Nora Interview

Interview
Carl Severson
Nora

Lineup:
Vocals: Carl Severson
Guitar: Matthew Hay
Guitar: Steve Chladnicek
Drums: Chris Ross
Bass: Chris Byrnes

5/24/05
Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale
Transcriber: Sharita Lumpkin

Carl Severson is not only the frontman for one of New Jersey's most respected hardcore band's Nora however he is also the owner of Ferret Records. Please join in this introspective conversation with Mr. Severson as you catch a glimpse on the inner workings of of an artist and the other flip of the coin, a record label magnet. Carl answers questions from The Red Chord's Guy Kozowyk and A Life Once Lost's Bob Meadows. He also discusses his role as an artist, the future of Nora, why he decided to sign to Trustkill...

Karma: How do you think you will fair with the Sounds Of The Underground? What are your projections for it?

Carl: I didn't know if Jerry had made that clear. High On Fire aren't able to do that date so, we're just filled the spot for them. Actually, we always do very well in New England, we just played the New England Metalfest, which we've [done] a bunch of times. We did it out of Springfield, and Boston, it's one of the better places for us to play. Hence, that was the reason the organizers had us up there for that.

Karma: As far as your latest album from Dreamers And Deadmen are you saying that there are only two kinds of people?

Carl: Well, no it's more like a thought process of which one are we. Not actually two different kinds of people, but we're a lot older and been running around doing the hardcore thing for a very long time and doing Nora for like eight years or so now.

Carl: Oh yeah, it's been a great run but sometimes you find yourself, you know after people quit the band and friends who've known each other a very long time fall out and just don't feel it anymore. You know you can't blame them but, you watch that sometimes and you're taken aback yourself and [you think] are we just a fantasy that we're holding on to and are we dreamers. Are we that excited and feel it or [is it] the deadmen thing where you're just kind of fooling yourself and just avoiding something else?

Karma: Completely understood. So, when and what can we expect a new release from Nora?

Carl: We've started writing, which is tentatively titled Save Yourself. We've kind of taken a break from writing right now [because] our guitar player and myself work at Ferret records and things between Ferret, the Sounds Of The Underground Tour, and all large, general work for the summer are super busy and we're kind of gonna be away a bunch for that. So between that and doing some shows with Nora it's kind of gotten extremely busy so we've pulled back on writing for a bit but it should be ready some time next year.

Karma: That's awesome; I'm really looking forward to it. So, tell me how your songwriting changed since, your EP The Neverendingyouline?

Carl: Songwriting has always been a pretty big callous for us. You know, you've got five people down there; all with different ideas and our tastes in the band has always been creative, eclectic for lack of a better word. So yeah, we've spent a lot of time down there and butt heading a lot [chuckles] and over the years we've changed members here and there. Actually, with every record there's always been one, entirely new opinion, one totally, new writing style, and one person to get used to, which is actually interesting with Nora [because] the same lineup has never recorded more than one record.

Carl: Yeah, it's kind of weird, I mean the lineup we've had has basically been Portland, our guitar player, Ross, the drummer and myself. We've been around for both albums and that's always been there and it's kind of like a static thing but we've always changed bass players and additional guitar players, things like that.

Carl: Well, actually this is kind of funny. At one point we lost both our guitar players a while ago. We were looking for just one guitar player, ended up getting two and one of them was a friend of ours that literally lived around the corner from us and Matt, who was from Portland, Oregon. The new guy, his name was Matthew Hake and Portland’s name is Matthew Hay and they ended up joining at the same time so Portland was complaining and we're like yeah dude we're just gonna call you Portland. So it stuck and then pretty much everybody except his girlfriend called him Portland.

Karma: Okay, well let’s talk about your song titles. They are completely ingenious, "Deadman", "Dreamers", "Scars Are Suppose To Last Forever"…

Carl: Actually with the songs "Deadmen" and "Dreamers", when I was comin' up with names for the record, I was like, "What do you think of the names Dreamers or Deadmen?" Our bass player at the time was like, "Why don't you just put it together?" and that's how that came out because originally I wrote the songs to kind of illustrate either side of that thought.

Karma: That is great. So, As far as the songwriting is concerned, stepping back a skosh, do you draw from everyday experience?

Carl: Right, it's never really like political or anything like that, it's more like our life experiences and what we think and see, that sort of stuff.

