Ask Carol- Created by Carol from Tynset, and Ask from Trondheim, Ask Carol writes and records most of their music in their cabin in the Norwegian mountains, surrounded by big beautiful landscapes and sheep, instead of the concrete and the rat race of the city
Interview conducted on October 13, 2020
By Dan Locke
A journey of warm and mellow melodies, through atmospheric soundscapes, with bursts of explosive energy and heavy riffs. With Carol’s characteristic vocals, two guitars in front, and a DIY attitude, the duo Ask Carol from Norway create a wall of sound, with only their guitars and bass effects and drum effects. Fascinated by all sorts of music, from jazz to hard rock, they’re not afraid of blending it all together to make that one great song. Their music can be gentle and low-key, then suddenly hit you in the face with brutal power. Still they have a solid foundation in pop/rock.
Do you remember how you got your first guitar?
Ask: Yes, we both do! I got my first ever guitar when my step dad came home with this super cheap beginners’ guitar when I was 15 years old. But I don’t really consider that my actual first guitar, I think of my Fender Strat, which I got a year later as my real first guitar. Carol: My first guitar was a Fernandes Vertigo H80, with a Pewter finish. I bought it with my confirmation money when I was 15. The happiest day of my life. Couldn’t stop smiling for a month at least
And do you still have it?
Yes, we both have ours!
What is your favorite current guitar?
Ask: My Fender Strat, of course. Carol: At the moment I love to play my Carvin Ultra V, V-guitar! But my favorite/ favorites will always be my first guitar -a Fernades Vertigo H80, and my Gibson Les Paul Tobacco Sunburst.
What is DIY attitude?
DIY attitude, when we say it, is that you do almost everything yourself, and you do not rely on anyone else. Of course, having people work for you, delegating some of the tasks, that can be good and you can still have that DIY attitude. Like, if you need a music video and there’s a corona crisis, just do it yourself. If you need a song mixed but can’t afford a studio or mix engineer, just mix it yourself, even though you don’t know what to do. You’ll get better each time you mix. If you need artwork for your album or merch, make it yourself. If you need merch, just paint and print the shirts yourself, there’s no reason to involve others if it’s not necessary. This way you’ll always have creative control and flexibility.
How the band did get its name?
After thinking hard and long about the band name, with many pretty good suggestions, we ended up with the simple band name Ask Carol, the first names of our two members, Ask and Carol, put together. Ask is a real Norwegian name, coming from Norse Mythology, the Viking religion; Ask was the first human being, created by the God Odin, out of a piece of Ash-wood. You can read all about that story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
How do you stay healthy while touring?
We don’t think so much about health, we got enough else on our minds. As long as we don’t eat really really bad food, the most important thing is that we eat something. The need to always eat healthily can turn into an unhealthy obsession if you let it go too far. On tour, we have a deal that we always just eat whatever we like so we don’t have to think or use energy on food-choices. And on our tours, the food is a very important thing. Our producer some years back, before we started producing ourselves, he said that the most important thing about music is food. On our tours, we travel to many places and get the opportunity to try lots of great and tasty food. It’s an important part of touring. Because we are only two people and therefore a very flexible schedule, we don’t have to settle with fast food, we can take the time to eat «real» food on our tours.
How hard it is to tour as a duo?
It is both harder and easier than if you are a full band. The easier part is that we are only two people, with two people’s opinions. It’s easier to find things to do, find food, decide on how to go to the venues, where to stay, and some much more. Nobody else we have to take into account, no musicians or technicians we have to babysit, no manager who nags us about anything. We can do anything we want, whenever we want, as long as we show up at a get-in time. The harder part is that as our popularity grows, and our shows grow bigger, there is a bigger production with more equipment, more to carry, more stuff to take care of, and we have to handle every issue ourselves. We also have to keep our social media and website going while on tour and arrange and plan everything. So, there are pros and cons, but all in all we like touring as a duo. The freedom is worth the pain, to put it like that.
