Alehammer

Hi guys. So you are at war with straight edge ... what else are you at war with? Hope not with the zines ...
SCOOT:  NO, I LIKE ZINES, I AM AT WAR WITH MYSELF MOST OF THE TIME
SHRUB:  NOT SURE HOW MUCH AT WAR WITH STRAIGHT EDGE WE ARE AS I DOUBT WE KNOW ANYONE WHO IS.  BUT YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL SO WE'RE IN A STATE OF CONSTANT READINESS.  THE ONLY CONFLICT I ENJOY IS WITH A BOTTLE OF GIN. THE GIN ALWAYS WINS.

How your band works? You all live in England? Close enough together to practice regularly ? Or are you too old and too good for practice, haha?
SCOOT:  CHEEKY BASTARD JUST COZ WE GET OLDER, WILL YOU GET TOO OLD & LAZY TO DO A ZINE? KARL LIVES IN CHICAGO, I AM CURRENTLY LIVING IN BRAZIL & THE OTHER 2 GIRLS LIVE IN ENGLAND, WE GET TOGETHER AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR & SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
SHRUB:  UNFORTUNATELY THE BAND IS SPREAD ACROSS BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC SO PRACTICES AND RECORDINGS HAPPEN ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR.  OBVIOUSLY THIS MAKES THEM SPECIAL OCCASIONS SO THEY'RE A LOT OF FUN.  SCOOT AND I WILL WRITE TRACKS ON OUR OWN AND THEN WE PUT THEM TOGETHER WITH THE REST OF THE DRUNKS WHEN WE DO PRACTICE.  TOO OLD TO PRACTICE?  YES.  TOO GOOD?  NO.

You are the fourth 'hammer' band I know ... do you know Gallhammer from Japan? Warhammer > Hellhammer for you, aren't they?
SCOOT:  WARHAMMER WERE A BIG INFLUENCE TO ME N KARL IN THE 90S THATS WHAT STARTED OUR JOKE ABOUT ALEHAMMER IN 1999
SHRUB:  BUT NOW THEY SUCK WITHOUT FRANK HE WAS THE REAL DRIVE BEHIND WARHAMMER SCOOT AND I BOTH CAME UP WITH THE NAME ALEHAMMER SEPARATELY BY CHANCE.  I WASN'T THINKING OF HELLHAMMER OR ANY OTHER BAND WHEN I THOUGHT OF IT BUT MAYBE SCOOT WAS.   IT JUST SOUNDED A FUN NAME.

So let's make it clear, you have released only one 7'Ep so far, right? No demo before? Are you satisfied with it or maybe you feel something could be better?
SCOOT:  IT WAS A 10' PIC DISC WITH A BEER MAT ITS THE BEST RELEASE IN THE WORLD, I WISH I COULD DRINK IT.
SHRUB:  NO, JUST ONE 10' PIC DISC SO FAR AND A TRACK ON A COMP.  THE NEXT RELEASE (AT WAR WITH STRAIGHT EDGE) IS OUT THIS SUMMER.  SCOOT AND I ARE CURRENTLY WRITING FOR A FULL-LENGTH RELEASE.  THAT WILL PROBABLY BE OUT IN AROUND 2063.

I have only heard your new songs on myspace but I think they will sound pretty brutal on vinyl. Good sound, I like it ... it's something I'd call 'that great british crust sound'. Satisfied? Everything went smooth in the studio? When the 10' will be out?
SCOOT:  THE 10' IS OUT, I THINK IT IS ALMOST SOLD OUT YOU BETTER CHECK WITH www.agipunk.com, WE ARE RELEASING A SPLIT 12" WITH TYRANT FROM SWEDEN IT WILL BE OUT LATER THIS YEAR, WE DONT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT HOW IT SOUNDS REALLY, ITS ABOUT US HAVING FUN & A GOOD DRUNK LAUGH IN THE STUDIO, IF ITS GOOD THEN FINE, IF IT SUCKS THEN IT SUCKS. WE NEVER ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO RELEASE ANYTHING, WE JUST PLANNED TO HAVE A JAM AS MATES FOR SHRUB´S BIRTHDAY BUT WE LIKED IT THAT MUCH WE DID IT AGAIN & NOW LOOK WHAT HAS BLOODY HAPPENED.
SHRUB:  THINGS ALWAYS GO WELL IN THE STUDIO FOR US.  THERE'S NO PRESSURE AND WE'RE BASICALLY JUST HAVING A FEW DRINKS.  BY HAPPY COINCIDENCE THERE ALWAYS HAPPENS TO BE A LOAD OF GUITARS AND AMPS LYING AROUND SO WE THOUGHT WE MAY AS WELL PLAY SOMETHING.

There is one older particular song I'd like to ask you about: 'Order of the Hobgoblin'. Have to say it's one of your best, but sounds different than rest of the Alehammer. Can you say something to this? To me it sounds like a tribute to some old british crustcore, very good!
SCOOT:  I HAD A RIFF THAT I ASKED SHRUB TO ADD TO, HE ALWAYS WRITES SLOW HEAVY RIFFS BETTER THAN ME THE BASTARD, ITS A PERSONAL TRIBUTE TO A FINE ALE BREWED IN ENGLAND, IT IS VERY CELTIC CRUST.
SHRUB:  I'D NEVER THOUGHT THAT THE TRACK SOUNDED MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER TRACKS BUT MAYBE IT DOES.  I KNOW SCOOT HAD A PARTICULAR IDEA ABOUT HOW THAT TRACK WOULD BE BUILT UP.  SCOOT WRITES MOST OF OUR MUSIC BUT NOW I'M WRITING TOO THE DIFFERENCE MAY BE MORE EVIDENT BETWEEN HIS AND MY TRACKS. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING.

