People are always talking about the great music scenes in Melbourne and Perth but perhaps they have both been trumped by one of the best (and certainly most interesting) music acts to surface this year… and they come from Tasmania. The Native Cats have just released their debut album ‘Always On’… an album I loved.

I let Native Cat member Peter Escott describe who they are. ‘My job is to do the singing and worry about whether I’m
doing okay at it. Julian Teakle plays the bass and reassures me in his
own strange way that I’m doing a good job at being the singer. There’s
also some drum machines and electronic bits which we both think up.’

So how long have you been together and where did such an interesting name come from? ‘Our first show was in January ’08 but we recorded quite a bit in the
preceding months. Julian was looking to get a new project going when
the Bad Luck Charms finished and I was all too happy to be roped in.
He came up with the name, he says it was the name of a Filipino deathcult but I suspect he just got it off Doctor Who.’

You’ve just put together a new album, what can you tell us about it? ‘It’s called Always On and the front cover is a photo of the HCC
building on the corner of Davey and Elizabeth Street, lit up at night.
Neither of these are things you can hear. Sorry! It’s just some dark
and groovy pop music really.’ And what was it like to put together? ‘We did it in occasional short bursts over quite a long period of time.
Whenever we had the time and energy, really. We each did a lot of the
work on our own, either we’d write and record some music in the space
of an hour or Julian would do it all at home and then pass it along to
me, then I’d listen to it over and over and write the words. Once we
had enough to work with, we booked some time with Anthony Rochester at
the Winter Palace, where we recorded a few extra touches and I did all
my vocals. After it was mastered we still didn’t get around to putting
it out for about eight months.’

If you want to check out where The Native Cats are playing next so you can grab a copy of this great album, make sure you check out www.myspace.com/thenativecats.

Dave Griffiths

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You know when a Bandwatch artist can say that they have performed shows all around Melbourne, Victoria, Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Fremantle and a dozen in the U.K. that they are well and truly on their way to success, and that is definitely the case for Lost Note Foundation (aka Joe Ransom), a solo artist  from Melbourne who describes his music as ‘melodic rock with a glass of melancholy.’

Lost Note Foundation has just released his second full-length album (titled ‘It’s A Bit Far Away’) which he describes as ‘really fun, difficult to orchestrate and expensive’ to put together. So what can people expect to hear on it? ‘Pop hooks, experimentation, classical guitar elements, recordings from Flinders Beach, unique art. I can’t say it is my perfect record, there are flaws and elements which could have been better… there always are… when you look back.
Yet, I do feel confident to promote it as my ‘work of art’
Lyrically it is pretty spot on… Not an overly polished product destined for radio waves…But – a rusty, character filled rendition of my music, destined for unique CD collections or someone’s dusty bookshelf…’

When I spoke to him Lost Note Foundation was about to achieve his career highlight to date. ‘Probably my upcoming solo gig at The Windmill in London supporting a U.K songwriter named Wob I have great respect for.’

So what will an audience go away from a Lost Note Foundation gig remembering? ‘An honest and heartfelt performance.. and hopefully they have some lyrical hooks swimming around in their brains.’ And of course if they left that concert wondering where the Lost Note Foundation name came from he can answer that as well. ‘I started the project in late 2005. There is a possible reference to ‘Ransom’ my surname, as in Ransom Note… and also a kind of vague idea of searching for ‘lost’ musical notes which fall outside the usual interval scales.’

Luckily the hardships faced with putting this album together has scared this fine musician from heading back to the studio because when I ask him what his goals for 2009 are he responds by saying, ‘I’d love to make another album next year, in fact I’ve already written it, and it’s all better too. But, funding the record the album is an obstacle I have to find a way to leap.’

Let’s hope he can as well because his music really is a joy to listen to. And if you’d like to listen to Lost Note Foundation’s ‘It’s A Bit Far Away’ you can purchase it from www.lostnotefoundation.com.

Dave Griffiths

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While the major film festivals, like Tropfest, have sold out and become huge commercial juggernauts it is nice to find at least one festival that isn’t driven by the all-mighty dollar. Now in its sixth year ‘Electric Shorts’ is a Melbourne Film Festival organized by film director, Jim Stamatakos to showcase some of the filmmakers that are usually swept under the carpet and forgotten about… the independent filmmaker.

Stamatakos has certainly made a name for himself. His films have screened right around the world and even brought home an award or two as well. Leading up to this years ‘Electric Shorts’ he has kept himself very busy indeed. Aside from launching his latest piece a work, a documentary titled ‘Once For No, Twice For Yes’ for the work he does with Challenge Multimedia, he has also been working hard on creating a new television series called ‘Curious?’ that is likely to grace our screens over the next few years.

What inspired Stamatakos to first create his own film festival was when he learnt that the Melbourne Fringe Festival really had very little (and sometimes no) film events for filmmakers. Stamatakos teamed up with another filmmaker, Leonie Someville-Smith and the first ‘Electric Shorts’ was born. “We want to inspire upcoming film-makers to do what they’re passionate about. And get their work out there. If you wait around for money from funding bodies or private backers before you start a film, you might be waiting a long time, and your work, your vision might never be seen by anyone.” This is a lesson that Stamatakos knows well as all his films have been independently funded. It is also worth noting that Warwick Thornton put the same theory to the test with ‘Samson An Delilah’… and look how well that turned out.

Over the years many of the filmmakers who have had films screened at ‘Electric Shorts’ have gone on to find succsess. Two worthy of mention are Bill Mousoulis who has become the Indie Filmmakers Champion. Mousoulis self-funds the feature films he makes today, and they are screened right around the world. And of course most film-lovers would know the name Megan Spencer. She spent a number of years as Triple J’s film correspondent as well as directing a documentary on Australia’s number 1 wrestling fan.

This years ‘Electric Shorts’ will be held at Loop Bar on October 7^th, but as of right now Stamatakos is calling for anyone indie filmmakers out there to submit their films. ‘We are open to anything… we don’t care about genre or even the subject matter. We don’t even care when you filmed the film. You could have done it a week ago, a year ago, five years or even ten years ago, the only rules are that the films must be under half-an-hour and be completely self-funded by the filmmaker.’

Filmmakers should also be aware of the fact that ‘Electric Shorts’ is not a ‘film-competition’. ‘Our aim for ‘Electric Shorts’ is to get twelve independently funded films shown to the public… to just get them out there.’

If you have a film you would like screened at Electric Shorts please go to www.orasy.com/electricshorts or email Jim Stamatakos at electricshorts2003@hotmail.com.  This is an opportunity that no filmmaker should miss out on.

Dave Griffiths

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