FROM ART ATTACK TO AUSTIN

Urban Cartel had just finished their set at the university's annual Art Attack concert last May when thunder cracked and, as members tell it, they nearly became headliners.

"As soon as we picked up our last instrument, the sky turned purple, the heavens opened up and poured, and it was like mayhem," said Bryan Sackey, a university alumnus and band member.

"It was like we planned it," he added, laughing. "That would have made it seem like Art Attack was just us."

After a brief hiatus, the show went on, and Nelly performed as expected. But members of Urban Cartel said that doesn't tarnish their memory of the evening, and after forming at this university two years ago, they said they are happy their band is on the rise. Urban Cartel will be releasing a music video to their track "Just Fine" this week, and they have begun a five-stop tour ending in a performance at the 25-year-old South by Southwest music conference in Austin this March.

All five members of Urban Cartel attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, and although they vaguely knew each other from classes and parties, they didn't realize they shared a common love of music until meeting again on the campus.

Each had recently picked up new instruments for the first time, and jam sessions inspired original music that their friends enjoyed as much as they did, according to group members. That, alumnus and keyboardist A.J. Ajiboye said, is when they knew they had "something special."

Presently, senior psychology major Funsho "Seph Ade" Adenugba provides lyrics and vocals — he also played bass in a show for the first time Thursday at Temple University; alumnus Teddy Atkins raps; Sackey plays drums; Ajiboye also experiments with synths; and Andy Bixby, who attended Montgomery Community College but is considered "College Park family," plays guitar.

Although Bixby had experience in another band,and said he learned to hate classical clarinet after years of study, joining Urban Cartel changed how he felt about music.

"When I started playing with these guys, that's when it gave me a reason to get better and gave me a reason to strive for this," he said.

When Ajiboye recommends the band to new friends, he has to name two or three songs because no single track represents Urban Cartel's style.

Together, their diverse tastes and influences — ranging from the Fugees to Jimi Hendrix to the Red Hot Chili Peppers — make up a sound that varies from song to song and doesn't fit in any traditional genre, members said.

But while their sound doesn't fit inside a box, fans sometimes make judgments, often guessing that they see "hordes and hordes of groupies" after shows, Ade said.

"I'm not going to say we do, but I'm not going to say we don't, either," he added. "People always make assumptions about the lifestyle that people in the music industry live. And a lot of it's true, a lot of it's true."

Since releasing their first album, Sounds from the Red Line, in December 2010, they've performed dozens of shows and already show the chemistry of a veteran band, according to Atkins' roommate, Alan Morrison. He remembered one show where members smoothed over a potential disaster — one of Bixby's guitar strings snapped in the middle of a song.

"They just sort of kept it moving, and nobody had a clue," Morrison said. "Seph started singing a cappella, and people were so mesmerized by his vocals that next thing you knew, Andy was back on stage."

On another occasion last year, the group entered a competition at LIV Nightclub in Washington feeling like the underdogs for their lack of experience. Instead, Sackey said, he was shocked when fans that came out to support other groups starting cheering for Urban Cartel and asking for an encore after they won the competition.

"[That night] is starting to become nostalgic when I think about it," Ajiboye said. "It was such a pivotal point for us that propelled us to where we are now and gave us a lot of the opportunities that we've gotten."

But as the group continues their tour, they said time management will be a challenge; for example, Bixby bartends but wants to return to school, and Ajiboye holds down two part-time jobs.

Currently, the group is too stretched for time to practice more than once a week.

But Ade's mother, Sade Adenugba, said she has no doubts they will find a balance.

"I love their music, but at the same time the reason I'm so proud is they can juggle two or three things together. The music doesn't affect their education," she said. "I know it's very hard, but nothing comes easy."

lurye@umdbk.com