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Q&A With Carrtoons: Charleston Pour House Debut
Published: October 1, 2024

This Thursday, October 3rd, the celebrated Carrtoons & Friends make their Charleston debut with a stop at the Charleston Pour House (tickets here), and support from Datsunn.

Carrtoons is the brainchild of NYC-based bassist and producer, Ben Carr, who has made a name for himself with his unique style that is heavily rooted in jazz and cross-genre collaboration. This led to multiple appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and working with big names from Usher to Freddie Gibbs, Roy Ayers, Nate Smith, Kiefer, George Clinton, Jadakiss, and more.

Carrtoons is touring as a five-piece that includes Ben alongside vocalists Joanna Teters and Julia Zivic, plus keys player Devon Yesberger and percussionist Diego Ramirez. The group is playing high-energy renditions of Carrtoons’ most popular productions that will make for an excellent Thursday night at the Pour House.

Enjoy the most recent appearance of Carrtoons on NPR Tiny Desk, plus the video for the popular track, “Groceries” featuring Nigel Hall below. Read on for a quick Q&A with Ben in advance of the show!

Carrtoons NPR Tiny Desk Concert (2024)

Carrtoons – “Groceries” Video (2022)

Q&A with Ben Carr of Carrtoons

CHUBES: What are you most excited about, or interested in exploring musically right now? Any styles or sounds in particular that you’ve been digging as you prepare for tour?

CARR: I’ve been exploring some guitar-like tones for this tour, that I feel like will be exciting for other musicians, particularly bass players. 

CHUBES: Do you find that performing live influences your future studio recordings? Perhaps based on the crowd reaction, or a special moment of improvisation?

CARR: Absolutely! We’ve been playing some new material so that I can go back and adjust the recording slightly based on the reaction. I generally try to make sure both versions are slightly different to make it exciting for the fans though. 

CHUBES: Do you write a lot of songs on the road? 

CARR: Almost never. Soundcheck occasionally brings some great ideas, but it’s hard to properly do what i do best while I’m on the road. 

CHUBES: In the recent Bass Magazine interview, you mentioned working on a new album. What can you tell me about that? Can fans expect to hear some of this new material live?

CARR: I can definitely say that I’m working on a new album and will have some new music out in 2025. I think it’s my most polished version of my sound, but I’ll let you guys decide next year! 

CHUBES: Anything else you want to mention?

CARR: We’re so excited to play Charleston for the first time, tell your friends!