I had a fun chat with Cara Dornin, who plays guit-arrrr as Captain Rustypaws in the Australian metal crew Rum Runners. We talked about how she came aboard the band, her musical roots and passions, and what fans can expect from the upcoming album. The captain also shared her thoughts on navigating the metal scene as a woman.
Lucy
Ahoy Captain! On stage, you’re Captain Rustypaws, a pirate captain wielding strings like sabres and distortion like storm winds. When the lights go out and you’re back to being Cara, what part of Captain Rustypaws lingers in you?
Captain Rustypaws
Ahoy! Captain Rustypaws is as much a part of me as lil ol’ Cara is a part of Rustypaws. The strengths I’ve learned through adapting to chaotic situations in both life and stage have forged together the, dare-I-say, cool stage persona of Captain Rustypaws.
In moments of the unknown, I’ll draw on Captain Rustypaws’ ‘cool as a winters breeze’ persona to confidently carry me through unexpected changes and life events, and smite any challenges in my path. If younger Cara could see Captain Rustypaws I think she’d be pretty proud. I know the Cara of today is, and if I’m ever in need of confidence when my nerves are kicking up in my daily life, I remind myself of what I have battled through and where I am now.
Lucy
You joined a band with history, scars, and a myth of its own. Was there hesitation stepping into a story that began without you? And what does it feel like being part of it now?
Captain Rustypaws
Every individual and group will have had a story and battle scars from the past, coming into a band that had a following and history before me was daunting in some ways (it’s always the “what if’s” and comparisons that create that scary entity of the unknown), but on the other hand it was an exciting challenge.
I viewed it as an unrefined gem that I can shape with my own hand as well as with the support of the boys. Being a part of this journey has incredible energy! We are forging our own paths and that unrefined gem is taking form with all our influences and care and it’s starting to shine brilliantly.
It’s a wonderful experience to create with like-minded musicians, and it’s even better to get up and rule a stage with them. I’m incredibly honored to share this exciting journey with my fellow captains.
Lucy
Which guitarists first lit the spark for you, the ones whose sound or presence made you believe you could do this too?
Captain Rustypaws
Being a young girl and devoting myself to music and creating, I was heavily influenced by the women in metal at that time, Nita Strauss was this shining superwoman of a guitar player. Her confidence and presence are an aspiration to be similar to. Similarly, my metal influences stemmed from an absolute adoration of Opeth and Trivium. Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and damnation inspired me acoustically and I can’t help but fall in love every time I listen to the albums hauntingly emotive and beautiful guitar work.
Matt Heafy (Trivium) inspired me with his melodic driving riffs. The music is catchy and so full of energy – Shogun and Kirisute Gomen are such a killer of an album and song and were training staples in my practice in learning metal. I still use trivium often to warm my fingers up!
However, I was inspired long before my metal days by Nancy Wilson (Heart) with her incredible presence, talent and confidence. Heart is just magic to my ears.
Lucy
Were there bands or records that shaped how you see the world, long before you held a guitar?
Captain Rustypaws
Growing up, I was always listening to unique music, folk or “world” music they called it back in the 2000s. Artists like Björk, Secret Garden and Loreena McKennitt were played to the poor deaths of many CDs and CD players (we were our local cd shop’s best customers!) I was listening to those on repeat and even through sleep.
Amy Lee (Evanescence) was also a huge inspiration into becoming a musician. She assisted me in seeing the world through different lenses and perspectives, through many of life’s challenges through her music, her passionate and emotive piano and singing style enchanted me.
Björk and Loreena McKennitt showed me the beauty in the unusual and in nature. Loreena McKennitt was a huge inspiration as to how I approach my writings and music – story driven and folk originating. Amy Lee inspired me to see the beauty and light even through times of hardship or darkness. These artists’ influences always make me pause to reconsider my situations or surroundings, to take a breath in the moment and to enjoy the now and the present and to appreciate the “unusual”.
Lucy
There’s talk of an album on the horizon. What can you share about what’s brewing, sonically, thematically or emotionally?
Captain Rustypaws
When I joined the Rum Runners, the crew had just resurfaced after an 8-year slumber. Even during the quiet years, they kept writing, and now there’s a treasure trove of killer material ready to use—and I can’t wait to add my own flair to it!
This band thrives on collaboration. There’s no single songwriter steering the ship—every Captain is expected to bring their creative firepower. That shared spirit is one of the things I love most: everyone’s influences shape the sound, and every song is a true group effort.