You will play with Extreme Noise Terror at Obscene fest., what do you think about them? To be honest I can hear some of their old shit in your music ... (which is of course good, because I like their old records) . But aren't they like hated for one reason or another by young crusties in England?
SCOOT:  TO ME THEY TIRED OF THE PUNK SCENE IN THE 90S THEN FAILED AT BEING A METAL BAND SO THEIR ONLY OPTION WAS TO DO THE OLD SHIT AGAIN, SORRY DEAN BUT I LOST ALL RESPECT FOR YOU FOR THAT.
SHRUB:  NO IDEA IF ENT ARE HATED.  WHY?  HOPE IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY 'WENT METAL' OR SOME OTHER RIDICULOUS REASON.

By the way, what do you think about the term britcore? Does it ever exist and what bands you consider the basic for that british crust scene?
SCOOT:  BRITCORE SHITCORE WHO CARES, ALECORE
SHRUB:  'BRITCORE' ISN'T A TERM I'VE HEARD SINCE THE LATE 80s.  THEN IT WAS APPLIED TO ANY BRITISH BAND PLAYING FAST/NOISY STUFF.  LABELLING A BAND DOESN'T SEEM TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING.

What do you think about Deviated Instinct reunion .... and Celtic Frost split up?
SCOOT:  I HEARD CELTIC FROST SPLIT UP COZ THEY WAS SCARED OF DEVIATED INSTINCT REFORMING, I THINK DEVIATED INSTINCT REFORMED FOR THE MONEY, DRUGS & GIRLS, THEY FAILED AT ALL THOSE SO THEY NOW PLAY GIGS FOR LEMONADE & MELON SLICES (THATS WHY THEY PLAYED MY LEAVING GIG IN FEBRUARY) SINCE I HEAR LEGGO IS DOING SHAMPOO ADVERTS, MID IS A MIME ARTIST, SNAPA BITES PEOPLE & COOPER IS A KISSOGRAM.
SHRUB:  I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING THE D.I. GUYS FOR A LONG TIME SO I WAS GLAD TO SEE THEM PLAYING AGAIN.  I SAW THEM EARLIER THIS YEAR AND THEY WERE GREAT.  CELTIC FROST HAVE SPLIT?  JESUS, WILL THEY EVER DECIDE WHAT THEY WANT?  SCOOT IS GOING TO WEAR A WHITE FRILLY SHIRT SO WE CAN SPLIT AND THEN REFORM.

Short quiz: 'Saddle my horse as I drink my last ale' ... who sing this? What do you think about them?
SCOOT:  TO QUOTE VENOM ON M#@###R, "FURRY BOOTS & NAPPIES", THEY SUCK, THEY COULDN´T DRINK COFFEE THEM BASTARDS.
SHRUB:  I HAD TO GOOGLE THAT TO FIND THE ANSWER.  I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WERE PUT ON EARTH FOR MY AMUSEMENT.

Have to ask you what the hell do you have against the lager? It's the only beer that can have right, big foam ... and if there's no foam, it's not a beer!! Tell me, who is  false in the band and like lager?
SCOOT:  NONE WILL TOUCH CHEAP PISSY LAGER
SHRUB:  FOAM?  I WANT A FUCKING DRINK NOT A BATH.  TO BE HONEST, THE LAGERS IN EUROPE ARE FAR BETTER THAN THE PISS THAT GETS SERVED UP IN THE UK.  I'VE HAD GOOD CZECH AND GERMAN LAGERS.  AS WE'RE TOURING EUROPE WE'LL HAVE TO GET USED TO LAGER ANYWAY.

Is Alehammer a regular band, can we expect more shows and more recordings, or is it more like some friends project with not so clear future? Do you have any concrete plans with the band now?
SCOOT:  WE ARE ALL GOOD MATES SO AS LONG AS THERE IS A CRATE OF FINE ALE & THE STUDIO IS AVAILABLE & WE HAVE THE MONEY THEN WE WILL HAVE SOME FUN, NOTHING IS CONCRETE IN THIS FUCKED UP WORLD BUT AS LONG AS WE ARE CRAWLING WE WILL MAKE A NOISE I HOPE NEXT YEAR WE CAN MAKE SOME NOISE IN THE USA, ITS NEVER TO BE TAKEN SERIOUS WE ARE BY NO MEANS PROFESSIONAL HAHA. WE WILL PRACTISE 2 DAYS THEN GO ON TOUR, I HAVENT EVEN PLAYED GUITAR FOR 4 MONTHS COZ IVE BEEN IN BRAZIL.
SHRUB:  THE SECOND ONE.  WE GET TOGETHER TO DRINK AND PLAY MUSIC FOR FUN AND NOT AS PART OF ANY PLAN WE HAVE.  APART FROM THE TOUR IN JULY WE'RE GOING TO RECORD AN ALBUM BUT NO OTHER DEFINITE PLANS AT THE MOMENT.

OK, before we finish this talk, there is one thing I have to warn you before you'll come to play here: we have NO ale here, except for "Belhaven Scottish Ale" in local supermarket, but I doubt they have more than 30 bottles. What you gonna do??
SCOOT:  GO THIRSTY
SHRUB:  DRINK ALL OF YOUR BEER.

OK, thanks for the interview. Ale to England!
SCOOT:  FUCK ENGLAND, ALE TO YOU CHEEEEEERS XX