Punk speeds, jazz sounds, and skater raditude all come together in Carte De Visite. Hailing from Belleville, Illinois, Carte started as Ryan Birkner’s solo project. Eventually, Birkner was joined by bassist/keyboardist Austin Luberda and drummer Christian Mundloch. Their latest EP, Erman, is filled with sentimental guitars and perky drums. Here’s a review of my two favorites off of Erman and an interview with Ryan Birkner.
Review
“Person Perception”
The chords are sweet and the lyrics are mumbled, but the rhythm is pounding and relentless. Jazzy guitar solos. Then chorus, then jazzy spazz guitar solo! Then it drives on into the end!!
“In The Bell Jar”
A relaxed acoustic guitar part starts this one off. Then a pause, a couple of drum hits, and a beautiful riff. Strange stringy noises echo in and out in the background while the bass drum keeps pushing forward. Then everything gets distorted and grungy and crazy, until it finally calms back down, leading to the end.
Interview
How did the band start?
I recorded a CD myself in early 2010. Over the summer I had a job with Christian Mundloch, and he said he and Austin Luberda wanted to play with me live.
Carte has a distinct jazz influence. Was this intentional?
Haha, yeah. I played in jazz band all through high school, and I took lessons from Bob Borgstede, a guitar teacher from SWIC. I took lessons for a little over 2 years, and it was mostly jazz guitar stuff. Christian and Austin also played in jazz bands during high school. I guess it was just the kind of sound I liked.
With Christian (drummer) moving to Chicago, what’s going to happen?
Haha, uh, I don’t know. Less shows I guess. Anyone who wants to play drums can. I’m just gonna go through a bunch old song ideas and try to record a lot—have more recordings with other people instead of just myself.
What are some of your favorite bands?
Oh man. I heard a The Sea and Cake song in a skateboard video and a Promise Ring song in a bike video before I started making songs, and I said to myself that I wanna make a band like these guys. They’ve been favorites of mine for a while. Ray Barbee, St. Vincent, Miracle Legion, Dinosaur Jr., Osker, Jimmy Eat World, Belle and Sebastian, Memoryhouse, The Answering Machine, and Wes Montgomery are some big influences. I’ve been listening to Bjork a lot lately. Oh, and bands from Count Your Lucky Stars Records.
How do you write songs? Do you seclude yourself in a dark room for days?
Haha, yeah! I wrote a lot of early songs playing guitar in my garage during winter nights with just a lamp on. It is really fun, but also really depressing. A lot of the time I’ll just mess around on my guitar while I watch TV. Sometimes I’ll make up a cool riff, but most of the time it’ll just be a couple of chords. Then I’ll just play along with it and add stuff to it.
Where did the name come from?
At first I made music under the name Group Think, but then Sean Ballard, from Fragile Farm, told me that his old bass player’s bass teacher was in a band called Group Think. I soon changed it to Carte De Visite. It was an old style of photography in France. I learned about it in a history of photography class I took at SWIC.
Is the DIY ethic an important part of your music?
Oh yeah, for sure. It’s just really fun to record stuff myself or with friends. I love making artwork, taking pictures, and assembling CDs and tapes. It can take up time, but it seems a lot more personal when I hand assemble CDs myself instead of having some company do it. I also love getting/trading hand make CDs and tapes with other bands. It’s just nice.
Do you have any future plans for touring or releases?
Make lots of music! It would be fun to tour, but it’s kind of hard with school and jobs. Maybe someday! I think I’m gonna have a new CD at our next show. ITR, Belleville, Dec. 16, Dino Bravo, Trauma Harness, Adam King, Spastic Plastic, and Soccer Moms! It’s a bunch of songs I’ve been working on for way too long. Maybe make some t-shirts or something. I don’t know, have fun!