While working on existing tracks, I’ve been putting my own spin on the riffs – adding a bit of my flavour to the mix. I’ve got high standards and don’t hold back when it comes to playing with precision and passion.
But the new album… that’s where the real voyage begins. Each new song is a chance to chart unknown waters, and I’ve been stoked to see my influence becoming a bigger part of the Rum Runners’ core sound.
Our EP “Wreck and Revere” firmly solidified us back onto the metal map, but the album is where we dive deep. We’re pushing ourselves to the edge, writing music that reflects every hour of sweat, writing what challenges us and the absolute joy of playing together.
I actually kicked off the album with a brand new track that adds my love of blackened-folk metal with the band’s desire for brutal heaviness – it’s a perfect match. It’s big, it’s glorious and grand and I’m beyond excited for when the time comes to share it with you all.
We tell tales of the human capacity for glory, downfall, desire, idealism and camaraderie, all through riffs, roars, and the occasional shanty. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, which comes across in our fun riffs and the magnificent “JIG PIT” we have summoned at gigs!
Lucy
The Rum Runners are built around a concept, a pirate mythos. Do you feel that narrative confines what you can express or does it unlock something even broader?
Captain Rustypaws
Rum Runners and its music has an adventure inside of it just waiting to be told, Pirates have been its initial iteration and we still love the theme and fun it brings to our performances. The concepts of being a pirate and what they stood for in their glory days enable us to express our stories through a lens which allows for honesty.
Our stories can be silly at times, and we definitely don’t shy away from a sad or epic ending! We hope to expand on these themes using folk tales from an assortment of cultures where appropriate, I always say to our bandmates – “We’re modern day bards, spinning tales to entertain and teach our listeners”.
While the path is not set in stone, the end goal is crystal clear: our new music will be Fun, Epic, Blackened Folk Metal.
Lucy
The Australian metal scene has its own pulse, its own wild edges. What has it given you, and what do you feel still needs to be carved out of it?
Captain Rustypaws
The Australian metal scene has given me so much; excitement, experiences, laughter, joy, great challenges and constant energy to push myself further, there’s a lot of talent!
The Aussie metal scene is a close-knit scene and upon stepping into it, it felt like being welcomed into the warm arms of a bigger family, we’re all in it to have a good time. Entertaining and giving our crowds the best energy and experiences.
The people have been incredibly open armed about welcoming me into the scene and I’m grateful for the support from fellow local bands and metal legends turning up to watch a great show.
I believe the Australian metal scene is still a baby in its essence and I would love to see the assortment of metal grow and shine through, for people to dare to cut their own paths in unique genres and music. Metal as a genre has so many wonderful sub genres – I’d love to see some of the more unusual pop out and shine brightly as much as the classics.
Lucy
If you could share the stage with any artists, living or lost, who would you call to your ship, and what would that set sound like with your guitar in the storm?
Captain Rustypaws
It would be an incredible dream to share the stage with bands like Eluveitie, Ensiferum, Moonsorrow, Agalloch, Wintersun… they’re all so incredibly theatrical or heavy in their writing, and as a lover of black metal, folk and the theatrics I believe that with my guitar in the mix, that we could take folk metal to beautiful, glorious highs and brutal blackened depths, a complete journey for the ears! What a ship crew that would be and what waves we could make!
Lucy
This genre has long been dominated by men. What’s been your experience as a woman joining that space with an axe in hand so far? Have you faced any challenges?
Captain Rustypaws
It’s certainly the unusual thing to be a woman in metal – especially a guitarist – at least in my area. It’s exciting, I’m carving and forging my own path with my guitar and hopefully inspiring other instrumentalist women in doing the same – we are all the same after all, regardless of gender or identity (human) and we as women in metal have as much claim to the glory of the stage as anyone else. From my experiences, people tend to underestimate you if you’re a women instrumentalist, they usually assume you’re a keys or bass player, which can be interesting and humorous to prove wrong on stage.
I’ve heard lots of “you’re actually pretty good” hahaha! I think most people assume male guitarists are the ones who can be heaviest or the most talented because it’s the only thing they’ve seen. But alas! Times are changing and I’m proud to be one of the many women out there creating that change.
The blessings of being a woman in metal in the Australian scene (from my experience) is that the women in metal all band strongly together to support one another. We hold each-other up high and mighty. It’s special to be a part of a strong camaraderie like that and I look forward to continuing my support for fellow women in metal.
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