14 facts about Cartel's self-titled and being the 'Band In A Bubble' you probably didn’t know
Believe it or not, Cartel’s self-titled sophomore full-length turns 10 this year. The production process for this particular album was quite unique, with the band entering a bubble constructed from glass and steel to record. MTV captured footage for miniseries Band In A Bubble while they were simultaneously under a webcam and visitor-induced microscope. Head below for facts about their time in the bubble, from the backlash to the special guests.
Read more: Will Pugh of Cartel looks back on 10 years of Chroma
We can indirectly thank David Blaine for the show’s launch
In 1999, Valve Records owner and band manager Paul Curtis concocted the idea of putting his client Regurgitator, an Australian rock act, in a bubble to record their next album. The band weren’t initially impressed, until guitarist/vocalist Quan Yeomans had a change of heart. Yeomans was living in London in 2003 when famed illusionist David Blaine sealed himself inside a glass box 30 feet above the River Thames’ bank for 44 days with only water and a webcam observing his every move. Yeomans observed the stunt and questioned how it would be if he were “doing something creative as opposed to just sitting around doing nothing.” The following year, Regurgitator became the first group to engage in Band In A Bubble on Channel V Australia, setting up shop for three weeks to produce 2004’s Mish Mash! while on display in Melbourne’s Federation Square. Endemol (the creators of Big Brother, Deal Or No Deal and more) licensed the show’s concept, and Cartel became the first (and last) U.S. band to participate three years later.
Cartel scrapped pushing singles from Chroma to enter the bubble
Cartel exploded onto the scene with their debut full-length Chroma in 2005. The first and only single was “Honestly,” which peaked at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed them a coveted opportunity to perform on Total Request Live in December 2006. Following the success of “Honestly” on radio, the band planned to focus on “Say Anything (Else)” as the next single, followed by “Runaway,” “Matter Of Time” or “Save Us.” Frontman Will Pugh revealed Epic Records scrapped the “Say Anything (Else)” campaign when approached about Band In A Bubble to take advantage of their current momentum. Pugh said they initially wanted to keep working on Chroma’s singles and push production on the next record to the end of 2007, but the timing wouldn’t have worked out with the bubble. While he says they weren’t necessarily forced to do the show, the label made it known they wouldn’t have been happy if they passed on the opportunity.
They were sealed in for three weeks
The band were stuck inside the bubble for three weeks, recording the entirety of the record with very little outside contact. CosmoGIRL! even conducted an interview via intercom, and the band revealed their bunk bed sleeping situation and that the sealed-in feeling actually aided in getting work done. They also used an intercom to chat with fans and had a bank-like drop where people brought them gifts and sent through things to be signed.
Most of the then-unnamed album’s material was written pre-bubble
Before entering the bubble, Pugh revealed to The Rock Star Stories (in the video above) that they had already written eight songs for their sophomore album before being asked to do Band In A Bubble. With the new material, they were aiming for a mature sound that was more rock-oriented; but despite the preparation, they still didn’t know what they were going to call the album itself at the time of the interview.
They didn’t want to be the next Real World…
The bubble was accessible to fans at Hudson River Park’s Pier 54 and full of Dr. Pepper-sponsored webcams. Anyone with a code from the purchase of the soft drink could check up on the guys 24 hours a day. They feared becoming the next Real World, and that was somewhat legitimate, with MTV springing nonmusical stunts on them, such as cameos by the Knicks City Dancers and farm animals.
…so much so that they rebelled
One of the worst concocted moments was after a night of drinking (supplied by producers) when a fitness instructor showed up at 7 a.m. to lead the guys in a hungover workout. However, their breaking point came when MTV shut off the internet to force more band interaction. As a result, former bassist Jeff Lett spun around each camera to block viewers.
On top of those webcams, MTV created a miniseries consisting of four broadcasted episodes, the first of which aired while the band were still in the bubble. MTV allowed them to see the first episode, and to their dismay, they realized how statements could be edited to stir drama. One such example was drummer Kevin Sanders saying that not everyone will like every part of a particular song, which was edited to convey the band didn’t like any part of the record they were making. Pugh recalled that their anger at the edit caused MTV to tell them they didn’t want them to watch any other episodes while in the bubble.