Carl: You know, with concept and that, a lot of the songs with Dreamers and Deadmen kind of come from that. I guess a bunch of it is leaning towards negative stuff and another part leans towards more positive stuff. It is a little concept in that but not a full on concept album, you know.

Karma: What's the significance of the woman on the cover? What is the viewer suppose to walk away with? She almost looks like she has a halo over her head.

Carl: Right. A lot of that is what Jake [Bannon], from Converge did, cause' he did the art for that record and he's a good friend and everybody in the band has always been a fan of his art stuff. We sent him the lyrics and I talked to him about kind of trying to get across with the lyrics, the album, and that sort of stuff. That cover came out as his interpretation of what we were doin'. It's pretty cool cause that's what he wanted to do, it's his contribution and he's somebody we respect. It's his contribution to making the album a whole and that kind of input was like the final piece.

Carl: That's kind of a tough question. [Pauses] Portland, what's your favorite song on the record? Portland is sitting next to me; we work in the same office. Yeah, it's probably the same..."Flowers".

Carl: It's kind of cool to make up a word. That was definitely more of a negative concept where that song came from, we all thought a lot the lyrics stem from that same EP. Neverendingyouline is like a chain of words that means the frustration you get when dealing with people and everyday life in general. In my opinion, people as a whole are generally very difficult and are never exceptionally great to each other. I've gone through life and since writing that, I've seen people do amazingly bad things to each other like 9/11. I was in Europe when it happened and how that whole went and I saw how people react to each other and support each other, which was really a very awesome thing. I mean, when I wrote it, my head was definitely in a more negative place about people. Constantly, I was frustrated with anyone, whether it's the people I worked with, cops, or school things like that that always are difficult and never goes away. It's like everyday there's always some other asshole you have to deal with and some other trial that you have to put yourself through and how frustrating that was and how I'd look at it and say, "This is never gonna change." The concept is you being the bad person and Neverendingyouline is the constant bullshit you have to deal with.

Carl: Not entirely, but it's mellowed. I mean that was a pretty horrible day but it was also inspiring thing for me. Still, people are not entirely bad but you know, we're at war right now and there's a million horrible things going on, and it's kind of always there.

Karma: Completely understood. On a much better note, you guys are very well loved and highly respected amongst your peers, couple interviews we've had you were mentioned by From Autumn To Ashes…

Karma: In my interview with Ben [From Autumn To Ashes], he wanted to say thank you to Carl getting the band to where they are today.

Carl: Oh, he's a good dude and we've stayed friends even after FATA left the label. They've always been super supportive of everything that the label has done. FATA has always gone out of their way to take our newer bands on tour which is awesome and they're just good dudes especially Ben. He and I gotten to be really good friends along the way and actually I was just talking to him the other day.

Carl: Yeah, we're cool because when their new record came out, they made a point of reaching out and thanking everybody at Ferret, which is something they necessarily didn't have to do, and that was very cool.

Karma: Yeah, that was. In my interview with Bob from A Life Once Lost, Bob wanted to know what your middle name was, if that was okay.

Carl: My brother and me have the same middle name. Bob Tway was a golfer, we had to have that relationship in some way, shape, or form. Didn't have too many choices.

Carl: Well, Trustkill has always been really good to us especially since we're not a full-time touring band, you know? We do as much as we can, but even I know from Ferret if you're not a full-time touring band at this point, it's like I'm not gonna end up working with you. You end up spending the same amount of money to promote a record and all sorts of shit and the band isn't in a spot to put in the same level of commitment. [However], I grew up with Josh, he and I went to high school together and he and I have always been really cool and he's always been real supportive of us. We've been able to do tons of stuff, like tour Europe twice, and all around the US and Canada. You know, he lets us keep spending his money, spread the good word; definitely got no complaints there, he's a good dude.

Karma: Speaking of choices, I have to ask you the ridiculous question. What made you go from Ferret (your own label) to Trustkill?

Carl: You know, actually another good friend of ours was gonna put out his first record and I never intended to release anything for Nora just cause, from the get go we knew we could just have Ferret put it out but that seemed too easy and we felt like... I never wanted to be the guy to put out his own band because when someone else offers to put out your record for you it's a pretty big deal, this person actually you're good enough and they're willing to put a ton of work and money into spreading your music around. So, we wanted that accomplishment of knowing somebody out there really liked what we were doing that much they were willing to get behind it. But, the original label that was going to put it out was a an upstart that one of our friends started called Heartsdown and it halfway through he ran out of money and I was like, "Fuck it, the albums recorded I'll just step in and help run it out there." After that Josh was like, "Yeah, you should do stuff with Trustkill." We were like, "Yeah that would be cool." [It was] very informal.

