellion.
CK: Carbellion is a heavy rock band based
out of Southeastern, WI. The quick and dirty starts with us forming all
the way back in 2004! Since that time we've recorded a combination of seven EPs
and LPs released independently and on a few smaller indie labels.
Carbellion has performed live at over 400 shows in more than 20 states in the
US. This includes touring with and/or performing live in direct support of such
nationally recognized acts as Motorhead, Corrosion of Conformity, Clutch,
Buckcherry, Shinedown, Sevendust, Crobot, ’68, Gov’t Mule, Fu Manchu, The
Sword, PM5k, Black Stone Cherry, etc. We've done some fests such as WIIL
95.1 Rock Fest, WIIL/FM Presents Rocktober Fest, Summerfest in Milwaukee, Day
of the Doomed Milwaukee, Live Nation Int’l Battle of the Bands Finals at HOB
Sunset in Hollywood (RIP), NAMM Conventions -Summer & Winter etc. Our
flavor of heavy rock draws comparisons from Black Sabbath and Iggy Pop
& the Stooges to grunge era stalwarts like AIC and Soundgarden through to
today’s work by Clutch and QOTSA. Our latest record, "Weapons of
Choice", was just released on April 17th on vinyl from Qumran Records and
digitally on Eclipse Records.
CV: Given so many major changes over the last decade, especially in the last three years, do you believe the music industry is a practicable and stable enough environment for new artists to even consider making it a valid career choice? Can a level of sustainable success really be achieved in your opinion for your band?
CK: That's a great question! The game has definitely changed in what it means to "make it" in a band. The days of mega-homes, exotic cars, and private jets are gone for 99% of the working bands out there, particularly in the rock genre. That being said, the paths to build a solid fanbase, tour, and get increased exposure no longer require getting signed to a major record label... and you can retain ownership of your music in most cases! There are some great independent labels out there specializing in different genres and brand marketing methods that can really help artists establish themselves towards building a career of music at some level. You have to put the work in though. There are no free rides.CV: What do you see as the biggest change in the music industry since you first started out as an artist?
CK: The internet. It's changed everything from how bands promote, book shows, get exposure, and how the fans get access and listen to the music. There is no aspect of the music business that hasn't been radically impacted by the internet. Music streaming and file sharing put a dagger into the economics of selling the music through physical media. The extremely low profits generated from streaming services (audio and video) have forced a shift to put bands out on the road to make money through performing and selling merch at the shows. I will say I have been excited to see vinyl make a strong comeback even if it hasn't shifted the industry back to physical sales.CV: How do you see CARBELLION’s music separating itself from your peers and avoiding just being another band on the scene?
CK: I think the biggest thing is we are very difficult to categorize. We can do really heavy and we can do really moody depending on the vibe while we are songwriting. We draw comparisons from all over the spectrum from metal, thrash, and punk to classic rock, stoner rock, and grunge. Live, the band is a powerhouse of energy onstage. You take all that and add that we are music veterans who have worked through the ups and downs of the music business rollercoaster and you're left with us having an edge over a lot of other rock bands out there.CV: Has the industry’s many changes affected how you write music for? Has it influenced your songwriting style in any drastic form?
CK: Not really as much as time and experience. We really take our time with the songwriting now to make sure that we aren't just writing filler songs on the albums. I know that music streaming can really cater to the idea that bands should focus on single songs more than ever, but that's just not how we roll. We still believe strongly that we just need to get in the same room, turn the amps up, and let'r rip to get the new material started.CV: Has digital technology led the way for almost anyone to be a musical artist in your opinion?
CK: I think "musical" and how it's defined would help to answer that question. We subscribe to the idea that working through exploring and developing your skills and talent on instruments, vocals, and lyrics are part of the journey to becoming and enhancing being a "musical artist". Is someone who picks up a macbook or ipad and bangs out some EDM loops an artist? Who am I to say… Beauty is in the ear of the beholder, LOL!That's a tough one. Categorization of music is always very subjective. There are the big buckets like Rock, Pop, Country, and Rap/Hip Hop but then there are a huge amount of subgenres in all of those. I actually think it's a good thing that it isn't just radio offering up what people should be listening to exclusively based on these high level formats. One of the positive things about the music streaming services are the large scale database buildups they have of listener behavior with like/dislikes. That enables fairly accurate algorithmic recommendations of similar bands and music that a listener would also like and can lead to great new music discovery. This of course helps lesser known artists get to new fans. I think this makes the navigation of sub-genres and music a lot easier. All of that being said, we still struggle to get into a specific sub-genre as we touch on many with our music. We get grouped with Stoner Rock/Metal a lot which often makes sense but not always. It's all Rock n' Roll at the end of the day.
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CV:
How would you define “iconic” when it comes to being an artist or musician?
What do you think makes an artist iconic?
This could encompass anyone from the Rolling Stones to Fleetwood Mac to Metallica to Coldplay in rock-oriented genres. Where it gets interesting is how the digital music age and having any song available immediately on your smartphone to listen to can also shorten the attention span of fans in general. Will people care in the future about a full album's worth of songs complementing each other for a full musical picture or journey? I don't know. I sure hope so. Otherwise we are living in the end of the iconic artists where instant gratification and music churn takes its place.
CV: Who would you consider to be a modern day “rock star?” And is being a “rock star” something to aspire to?
CK: What is a "rock star" these days... another tough one to define. Living on the edge and pushing boundaries musically would have defined it in a different era. These days with information on everything about any musician being immediately available ruins some of the mystery that created what I grew up thinking were "rock stars". I still think there is space for those musicians who put their middle fingers in the air against the status quo to be "rock stars" though. It's just interesting how so many anti-establishment types are now completely aligned with "the machine" and the status quo..jpg)
CV: Does music need to have a message to convey to the world for it to be worth listening to in your opinion?
CK: It certainly doesn't need to have a message though sometimes it does. Lyrically, Carbellion has a number of different approaches to subject matter. On our newest record, "Weapons of Choice", we cover a bunch of different styles from satirical (Barfight) to current societal challenges (Preacher, Weapons of Choice) to fictional storytelling (Jungle Song) to aliens (Origin) to things we love (Pity the Backseat inspired by the Outsider book/movie). We don't want to tell people what to think. We just want to get them to think.CV: What's next for CARBELLION? What can fans expect to see coming?
CK: With the new record just coming out, we are working with both of our labels, radio, the fans, show promoters, etc. to get it out there. We are really interested in doing some festivals but have missed the window for a lot of the Summer time booking. We are playing Rock Fest this year in July which is huge and we are really stoked about it. More shows and touring, new Carbellion merch, and more big announcements are coming soon!CV: Thank you again
for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure.
I wish you all the best and continued success.
CK: Thanks so much and the
same back to you and The Cosmick View!
Check out CARBELLION at:
Qumran Records site- https://qumranrecords.com/product/878793
Eclipse Records site- https://www.eclipserecords.com/band/carbellion/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Carbellion/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/carbellion/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/carbellion
YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/@carbellionmusic
TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@carbellion
Bandcamp- https://carbellion.bandcamp.com/
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