Interview with Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen | By Natasha Van Duser
Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen likes many things. He likes ancient civilizations, he likes aliens, he likes film. But most notably, Ash Avildsen likes rock ‘n’ roll. “Honestly, and I don’t even care if this sounds selfish or not, but I just put out music that I like,” he says.
Avildsen has been the man behind independent rock label Sumerian Records since its humble inception in 2006. Now, a decade down the line, his label has become one of the biggest names in the alternative music world with artists like Circa Survive, Asking Alexandria, I See Stars, Animals As Leaders, and After The Burial topping the roster. “I don’t think you’ll ever see Sumerian become redundant in the records we put out,” Avildsen continues. “Some people love us for that, and other kids will be like, ‘Ugh, you guys sold out. You guys signed a mainstream rock ‘n’ roll band,’ or whatever, but I listen to all sorts of different music that just happens to have guitars in it.”
Avildsen feels like the kind of guy you’d meet in your favorite dive bar and immediately bond with after a few whiskey gingers. He’s apt to talk about how much he loves the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations or explain why he thinks extraterrestrials most definitely have visited Earth. Hell, he can even cite pro wrestling history on the spot. He’s laid back, dedicated, passionate, and most importantly, relatable, a key to why his label has garnered so much success as an outlet for artists by artists. “When I was playing music in high school, I never thought that I was going to be, like, ‘the record label guy,’ I just happened to fall into it,” Avildsen explains. “I think one of the reasons that Sumerian has been as successful as it is is because I am not a ‘suit,’ in the sense that a lot of the people in this industry have been business men, and I was always just a younger creative guy that could hang on a level with bands that maybe some other people couldn’t do as well.”
Avildsen’s dive into the music world started on the other side of the stage, as a musician signed to a label himself, but after several years of touring and eventually branching out as a promoter and booking agent, he realized something in the music realm was missing. “I wanted to create the label that had a much more, like, camaraderie between the bands and amongst the staff,” he says. “There’s this illusion of ‘Oh, you’re signed to a label and everything works out,’ but that’s where the real struggle begins: when you do get signed and you’re trying to fight to make a living with an actual team backing you.”
“I wanted to start in a world where I had the best chances of building bands up and helping them gain careers,” Avildsen continues. “So, in metal, rock, hardcore—in that world, I could give artists the best shot of getting to a point where they could be self-sustaining by being their record label. So, that’s where I chose to start it, and obviously, we still do a lot in that world today.”
Sumerian now has a solid roster of alternative bands whose sounds encompass everything from the EDM of I See Stars to the metalcore of Veil Of Maya to the straight-up old-school rock of Palaye Royale, many of whom have stayed with the label since their inception. “I always find it really cool when you find artists that make fusions of musical styles and make it feel natural and coherent and not just like a train wreck,” Avildsen says. “I think when you look at a lot of the bands [on Sumerian] and the way that they do mix styles and create their own sound, that’s why they’re still holding up 10 years later, because they don’t get lost in the mix of other bands that are similar.”
“If I didn’t have a band like The Faceless be the first band and Stick To Your Guns be the second and Born Of Osiris be the third, I don’t know if I would have grown as quickly as we have with Sumerian,” Avildsen remarks gratefully.
Ten years as an independent record label is something worth celebrating, so Sumerian decided to put on multiple celebration tours. They began with a two-part 10 year anniversary tour featuring a multitude of their artists – both new and old – which ran Aug. 3 to Oct. 8. After that, Sumerian look forward to their Ten Years In The Black Tour, on which they’ll be sending Asking Alexandria, I See Stars, Born Of Osiris, After The Burial, Upon A Burning Body, and Bad Omens out on the road Oct. 25 through Dec. 6.
Here’s to another 10 years, and many more after!
Ten Notable Releases from Sumerian (in no particular order)
• The Faceless – Akeldama
“The first The Faceless record—which was our first album—played a huge part in the progressive, kind of technical new wave of death metal that got ushered in 10 years ago and is still going.”
• Born Of Osiris – The New Reign
• Veil Of Maya – The Common Man’s Collapse
• After The Burial – Rareform
“Born Of Osiris, Veil Of Maya and After The Burial—signing those bands and putting them out there, those bands were unique in the music space. […] I really felt like, 10 years ago, bands like Born Of Osiris and Veil, they weren’t out there.”
• Asking Alexandria – Stand Up and Scream
“Asking Alexandria’s first record—which is our biggest selling album—some could arguably say that was more influential than anything, because of the sales history.”
• Periphery – Periphery
• Animals As Leaders – The Joy of Motion
“There’s an influence of Meshuggah that’s prevalent in so many bands, whether it’s Animals As Leaders or Periphery. […] The textures of Meshuggah have become influential to the rest of the music scene, like Metallica influenced the rest of the mainstream metal music scene.”
• Upon A Burning Body – The World Is Ours
“We put Upon A Burning Body on [the second leg of the anniversary tour], who is another band that has been a big part of Sumerian’s growth and I love them to death.”
• Palaye Royale – Boom Boom Room
“Palaye Royale, I just think is this authentic, genuine rock ‘n’ roll band that has grit, that has raw energy to them. As young kids as they are, writing the songs that they do, I think that they will have a long and exciting career.”
• Bad Omens – Bad Omens
“I can literally, off the top of my head, recite every single chorus off every track of [Bad Omens]’s album. It’s not that easy to do as a musician—especially on your first album—to have memorable songs that stand out from each other. And they definitely do that.”
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