Karma: That is very cool. Speaking of Ferret, let's talk a little more about that. What was your main motivation for starting it?

Carl: I roadied for this band Endeavor, they were a bunch of kids I grew up with. I basically went everywhere with them like on tour, shows and everything. Then, it came time for them to put out their first record and there was really nobody around or interested in doing it. So that's where I started and decided to just put that out, and that was my contribution to the band, that turned into the first Endeavor seven inch. I didn't do anything else for another two years and I was living in Minneapolis at the time and friends with the guys from Harvest and they were kind of in the same spot, nobody wanted to do it and I thought they were great and I was like, "Shit, I'll put out another record and see what happens." Then, I was actually supposed to do Converge, but I didn't know any of those guys at the time, but I saw them play and I was like, "This band is just like ridiculous." I asked them if they wanted to put out a record and they were like, "Yeah that would be cool." Which turned into the next two records after the Harvest seven inch; The Converge seven inch Petitioning The Empty Skies CD which I was later coming off of Equalvision; chalk that one up to being young.

Karma: I understand you are one of the best labels to work for since you encourage your bands to do this and this alone, is that based more on the premise of not having a backup plan?

Carl: Yeah, at this point Ferret is actually able to financially support a band that's doing that or at least get them off the ground and support them until they're able to support themselves. If we're in spot where we can make it possible for a kid to live off of being in a band and making music, like how many people have that dream. I mean, it's like a fantasy for people and we kind of get to make that sort of thing come true so I love to be able to do that. At the same time, from business the angle of it, in order for the record to succeed in the way we need it to the band has to tour; I can't ask them to do that if I'm not giving them ways to make that possible.

Carl: I actually worked at Roadrunner for four years and while I was there I was doing Ferret stuff and I left when FATA was getting big and had a couple of records, Every Time I Die was doing well, and the Killswitch album had done well, and I helped Killswitch get signed to Roadrunner while I was there. I knew that they we’re gonna put our new record in the catalog and that would be good and I was just like, “fuck it, I’ll go on ahead and give this Ferret thing a shot before I get married, have kids, and a mortgage and stuff. Like right now if I fail the only persons life I mess up is my own.

Carl: Oh no and everything worked out great you know, that was two and a half years ago. When I left, I went looking to get new distribution and all that sort of stuff. Actually, everybody at Roadrunner knew about Ferret and a lot of people helped me with it as sort of a pet side project and stuff, there’s awesome people over there. When I left, I even talked to them a little bit about distribution stuff in the United States but that really didn’t pan out and we couldn’t come up with an idea to make sense but my distribution in Europe sucked and Roadrunner was getting back to doing more and more metal stuff in Europe. In Europe, they were always great at that. They were into the stuff that I was doin' and we were able to strike a deal for that which is cool and it’s been awesome for us. I mean, they’re really doing a good job of supporting us and helping us build a brand across Europe and Japan for our label and our band.

We’re actually doing the first Ferret UK/European tour in August called the “Under The Gun” tour. It’s going to be Twelve Tribes, Every Time I Die, and A Life Once Lost; you know that’s pretty awesome.

Karma: That is going to be awesome, best of luck with that! Since I have already been nosey, what projects do you have going on that you are willing to discuss.

Carl: We just signed Madball, which is awesome, they’re one of the best bands ever.

Carl: The record is gonna be…mark my words we’ll have the biggest Madball record ever! It’s awesome to be able to work with those guys and be able to like, know that we’re gonna do that for them, it’s gonna be great. We got Every Time I Die in the studio, it’s gonna be one of my favorite records ever. Boys Night Out just finished recording their new record and those guys just went above and beyond anything that anybody thought they were gonna do and the record is just brilliant. Then, A Life Once Lost record comes out the end of June and that’s probably one of the best metal records that will come out all year. So, yeah everything feels really good.

Karma: That’s great. Well, since you are such a busy man how do you spend your "spare-time" Carl?

Carl: I do a lot of work, basically some Nora stuff here and there, but I’m also engaged, I live with my fiancée and her son so I spend any time I have with them.

Carl: Thank you, thank you. We’re gonna get married in October, I’ll probably take off work to do that.

Karma: Well, as well as you should. [Chuckles] You owe it to yourself. So, what mark/legacy would you like to leave on your fans? Artist or label magnet?