Tell me about your latest single ‘Do It In La’ How was it to create during the Covid-19 lockdown?
In April this year, we, Ask Carol, finally got set up for a meeting with some big shot management in LA, which we had been working towards for a long time. We were supposed to fly in around the middle of April, but we all know what happened… So, with all travels out of the question, we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, with internet-speeds from the 90s. “What do we do now?” we thought. In need of a distraction from our frustrations, we made this song, “Do It in LA”. Half satirical comedy about the shallow, plastic fantastic society, half an honest testimony to us dreaming ourselves away to sunny Californ-i-a, and LA. Everyone has an opinion about the celebrity scene, but who hasn’t dreamt of being a Hollywood star? A contrast to our often more melancholic music, we needed some feelgood music in our not so cheerful times. We have visited LA a few times and have many friends there, so we have made our observations and got a taste of the atmosphere there. It is definitely a melting pot. Those are some of the things that inspired us to make this song. Due to the pandemic, we had to do everything ourselves, here in our home studio in the Norwegian woods. We sent it to Matt in The Village Studio for a sum of finishing touches on the mix. Wish we could have joined him in the studio, but it was all done online. We also did an animation lyric video for the song. We did all the drawing, animation and everything else ourselves. This was a new experience for us, and we learned a lot along the way.
Do you have a title for the album yet?
No, not yet. We have a few suggestions, but nothing is settled yet.
What is your favorite video that you have released so far?
At this moment it is our latest video, the animation lyric video for our single «Do It in LA». It was a very fun experience to make and something completely new for us.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses. The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only. How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Honestly, I have no idea. Seems like Facebook does whatever they want, and we as artists have to decide, do we want to play their game (where they make all the rules), or do we not? Most of the time it feels like we don’t have a choice, it might be the only way to gain a following these days. They might not be as relevant for artists in the coming future as they used to be. And that might be a good thing. Hopefully, something else, something better, comes in and takes their place. With no real live music (mostly virtual shows) except for things like Drive-In Theater shows with crowds for the past 6 months, what do you think will be the future of music?
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?
This is a really good question, which we do not know the answer to. There are many possibilities and opportunities. The only thing that is certain, is that online content is more important now than ever. So, as of now, we’ll focus on creating content, new songs, new videos, new singles, and slowly prepare for a new world of touring and playing when the world opens up again. Apart from that, we are always thinking of different ways to reach fans, and how to gain new ones.
Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home. Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music, and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
That is very hard to say. Also, even if we do, would it be sustainable? No matter how good the technology gets or how much money you’ll make, playing for a camera just isn’t the same, and looking at a screen with headphones on, for the audience, just isn’t the same as being there in real life. It is great to have it now, and it can be a great addition in the future, but basing 100% of your live playing on that format, it will not be a fun career. At least for us. We need at least a small part of it to be real concerts and real face to face interactions, and then the virtual events can be an add-on to that. Doesn’t have to be those big concerts, like stadium concerts, smaller concerts are often more fun and better experiences anyway.
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
This will definitely be an issue. We’ll just have to see what happens and how this goes. As mention, smaller venues are often more fun experiences, both as an artist and as a member of the audience (at least for us), so we wouldn’t mind playing small venues even when our fanbase grows big. Then you can use more expensive tickets or more perks and merch deals, and make a sustainable live career that way instead. As for bands just starting out, it might become harder to get those initial gigs, and you might have to spend more time, in the beginning, to build a fanbase before you take the leap to actually play live. Or something else entirely might happen.
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it may be the end of the music fest for the next couple of years?
In the worst case, yes. It is the start of a second wave here in Norway right now. It’s really hard to say how to do the booking for next year too, what will be possible, what will be allowed? When are people ready to think of booking bands again? It’s a difficult time for everyone in the business.
Are you watching the election in the United States?
Like the rest of the world, we are following the election closely.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Yes, when all this is over, we will definitely be going on tour again! If there is a specific city you would like us to visit, let us know! 🙂
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