Cartman was a four-piece
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia.
History
1997-2001: Early years
The band was formed in 1997 in an attempt to enter a songwriting competition by Joe Hawkins, "I had sent in a tape of some songs recorded at home on the four-track, Only trouble was that (to play the songs live) I needed to get a bass player and someone who could sing harmonies" and so called on
Cain Turnley, a trusted friend and a more than competent guitarist, "I had two weeks to rehearse the tunes and Id never picked up a bass before."
Performing under the name
Mr. Pink, they were knocked out of the contest in the first round but continued to play together for the next four months. In 1998 Scott Nicholls (lead guitar) and Ben Mills (drums) completed the line-up and heralded the beginning of the band that was now affectionately renamed ''Cartman''.
In February 1999, ''
I'm Not a Policeman
''I'm Not a Policeman'' is the debut EP by Cartman and was released February 8, 1999.
Track listing
# "Drive" - 3:46
# "Leave It Out" - 4:22
# "I'm Not a Policeman" - 3:40
# "Sugarcane" - 4:42
# "Pieces" (Acoustic Version) - 3:57
Personnel
...
'' was released through the national label
Phantom Records
Phantom Records was an Australian record store and independent record label established in 1978 by Dare Jennings and Jules R.B. Normington. Phantom Records was one of Australia's first indie labels, and the store was known for its guerilla m ...
. The single "Drive" was picked up by the National radio station
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
and added to high rotation. Many independent radio stations, including Perth's own
RTR-FM, jumped onto the single.
At the 1999
WAM Song of the Year
WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia. WAM first receiv ...
, "Drive" won Best Pop Song and Song of the Year with the band also winning the Best Acoustic Song for "Pieces" Joe Hawkins said "The Song Contest money went straight into new equipment. It was extremely handy at the time... the award itself helped raise our profile. It was one of the major reasons the song "Drive" was picked up by Triple J, and was the start of national exposure and acceptance."
In March 2000, the band released their second EP, ''Nobody'', recorded at Revolver Studios and produced by
Ben Glatzer
Ben-Zion "Ben" Glatzer (born 8 October 1959, Perth) is an Australian sound engineer and producer. He worked on Ammonia's debut album, ''Mint 400'' (1995), The Chevelles' ''At Second Glance'' (1995), Cartman's debut '' Go!'' (2002), The Stems ...
. The initial single "Nobody" was added to playlists across the country and the film clip opened the band up visually to a national audience. The single was also picked up by
BBC Radio One
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's
Steve Lamacq
Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music.
Early life
He attended The Ramsey Academy ...
, who added it to the stations playlist, along with the independent UK network
X-FM.
2001-2003: Debut album and break up
In January 2002, the band released ''
Go!'' and the album was selected as
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
's Album of the Week. The first track to from the album, "Shock" was selected as the eviction music for reality TV show
Big Brother.
"Shock" was voted in the
Triple J Hottest 100, 2002
The 2002 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2003, was the tenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 39 (not neces ...
. "Shock" was followed by "Got No Reason" and finally "George", a Joe Hawkins/Cartman song. Rotation on
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
and the commercial networks cemented the album as one of the best Australian releases for 2002.
Australian releases - October 2002
/ref>
The band have been on a permanent hiatus since late 2003. Turnley has been performing lead vocals in Perth band The Avenues.
Band members
*Joe Hawkins - vocals, electric bass, coustic guitar
*Cain Turnley - vocals, bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar
*Scott Nicholls - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
*Ben Mills - drums, percussion
Discography
Albums
EPs
Awards
WAM Song of the Year
The WAM Song of the Year
WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia. WAM first receiv ...
was formed by the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia.
(wins only)
, -
, rowspan=3, 1998
, rowspan=2, "Drive"
, Grand Prize
,
, -
, Pop Song of the Year
,
, -
, "Piece"
, Acoustic of the Year
,
, -
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartman
Australian indie rock groups
Western Australian musical groups
Musical groups established in 1997
Musical groups disestablished in 2003