Since their maiden voyage Captain Morgan’s Revenge, the Scottish band Alestorm has been met with equal amounts of praise and criticism.  When you’re a band that uses gimmicks to gain recognition, you had better have a good sense of humor and the dedication to carry through with the idea, and that is where Alestorm succeeds greatly.  Their new album Back Through Time is everything you would expect of the band…well, minus the booze, which you’ll have to provide on your own.  Recently, Metal Psalter caught up with lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes to talk about all things Alestorm.

Peter: First, would you mind saying a few things about the new album Back Through Time?

Christopher Bowes:  It's an album of stupid songs about pirates. That's about it really. I think it's quite good, but then again, I'm usually drunk so I think anything is good.

Peter: On all of the Alestorm albums, there has been the same character on the album covers.  Is he the official mascot of the band and if so, does he have a name?

Bowes:  His name is Jimmy McFucknugget. I guess he's like our mascot, yeah, along with the little rat guy (his name is Barry Shitpeas). Our graphic designer guy Ingo Romling came up with them, and I think they're pretty cool dudes who don't take shit from anyone.

Peter: On Back Through Time, there is a Stan Rogers cover in “Barrett’s Privateers.”  What influence, if any, did Rogers have on the band, and is there a special reason for choosing the song to cover?

Bowes:  We did that song because Mr. Heri Joensen from the band TYR told us to do it! He's a nice man and it's a bad idea to disagree with his suggestions, so that's why we asked him to do the guest solo in the song. It's quite the jolly little song, and was fun to cover. I only vaguely knew of Stan Rogers before we did the song, but I've listened to a lot of his stuff now and it's all very lovely.

Peter: In promotion of Back Through Time, a video was shot for “Shipwrecked.”  Would you mind giving some details about making the video?

Bowes:  We went to Serbia!  There were lots of babes and a midget! But yeah, those girls are hot.  They sure know how to breed sexiness in Eastern Europe.  The food there is weird, though; everything you eat is a HUGE plate of barbequed meat that's really dry, with no sauce or glaze or dip or anything. Also, the city of Belgrade is kind of mad and still full of bullet holes, but apart from that, it was a great time making the video.

Peter: Recently, there was a change in the band’s lineup on drums?  Would you elaborate on this change and how has the new drummer worked out so far?

Bowes: Our old drummer Ian quit suddenly because he was tired of being in a band, which left us in a bit of a fucking pickle. So we called up this Irish mate of ours called Pete (Alcorn), and asked him to fly in and play a gig the next day. Thank fuck he accepted! He's a great drummer and isn’t afraid of anything.

Peter: Back in 2009, Alestorm made its first tour of the United States.  What are some of the things from that tour that you learned that are being put to use on future tours?

Bowes:  I learned that eating Jack-In-The-Box every day turns you into a sad panda. Shan't be doing that again

Peter: Are there any tours lined up in support of Back Through Time?

Bowes:  We'll be in the USA in a couple of months supporting Kamelot for a bunch of shows. You should come down and get drunk, it's going to be fun.

Peter: If you had to meet one famous pirate, who would it be and why?

Bowes: Gary Coleman, because I'd love to eat nachos with him and reminisce about the good ol' days.

Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Bowes:  Eat Scottish Beef.

Alestorm's Christopher Bowes

Interviewer: Peter

June 24, 2011

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(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 2007
    Perth, Scotland  UK
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Power/Folk Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Christopher Bowes:  Vocals &
                                       Keyboards
Dani Evans:  Guitars
Gareth Murdock:  Bass
Peter Alcorn:  Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Captain Morgan's Revenge (2008)
Leviathan EP (2008)
Black Sails at Midnight (2009)
Back Through Time (2011)