Carl: You know, the label I started completely and totally on my own and now it’s something that I can make a living off of and there are six of us that work here. It’s like, everybody makes a living off of it and they have like health insurance and shit, which is cool.

Carl: And we did that just by basically just because of my keeping up on music and I like this stuff and this type of music. I think that labels like Ferret, Trustkill, EVR, and a couple of others had a hand in kind of like bringing popularity to that metalcore type of sound for lack of a better word. I think that’s pretty cool, I’ve done a bunch of interviews before for people that are doing book projects things that like, cited us as like one of the dominant creators of that sound which is awesome and pretty cool. In that respect I feel like we’ve already left some sort of mark.

As far as Nora, we run into kids all the time that have Nora tattoos and other weird tattoos of our art stuff, and that’s awesome. We talk to people that are like, “Yeah, I get so much out of you guys lyrics.” You know like in that respect I think we definitely have made some sort of difference in at least a few peoples lives and that’s awesome. We played Chicago once and we met kids that were like, “we drove from like…” someplace stupid like fuckin Nebraska just because it was the closest you guys have ever come to us.

Carl: Yeah it does and it’s totally flattering and kind of the main reason and give us the drive to do something like drive to Chicago and back from New Jersey in a weekend to play one show. We’ve done that stupid thing three times in a row.

Karma: Well if you could go back and change the hands of time, what would you go back and do differently?

Carl: I would not have sold the Converge record, they’re one of my favorite bands of all time and it would be nice if there’s something out there still with my logo on it, I mean besides the fact that it’s a successful record. Even now, they still have been cool with me about it. They just put out the reissues of Petitioning The Empty Skies like in the story it’s all about the history of Converge and it talks about how Ferret put it out which is always cool.

Carl: Yeah, you know I’ve fucked some things up that cost myself a lot of money here and there that I’d like to go back and not do. You know I could list off the bands I didn’t sign that sent me demos that I didn’t bother listening to that are now massive.

Carl: Poison The Well, My Chemical Romance, a good call on that one right. [Laughs sarcastically] I don’t know, who else… There’s Atreyu, you know all sorts of stuff.

Carl: You know, who knows? I might have not been able to do for them what the other label does.

Carl: Oh yeah, definitely. I can’t imagine ever doing anything else. It’s weird cause a lot of days it does feel like work and on some days you do find yourself stressed and freakin’ out, that sort of stuff. But at the same time you just kind of pull back and look at it and be like, “ I guess it is a good living, I could be managing a Blockbuster.”

Karma: In my interview with Guy from The Red Chord, he wanted to know why they never got an offer. He said that in an email Metal Blade received from you that you were interested. He thinks you have a really cool label, do lots of cool things, and have really cool bands. He says he has nothing but respect for what you have done.

Carl: Okay, about The Red Chord, I've always loved Guy; he's a sweet dude. Ask him about the time at Warped Tour I made the biggest ass out of myself in front of him (regarding his girlfriend). I was just never into the death metal aspect of their stuff; I loved the rest of it. As they've progressed I've looked back and feel I missed the boat, but it happens. I just bought the new album it's awesome (I mean I've had it for a long time but I wanted to support the boys and that shit was on sale for $9).

Karma: [Laughs] Okay, if you could commission your favorite band to do Nora cover, which song would it be and who would do it?

Carl: You know I’m not gonna be able to answer that, it requires too much thought. It’s definitely a good question, that’s one you’re gonna have to let me email you an answer to.

Karma: Okay, will do, and do you have any last words? [Carl still hasn't come up with a selection ;^)]

Carl: Thank you very much for taking the time to do this and saying cool things about Nora and Ferret, that’s awesome. I definitely hope to see you at the show soon.

Karma: Yeah definitely, no problem. Just a sidebar question…why don’t you guys have a message board?

Carl: I dunno, cause I kinda don’t give a shit what the average 15-year old kid with an internet connection thinks about me and my band, I’ve sworn off those so we just leave it alone.

Carl: Well we had thought that and decided that we’re not gonna do it but we actually haven’t got around to changing that on the site, we probably need to go on ahead and do it. We’ll get around to it.

Karma: He sure as hell does. Well Carl, it has been a complete pleasure and I am so happy that I got the chance to talk to you.

I'd like to thank Carl and wish the best of luck on his upcoming nuptials and to Jensen Lee at Adrenaline PR for setting it up.