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<\/a>As a band with lyrics based entirely around the concept of pirates getting drunk, there are, of course, the uncomplicated nuances of beer involved with the band\u2019s aesthetic. Mainly, drinking should be for drinking\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just like cheap lager; that\u2019s the only thing I like,\u201d says Bowes. \u201cI\u2019m not into pretentious beers. Especially for a band that\u2019s all themed on drinking and pirates, people always ask us, \u2018What\u2019s your favourite beer?\u2019 I guess I like Budweiser. I don\u2019t even think fancy beer tastes that good.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s rare for a band to come from overseas and do a Canada-only tour; Alestorm decided to do their upcoming Canadian tour for this exact reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do North American tours a lot. We do the USA and Canada, and just the way it works out, due to bullshit and geography, is that all we can do is hop into Canada for two days, we do a show in Montreal, Toronto, then we piss off again and never come back,\u201d says Bowes. \u201cWe\u2019ve never really done just this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowes is an original founding member of Alestorm and Gloryhammer, an intergalactic-space-inspired power metal band, but is now steering his focus to just one band.<\/p>\n
\u201cGloryhammer sort of took off too much. I didn\u2019t really have time for both bands,\u201d explains Bowes. \u201cI sort of stopped doing Gloryhammer. I still write all the songs for Gloryhammer, but I don\u2019t play with them anymore live, because there was never the time. So I\u2019ve got a body double to do Gloryhammer while I go off [and] do Alestorm things. It was getting too much; I can\u2019t do everything at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alestorm released their latest album, No Grave But the Sea<\/i>, in 2017. They are hard at work on their next album, but to Bowes, there is really no need to improve on the classic metal shanties Alestorm have already explored on their five full-lengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been writing the new album quite a lot. It\u2019s nearly finished; we\u2019re gonna go to the studio in January and record all that stuff. I don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s more of the same, but it is more of the same. It\u2019s just stuff people like\u2014good old pirates say \u2018Ahoy.\u2019 It\u2019s gonna be good, I think.\u201d He laughs and adds, \u201cWhat if it isn\u2019t? What if no one likes it?\u201d<\/p>\n
At heart, the band just want a good time, and Bowes knows this. After all, a group of pirates sailing the seas, getting drunk, and playing hardcore folk metal are going to have some wicked stories to tell.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the crowd goes absolutely batshit crazy\u2014people just flying through the air, singing along\u2014that\u2019s just the bit I love the most,\u201d says Bowes. \u201cStupid stuff happens\u2014countless stupid things have happened. I got trapped in a casino naked, our guitar player had sex with a cake, all these awful things happen, but at the end of the day it\u2019s just fun getting on stage and having a stupid show and having a great time, really.\u201d<\/p>\n