It’s not often you fall in love with a band the minute you hear them for the first time, however Geelong’s own The Stackshots are certainly a band who break that mould.
Originally forming at school during a VET music program early last year, frontman Corey Cookson explains how the band came about. “We all just clicked really. Dylan and I decided that we wanted to start a band, since we’d both been involved in little projects that kind of stopped before they started, so we were keen to do something real and stick with it.”
It wasn’t long before they then discovered drummer Bonnie Beasant, knowing instantly that she was the right fit for the position. “Bonnie was the only person we ever dreamed of having drum for us, so I awkwardly yelled out at the top of my lungs during class that we should all jam some time. Thank god she agreed.”
With the band complete, it was time to start writing their first track for their debut album, Cause For Concern. “We started working on the song ‘Bright Red Scar’ in May, but didn’t finish it until the last day of recording the album”, reveals Cookson.
“There is something really tough about your first song, since there’s an expectation for it to be great, which freaked us out. After almost pulling the plug on it four times, we eventually put it on the record and I think it’s one of the songs I am most proud of.”
Whilst the album has proven their music capabilities, Cookson explains that an album wasn’t always the plan.
“We initially aimed to release a three-track EP, just so we could have something to hand out to venues because it’s hard to convince people to let you play when you have nothing to show them,” he says. “Although, we just kept writing new songs and before we knew it we had an albums worth of material that we were really proud of.”
So after such an intense first year of writing and recording, it’s no wonder The Stackshots chose to ease up a little over the past few weeks. “After releasing Cause For Concern, we made a pact to relax from writing over the summer so we could find as many gigs as possible, whilst just chilling out and enjoying not having any outside pressures,” Cookson says. “The only problem is that we crave the urgency of a deadline, and since playing the same two hour set over and over again can become really boring, it didn’t take long to start writing for the new album.”
However fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet for the next release, for it may still be a while away.
“We really want to take our time with this one, so we can get the best out of ourselves and hopefully write our best songs to date,” reveals Cookson. “There is no official release date on the cards just yet, especially because we are still in Cause For Concern mode, but rest assured we are back to writing and can’t wait to debut some new songs live over the coming weeks.”
So after a stellar debut year, with the release of an album along with being a part of Geelong’s flourishing music scene, Cookson is simply excited for what 2014 can bring. “All we could ask for is that people to listen to our music and enjoy the album, since there’s nothing we love more than hearing a complete stranger say they really like our sound. It’s far more gratifying when it’s not coming from mum and dad.” Yes, yes it is.
Release: Cause For Concern available now
Written by Brendan Dando