Hard Blast

ALESTORM - METAL, FOLK (Scotland)

By Maila-Kaarina

Pictures: promo

The Scottish band is relatively young and it was built by its guitar man Gavin Harper and the singer and keyboard player Christopher Bowes. What had called up my attention to the band were 3 very specific things. First, the name, of course! All beer fans like me would love to join an ale´storm. The second curiosity was the fact of being Scottish. I don´t know many metal bands from Scotland. The third was their myspace layout all backed to the pirates theme giving the idea of an spirituous and funny work.

The band has just been hired by Napalm Records and the first album has just been released by the name Capitain Morgan´s Revenge. Their myspace page www.myspace.com/alestorm had over 540 thousand visits and the comments are all very positive.


Their music is a mixing of Heavy Metal and Folk. Some melodic elements and very well done backing vocals (something I particularly admire and love). It is really cool and when asked about the sound they just reply: It sounds as if pirates had a wall of Marshalls) If you go to their page you´ll be able to listen to some songs and to read the band´s release which is 100% pirates theme. I interviewed Gavin Harper so that you can know some more about their ideas.

ALESTORM INTERVIEW
ALESTORM INTERVIEW
Maila-Kaarina: Alestorm – Sounds like: if pirates had a wall of Marshalls. This is a great and curious “slogan” for the band. Please, tell us a little about the concept of your work, the choice for pirates themes, the folk influences. Why Alestorm? Gavin Harper: Because if it wasn’t for Alestorm, we wouldn’t have a band! Maila: You are from Scotland, right? Is the entire band from Scotland? Gavin: Apparently but we now have a bald German destroying our theme! Maila: You have just signed with Napalm Records and have debuted the album Capitan Morgan´s Revenge. Is it a conceptual album with a story following a sequence throughout the tracks?

Gavin: Npe, everything is made up for fun and laughs! No serious stories here, nothing to distract the listener from Drinking!

Maila: Bands like Lordi, for example, have the conceptual ideal of characters, stories and everything taken very deeply. King Diamond´s albums are also Maila: conceptual, the records complete each other, progressive bands like Emerson Lake & Palmer, Rick Wakeman, all these artists chose the “conceptual idea” to build amazing works. Most of these artists when asked about what have influenced them in relation to these ideas mention books, films, history. Is it the same with you? What made you bring pirates to your music?

Gavin: Cause it’s something that isn’t Lord of The Rings, Vikings or Trolls and whatever the fuck Korpiklaani sing about… It’s fun, everyone loves pirates… We don’t think we’re pirates (Except for downloading music! HA!), we don’t talk like them or dress like them! It’s just a great concept that gives folk something to drink to!

Maila: You have just signed with Napalm Records after a couple of years as an independent band. Of course it had brought changes in the band. How has it been to you, what kind of things have happened in a short time and what are your expectations to the near future?

Gavin: Yeah, we just inked the deal and we can’t wait for the tour with Turisas in March. Napalm seem as excited as we are about this too, which helps a lot! We can’t wait!

Maila: You had a change in your line-up, the drummer has changed. Is the rest of the line-up all original?

Gavin: Nope, the ORIGINAL lineup is Christopher and I, we started this as a two piece and various people have come and gone… But Chris and I have never changed.

Maila: Who has formed the band, presented the idea and so on?

Gavin: Christopher and I formed the band and we do all the writing, management, and everything really…

Maila: Do you guys do everything together or there is one person to lead the writing of the songs? How is the Alestorm´s process of making music?

Gavin: Not seeing each other for 5 months then Chris and I exchanging Midi Files and coming up with an Album. We never see each other besides Touring/Photos as Chris and I live in different countries.

Maila: On your release it is written that you have a very popular discussion forum. What is it about and how could people join it? Give us the address, please!

Gavin: It’s our band forum as advertised on Myspace.

www.ultimatemetal.com/something to do with alestorm... Click on “community” at Ultimatemetal.com and use Ctrl+F and search for Alestorm.

Maila: Besides the page at myspace and doing concerts, what else do you consider important for a young band to improve and increase its role of fans? Do you believe nowadays the audience expects more than just pictures and music/ do you think interaction with the fans is necessary?

Gavin: Of course… I often end up in the crowd during our gigs…

We always hang around in the public areas and hang out with folk who have come to see us… We’re music fans ourselves… Being in a band doesn’t make you different, special or anything…

Maila: What do you do in order to interact with your fans?

Gavin: Get my cock out.

Maila: What do you like best, playing at your own concert, your own tour or playing at a festival with several other bands? Gavin: Our own tour cause it’s playing our own concert WITH other bands!

Win/Win!

I guess…

Dunno…

Blah…

Pass!

Maila: Please, use this topic to say anything you consider important to the readers, to your fans, to people that are reading about you for the first time. Tell us what´s really important to Alestorm.

Gavin: The Amazon rain forest is very important to us!

Maila: Leave a message to the Brazilian readers and rock fans.

Gavin: Yanko, I love you and want your babies!

Untitled Document

Hard Blast 2010