Scrit: So� Satya. Quite a record if I do say so. Are any of you in the band practicing Buddhists?
Norman: We`re not really practicing Buddhists, as all of us are Christian-educated. But there are a lot of ideas in Buddhism that we feel very comfortable with. It takes quite an important role for us when thinking about the spiritual aspects of life.
Scrit: How much music do you listen to along these lines? As I get older, I find myself searching out more tranquil, balanced, dare I say sort of �Zen� music or bands that are capable of that sort of aesthetic.
Norman: Maybe that`s just a usual progression of when getting older. You are more focused on reflecting about life and therefore choose music that might help you to discover different aspects and emotions. Music has always been a major subject in every way, not only for us Karma guys.
Scrit: There are the song titles, artwork, philosophy, quoting the Dalai Lama, have any you taken an active role perhaps, to whatever degree, in the Free Tibet movement?
Norman: None of us really have taken part in the Free Tibet movement. We just felt like referring to human rights abuses all over the world. It was especially Tibet in the context of Satya, because the conflict escalated as we recorded the album. We do support protests, but we`d like to point out that we disclaim any form of violence.
Scrit: I love straight instrumental bands - 35007 and Monkey3 being some of the best as far as I�m concerned. You know any of their music?
Norman: Sure, all of us do love 35007 and their music. Too bad they split up quite a while ago. Monkey3 is also a familiar band, but we`re not only into stoner rock or psychedelic stuff. You really should check out *Shels F.E., some awesome post rock band from the U.S. with origins in England.
Scrit: Who is *Shels F.E.?
Norman: *Shels is an amazing post rock band from the United States with roots in England and Iran. Their music is simply mind-blowing and very inspiring. They switch from brutal Isis-like parts to beautiful soundscapes that appreciate the influences of Sigur Ros. Really worth a try!
Scrit: I will certainly look into them, maybe ask All That�s Heavy to wrangle up a few copies. So - it�s by no coincidence the packaging of both your albums is largely white?
Norman: That didn`t happen by accident. White is the color of light, gentleness, openness, and much more. It symbolizes the emotions that we are trying to awake or describe with our music. Furthermore, it should be an identifying feature of My Sleeping Karma. There are not too many bands out there that use the same color for every new album.
Scrit: My grasp on the Tibetan language is pretty loose. The song titles on Satya take some linear journey or the like?
Norman: The song titles are in Sanskrit. That`s not the Tibetan language, but the language of the gods for the Hindu people. However, those titles (except for two of them) describe the first multi-parted step of the Brahman to reach for enlightenment.
Scrit: So there is just a loose correlation between the names and tracklist, which admittedly do not match up. Is it a request for the listener to not focus on that?
Norman: Well, a tracklist consists of numbers and song titles. We don`t think that it`s that important to focus on it. Music should speak for itself and point out what it`s all about. The tracklist on Satya is just a simple guidance for the listener, especially for those that feel connected with Buddhism�s ideas. Apart from that, there is nothing like a secret in it. That names and tracklist do not match up is not really worth mentioning as you should listen to this album in one piece.
Scrit: The line-up has always been Matte, Seppi, Steffen, and Norman?
Norman: Yeah, same line up since the beginning of My Sleeping Karma. Matte and Steffen played together in the well-known stoner band The Great Escape. Seppi was also one of the founding members, he played drums back then. He left The Great Escape after their first album and was replaced by Steffen. Norman was a close friend of the band and was asked to join My Sleeping Karma when we started the band.
Scrit: I really liked your self-titled first record and certainly took note of your band at that time. But Satya really kicked everything up several notches. By contrast I think it�s a far better album (without knocking the s/t). Other than the natural growth of a band, would you say there was a distinct difference in the creation of the second vs. the first album?
Norman: Yeah, there was a big difference when you compare the writing process and recordings of both albums. All songs on the debut did exist quite a while long before we started as a band. It was actually Seppi and Matte who did work out the riffs and concepts for the songs. The keys were added later. For the new album, we composed most of the stuff together and we had much more time to add additional sounds, effects and melodies.
Scrit: Would you say that your music lends itself to free expansion performing live, ie, do you do that? Or do your tend to stick to what we hear on the albums?
Norman: We`d rather play the album versions when performing live, but there are some opportunities, especially toward the end of our songs, where we feel like improvising. It always depends on our emotions and feelings, not to forget about the reactions of the audience. It`s also a matter of our total playing time. We respect bands that might play after us and we don`t feel like "stealing time" from them.
Scrit: That is thoughtful of you, and the cool thing to do frankly. I can`t tell you how much dreck I`ve stood through that chiseled into someone else`s stage time and, as a result, the following act had to cut things short. What goes around comes around, smart. Ahh, karma...
Norman: Yeah, it`s all about karma! Everyone is equal and not more important than others. If more people would take that to heart, a lot of things on this planet would be much easier.
Scrit: Who of your contemporaries do you find yourselves identifying with?
Norman: That`s a hard question and we don`t want to point out individuals here. We respect and support all people that care for the needs of others. That pretty much sums it up.
Scrit: I meant bands, not individuals. That could help narrow it down as there are plenty of them out there that do not care for the needs of others but usually themselves alone.
Norman: Well, the whole stoner rock scene is pretty amazing. We played with fantastic bands and met so many good people that we are proud to be a part of it. To be more specific, we do have a close relationship to Brant Bjork & The Bros since touring with them two times. They are fantastic people and good friends! Colour Haze is quite important for us too. That band is fundamental for the whole genre and it was Stefan Koglek who signed us to his label after our performance at Swamp Room Mania 2007 in Munich.
Scrit: I�ve interviewed both of them for this website. Though I�m not personal with either, I have to echo those feelings about Brant and Stefan. Not only is their music totally righteous, but both seem to be among the cooler, down-to-earth, and genuine people one is likely to ever meet. Many others seem to have reached the same conclusion. The Bros and The Haze have also frequented the Roadburn Festival - how was My Sleeping Karma�s experience of playing the one in 2008?
Norman: Roadburn was pretty awesome for us. We`ve been visiting that festival for years and have a close relationship with Walter, who organizes Roadburn. So it was quite an experience to change the roles and perform on stage. We hope to return to Roadburn one day. Bigger stage mutually obligatory ;-)
Scrit: Much obliged for your time Norman and thank you to My Sleeping Karma for the music.