Juliet Simms entered the bubble to work on “Lose It”
Before The Voice and her solo career, Juliet Simms fronted alt-rock act Automatic Loveletter. Back in 2007, the frontwoman dropped in to add vocals to Cartel’s “Lose It,” with the band telling her it was the potential (and eventually actual) lead single from the record. After checking out the track, she told the band it was “going to be stuck in [her] head forever.”
A storm burst the bubble
Cartel’s temporary home was constructed from 55,000 pounds of steel and fireproof fiberglass. Despite this, and after only 10 days in the bubble, an intense storm broke a window while their moms were visiting, causing the band to take full advantage of the situation and get some fresh air.
Cobra Starship and New Found Glory paid them a visit
In a moment so 2007 it hurts, Cobra Starship dropped by the bubble—frontman Gabe Saporta’s famous purple hoodie and all—before their Jones Beach show on the 2007 Honda Civic Tour, headlined by Fall Out Boy with support from Cobra, +44, the Academy Is… and Paul Wall. A few months before, Cobra Starship joined Boys Like Girls as openers on Cartel’s headlining tour. New Found Glory also stopped by to see the band and chatted about their own fall 2006 headliner, where Cartel opened for them alongside the Early November and Hit The Lights.
They ended the stint with a performance
After 20 days, the band exited the bubble June 12, 2007, and played tracks new and old, kicking things off by debuting single “Lose It.” The performance was done in front of a live audience (who were supplied with enough free Dr. Pepper to cause a major sugar rush) and broadcast on MTV. The album was set to drop July 24, but it was pushed to Aug. 21. A few weeks after that, they hit the road to promote it with support from the Honorary Title and Weatherbox.
Promotion of the album caused a rift with Epic Records
The band met with Epic Records to make a game plan, which included a video for “Lose It” and making a play for radio a month before the album’s release. The label pushed the radio plan to avoid conflict with Green Day, but then the album dropped, and they still weren’t making a plan for radio. Frustrated that they had spent all this time garnering exposure in the bubble, the band hired their own radio promoter, which got back to Epic via the stations’ program directors. Simultaneously, their A&R representative was fired from Epic; and while Chroma sold 250,000 units on the Militia Group, Cartel came in at less than 100,000, leading to a release from their contract and move to Wind-Up Records.
The bubble caused some backlash
Before entering the bubble, Pugh told USA Today that it was the “best thing to ever happen” to Cartel because it allowed people to see the recording process and proved real bands still existed. Aware that haters would cry “sellout,” Pugh said they “made a decision to exhibit [their] talent [and] if it’s a good record and people still hate on it, they’re crazy.” Soon after that piece, industry figure Bob Lefsetz took to his column to commentate on the “misguided stunt.” Pugh responded in his own letter, agreeing that it was a huge marketing ploy while also standing up for their decision to be involved. The band stuck by that before and after the actual experience, despite admitting the album didn’t get promoted as it should have, and many fans took to message boards to relay their dislike of the record. Despite all of this, Pugh believed it was the album they wanted to write and had no regrets, and they took what they learned from the experience into production for their third record, 2009’s Cycles.
They would do it all over again
The band sat down with BuzzFeed two years ago to answer fan questions, one of which was whether or not they would still participate in Band In A Bubble if given the opportunity again. The members all agreed that they would, although Pugh joked the best part was when the cameras were turned off at night.
The album holds some of their favorite songs
In the same interview with BuzzFeed, Pugh revealed he’s most proud of penning “If I Were To Write The Song/Get Through This,” describing it as “the biggest departure [they’d] ever done musically.” The track (which features a Times Square street musician) also had lyrics approved by Tony Asher, one of Pugh’s favorite songwriters, who had previously co-written Pet Sounds with the Beach Boys. Sanders added that their remix of “Wasted” is also a proud moment due to working with Wyclef Jean.
