Cartel

Cartel play The Showbox on Wednesday, November 18, with State Champs and Taylor Acorn opening. It's a pop-punk bill that reaches back to the mid-2000s, when Cartel first made a name for themselves.

If you've missed the history, the band came out of Conyers, Georgia, and hit their stride with 2005's Chroma. That record debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, carried the Gold-certified single "Honestly," and put vocalist and guitarist Will Pugh, guitarists Joseph Pepper and Nic Hudson, and drummer Kevin Sanders on the Warped Tour, TRL, and Epic Records. Rock Sound and Loudwire still rank Chroma as one of the greatest pop-punk albums of all time. It was followed by Cartel in 2007, Cycles in 2009, and the self-released Collider in 2013.

In 2022 they returned with the singles "17" and "The End" and spent time supporting Dashboard Confessional and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. Pugh has also produced for New Found Glory. The band continues to tour, and they cite '90s grunge and alternative as their main influence.

State Champs and Taylor Acorn open the night, so the music starts well before Cartel takes the stage. The show is on Wednesday, November 18, at The Showbox in Seattle, starting at 7 PM.