While many musicians have taken inspiration from epic fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the mythical lifestyle. Sure, they may embellish their album sleeves with creatures, imps, captive women and strong fighters, but has any musician ever have to retrieve a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the midst of winter? Has a performer devoted hours peering in the rear of a tour bus, fixing their own armor?
Immersed in the Legend
Created in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have dealt with both these scenarios and others as they live out their grand tales. From medieval-inspired, earworm-heavy tunes to eye-popping performances, costume design, videos and cover artwork, they’re not just a rock act as a full immersive experience.
“It wasn’t planned to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, blade-handler and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle drives from a sold-out gig in a German city to one more in another town – they’re also doing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and received an offer on a October show, where I made a last-minute decision to put on an outfit. Everything was highly handmade, but we had an amazing time and the feeling in the room was unforgettable. I realized, ‘Imagine if we could have so much excitement every time?’”
The Band’s Evolution
From that point on, the band – which showcases Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” together with a medic from history (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and mysterious druid (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. Their latest album, the follow-up record, evokes images of legendary heavy bands uniting to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that places them on the brink of greater success.
The Bestiary was a first for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her collaborators. “It made it a lot stronger album,” she says of the collaborative process. “I had difficulty at first – I often experienced a specific level of accomplishment as a female in music going it alone. There have been multiple instances where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members write great riffs!’ and I’m like, ‘Hey – I created all that.’”
Creative Output and Ideas
As the band’s stature has increased, so has the scale of their stage presentation. “The saying I live by is always that if an effort matters, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton laughs. Initially, she was on course for a fine art degree before balking at the possibility of financial burden. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to apply artistic expression,” she says. “From creating face coverings, costume design, learning how to edit music videos … these are all things I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to discover in the moment.”
Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“Everyone’s urging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments wasn’t enough, the vocalist self-educated how to make chainmail – a difficult task, though she admittedly entrusted her brand-new scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It’s as if actual armour,” she beams.
Fan Response and Obstacles
What about the crowd? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and papier-mache rat skulls with equal enthusiasm as the group. “We had a concert in Detroit and it resembled a medieval event,” reminisces Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, metal wear.”
That’s not to imply, however, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been plain sailing. “Everything is frequently damaged and becomes duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Plus I’ll have endless ideas as to how I desire the presentation, but we’re traveling in a bus with only so much space. It’s an interesting challenge to make it feel like a mythic tale, then compress it into nothing.”
There have been other logistical problems that wouldn’t have troubled mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at a music event in Portugal and my baggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because there is no an backup plan of the concert where I lack a sword.”
Future Ambitions
Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – I dream of large venues,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is keeping the self-crafted look, guaranteeing each detail is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to keep true to, no matter what we grow into. Oh, and I desire to ride out on a magical horse each show. Remember how some artists use vehicles in concerts? Exactly that, but with a unicorn.”
