ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ~ ASK CARO

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Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our listeners to some deserving up and coming artists/ bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass and we hope you do too! Today, we’d like to shine the spotlight on Ask Carol!

Based out of the Norwegian mountain community Auma, comes the alternative indie-rock duo Ask Carol. The band is a high energy power-duo with a big sound. With two guitars, drums, synth, Carols unique bass and guitar system, and a good dose of multitasking, this two-piece produces a sound as big as a full band. Their sound can be fierce and mean, then suddenly turn soft and comforting. Artists like the Kills, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, pops to mind, but with a Nordic, melancholic twist. Ask Carol has toured in the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Scandinavia, SXSW two times, supported The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and more. The band now put out their music on ChoVan Records, their own Indie Label.

On the 26th of August they released their very first full length album, to great praise from the press (5/6 in Dagbladet, one of Norway’s biggest newspapers, amongst other things). Even though Ask Carol has been releasing music for some time, this album marks a beginning for the band. When the pandemic hit, and all touring and live shows were put on hold, Ask Carol took a step back, and used the downtime to re-invent themselves. After working a lot on videos, self- produced merch, and figuring themselves out, they’re coming out of the pandemic with their debut album in their hand, ready to take on the world. Being stuck in Carol’s home place, Auma, with only about a hundred inhabitants, they’ve spent the last couple of years in solitude, with only the neighbors cows as an audience. This is reflected in the dark, somber mood that permeates the album.

We sat down with the band for a short, fun Q&A session.

Every superhero or villain has an origin and a band is no different minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiments. What is the origin of Ask

Carol?

Ask Carol consists of Ask and Carol. We became friends right after high school, when studying music in southern Norway. We were always talking about starting a band, but it would take many years before we finally went through with the idea. The summer of 2015 we stayed at a cabin in the Norwegian mountains, with no electricity and no water, far away from people and civilization, only a few sheep outside the windows. That’s where our first songs were made, and where the seed to what would become Ask Carol started. One more year went by before we started for real, and Ask Carol was officially born, in 2016. Our first concert ever was at a small blues club in Seoul, South Korea, called Strange Fruit. At that point, Carol was already a somewhat known guitarist-for-hire in the Oslo music scene, and had never ever sung in front of people before, or at all for that matter. That’s why we wanted to try out our music and hold our first concerts far away from our hometown.

Band names can have a meaning or it can be a name pulled out of a hat. What’s the story behind Ask Carol?

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/Ask_and_Embla

What are you currently working on?

This weekend we actually released our very first full length album! It was a big day for us, we’ve been working on it for a long time. It is sort of a new beginning for us, the start of new exciting times. Now we are doing promo, emails and press 24/7, to get the ball rolling. It is the first time we have some real good material to show to, can’t wait for everything that comes next! We’re also planning a lot of touring in the future, this Autumn, and next year. If you have a place you want us to come on tour, send us a message on social media!

Are you a good cook? What’s your best dish to prepare?

Ask: I can cook food, I eat it, and I become full. It is food, it does the job. Would I serve it to anyone else than myself? Probably not. My best dish to prepare is oatmeal, oats and hot water. As a student, and then musician, I’ve lived on oatmeal almost every day for years. If you want some luxurious gourmet shit, just add a small pinch of maple syrup.

We love cereal, especially at night. For some odd reason, it seems to taste better then. Do you have a favorite cereal?

Carol: I love Coco Pops. And yes it taste best at night � But right now I only have Cheerios� I have a lot weird cravings at night, usually for something sweet. Have big sweet – tooth