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Although many rockers have taken inspiration from fantasy lore, only a handful have truly lived the enchanted way of life. Certainly, they may adorn their record jackets with ghouls, imps, captive women and muscular warriors, but has an artist ever have to recover a misplaced horn from a unicorn from a snowy field in the depths of winter? Did a performer taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Embracing the Mythos

Established in 2019, New York’s Castle Rat have encountered such situations and others as they act out their epic fantasies. From heraldic, earworm-heavy tunes to eye-popping performances, outfit creation, visuals and record designs, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a outfit with characters,” states singer, guitarist, sword-wielder and artistic leader Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport travels from a packed show in a German city to another in another town – they’re also doing five gigs in the UK this week. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to put on an outfit. It was all super-DIY, but we had so much fun and the atmosphere was unforgettable. I realized, ‘What if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Growth of the Group

From that point on, the ensemble – which includes Pinkerton as the “Rat Queen” joined by a plague doctor (bassist), proud bloodsucker (six-string player) and enigmatic nature priest (rhythm keeper) – continued forward. Their latest album, the follow-up record, brings to mind of famous rock groups joining forces to fight their path through a mythical painted realm – a epic masterpiece that positions them on the edge of greater success.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her collaborators. “This helped a lot stronger project,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – There was a sense of a certain amount of accomplishment as a female in music working independently. There’ve been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The band write great riffs!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I created all that.’”

Creative Output and Ideas

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. Initially, she was on course for a art school education before pulling back at the possibility of so much debt. “The fun thing about Castle Rat is there’s numerous methods to apply creativity,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I don’t know how to do, but it’s exciting to figure it out on the fly.”

Even though developing the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to record it because everything is stored,” Riley says, pointing to her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to craft metal mesh – no mean feat, though she admittedly entrusted her completely original reptilian-inspired outfit to a expert from NYC. “It’s as if actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Fan Response and Obstacles

Regarding the fans? They embraced the fake blood, foam swords and crafted rodent bones with similar excitement as the group. “We played a show in Detroit and it looked like a Renaissance fair,” reminisces Riley happily. “The whole crowd was in cloaks, sheepskin, chainmail.”

That’s not to imply, however, that touring existence as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been easy. “All our gear is always failing and becomes fixed temporarily,” Riley says. “Plus I come up with endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we’re traveling in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We faced other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my luggage – which had my blade in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “It was a nightmare, because we don’t have an backup plan of the concert where I don’t have a blade.”

Upcoming Plans

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is eager about the what’s next. “I aim to reach to the top – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The key element that’s truly essential to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, guaranteeing all elements is custom-made. It’s a component I want to keep true to, no matter what we achieve. Plus, I want to appear on a unicorn every night. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”