In their 15 minutes of fame (20 days, in actuality) on MTV's Band in the Bubble,
Cartel made their way into the living rooms and hearts of teens who wanted to find out what it's like when five individuals from Atlanta stop being polite and start getting real while recording an album in front of 23 webcams. The cast is as follows:
Will, the good-guy lead vocalist who downplays his ego despite the fact that all the girls know his lyrics by heart;
Kevin, the party-hearty, firecracker drummer who likes having a good time all the time;
Joseph, the greasy loner lead guitarist who veers away from the mainstream;
Nic, the shy-guy rhythm guitarist with Abercrombie & Fitch looks; and
Jeff, the nerdy replacement bassist who overcompensates with 20 tattoos and constant proclamations of his love for beer (when he's not drinking Dr. Pepper as a plug for the sponsor). In the miniseries, the band is promoted like a product made for the 12- to 20-year-old target audience, and yes, the brand...ahem, the band is essentially the emo-punk version of a boy band, but with members who already have a proven chemistry and can actually play their own instruments. The concept is an infallible cash cow and a record exec's dream, since numbers have proven time and time again -- from
the Monkees to American Idol -- that artists with televised good looks and winning personalities sell loads of records.