EMQ’s With Carbellion
EMQ’s With Carbellion
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Heavy Rock band, Carbellion. Huge thanks to their vocalist, Cameron Kellenberger, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Cameron Kellenberger and I’m the lead vocalist for Wisconsin based heavy rock Carbellion. We’ve been around for a quite some time, done some touring and support of many nationally/globally known acts ranging from Motorhead to Sevendust to Black Stone Cherry, have released 3 EPs and 3 full length LPs. “Weapons of Choice” is the latest, released in late March on Eclipse Records (digitally) and Qumran records (vinyl).
How did you come up with your band name?
That’s a funny story! Brandon Bauer (rhythm guitar) and I are the remaining original members and we were struggling back and forth with names that would represent the unique style of hard rock, heavy rock, metal, post-grunge we were doing. Many of the potential names that got passed on became song titles over the first two records, such as ‘Wager Cage’ and ‘Scarring Card’. We landed on “Carbellion” when we threw our hands in the air and mashed up our previous band’s names; Carbon Parlor and Whiskey Rebellion – lol! The unforeseen blessing with this is that we are the only Carbellion out there so when you search for us online, we are easy to find. Everyone pronounces it wrong, though. Think “Car” like you drive and then “bellion” like minus the “re” in rebellion.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from Wisconsin in the American Midwest right on Lake Michigan. The band members are scattered between different towns in South-eastern Wisconsin, but we get together for rehearsals in Caledonia and Plymouth, WI. I would say the Metal and Rock scenes here go through periods of highs and lows like most places. There are always some interesting bands locally making great music here and some venues willing to support it. Many of the larger media outlets are only willing to jump in to support something and claim it as “from Wisconsin” once it’s made it big enough elsewhere though. That can be challenging and pushed us to promote and tour in other areas outside of our home area for many years. All that being said, the support locally for our newest record has been great through FM stations like Sheboygan Wisconsin’s 106.5 the Buzz, MaxInk Radio syndicated around the state, and several local online radio stations that stream.
What is your latest release?
We released “Weapons of Choice” as a full-length record on digital services (streaming, download, etc) on Eclipse Records and vinyl through Qumran Records on March 17th this year. All The singles and music videos leading up the album release were ‘Listen For Ghosts’, ‘Barfight’, and ‘Pity the Backseat’. The record and singles are available on both label’s websites, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, and of course the special edition gold metallic vinyl!
Who have been your greatest influences?
For me personally, I was super into the early 90s heavy grunge/alternative metal/early stoner rock like Soundgarden, AIC, Screaming Trees, Helmet, Quicksand, Pantera, Faith No More, COC, and Kyuss. I grew up on my parents’ records from the Classic Rock era like ZZ Top, Foreigner, Journey, Styx, Led Zeppelin, etc. I’m always still finding new music to influence where I’m going like Temperance Movement, Rival Sons, Abrams, and Dozer most recently. Always been a big Clutch fan too.
What first got you into music?
I’ve always liked to stand out in a crowd a bit. Whatever the mainstream people were listening to in high school/college years, and even since, I haven’t been into really. I like the counterculture of rock/metal/punk and being on the fringe with my tastes so long as it doesn’t become cliché or victim of a stereotype. If you like this type of music, then you have to dress like this or think socially/politically like that… screw all that! At some point I figured, hell, I can be in a band and deliver some individuality and originality – lol!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I think it would be interesting and a learning experience to work with a bunch of different people. A few that come to mind are Neil Fallon from Clutch, Pepper Keenan from COC, Phil Campbell formerly of Temperance Movement, and Jay Buchanan from Rival Sons. Lyrically and vocally there is something a bit deeper in the song meanings and delivery when I hear them.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
So many! Any of the Danny Wimmer Presents fests like Louder Than Life, Aftershock, Welcome to Rockville, etc across the US. Rocklahoma here in the states too. Across the pond I’d say Download, Hellfest, Sweden Rock Fest. Close to home I’d say Riot Fest in Chicago. One of our biggest goals is being met this year in a few months when we play Rock Fest in Cadott, WI this July (https://rock-fest.com/)! When you think of the energy and huge attendance of crazed fans, there is no better reason why!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Oh, that’s a tough one. I feel like over the years there have been a bunch of odd articles of clothing gifted to us. Strange pics ranging from raunchy to just weird. Lots and lots of mystery shots and beers…
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you so much for all the support. We have super loyal fans that have been coming to see us live, buying our newest music and merch, and just hanging out for a few drinks since the very beginning of the band. We are nothing without them.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
It would have to be Lemmy Kilmister right? Is there another answer? I mean I guess some might argue John Lennon or Hendrix or somebody else but… Lemmy is tough to beat!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I like the journey from a song idea being turned into a song all the way through playing it live after the record is released for fans that have never seen us. The whole lifecycle of song creation is interesting to me. I also dig the artwork design aspect of being in a band for T-shirts, vinyl records, stickers, etc. One of the things that I’ve never cared for about being in a band is when venues act like they are doing you the favour, particularly when they serve alcohol. It’s a two-way street in making money for each other by co-promoting and sharing in the successes of a high attendance/high beverage consumption show. Don’t ask for a cut of our merch unless you are giving me a cut of the bar’s take on sales. Know what I mean?
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
The extremely low artist payment by the streaming services. I mean getting paid cents of a US dollar for getting played is ridiculous right? It takes millions of streaming plays to achieve hundreds and thousands of dollars. That’s why physical merch sales (and usually touring) are the only way to make any money to put back into your band these days.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Just one? There are so many! I’d go with Helmet – “Meantime”. The riffs, drum/bass rhythms, and attack style vocals are just thundering. Listening to this record makes me want to do physically risky things like driving way too fast.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I’m a huge vinyl fan. The ritual of opening up a new record and checking out all of the artwork and packaging is special. Follow that with the first time you drop the needle down and play the record… it’s a great experience! On the other end of the spectrum, I do appreciate the ease and speed of getting music digitally on streaming or download. If I check something out this way, I’ll often go buy the vinyl and have both!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
That’s a really tough one! A few that stand out… We opened for Motorhead/Clutch/Valient Thorr some years back and it was epic. Just before the pandemic we opened for Black Stone Cherry at a smaller club that was packed full with the current Carbellion line-up and I remember that just being a really fun show. I think the best is yet to come though!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I’d probably be making short films, music videos, or maybe documentaries. I’ve always enjoyed the cinematography side of things. It’s hard to imagine what I’d have as an artistic outlet if not music.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Mmmm… let’s have a total clash for interesting conversation. Iggy Pop, Francis Ford Coppola, Elon Musk, Russell Brand, and Bill Burr. Can you imagine what total madness that would be?!
What’s next for the band?
We’ve got some big gigs coming up like Rock Fest in July and some tour dates with friends in bands coming over from Europe in the late Summer and Fall that will be announced very soon. There has been some serious talk about touring in the UK and a few festivals interested in having us there in 2024 so let’s see where it takes us. We are already working on material for another record probably coming out in 2024 too. With the new record out and how well it’s been received, things are really ramping up.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
The new record listening links – https://ffm.to/crbwpn
Eclipse Records site- https://www.eclipserecords.com/band/carbellion/
Qumran Records site- https://qumranrecords.com/product/878793
Bandcamp- https://carbellion.bandcamp.com/
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
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
As a silly American, I’ll guess an “English Muffin”- LOL!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for taking the time with me on behalf of Carbellion. Maybe we’ll see you live in late 2023 or 2024 in the UK… there is some conversation happening!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.