Get to know Katanak Uniquely homegrown Aussie vocals, straddling indie/modern rock. With the confident energy of The 1975, darkness of Coin and influences from The Wombats shining through, you will be guaranteed a good time. Katanak is Dylan Cattanach, an indieXalt rock/pop artist from Brisbane, Australia. How’d I pick Katanak as my stage name? Pretty simple. No one could ever say or spell my last name so I tried to make it easier for them. Plus, it looks pretty cool!
I’ve been kicking around the Brisbane music scene in one form or another for 8 years now. I’ve been a drummer in a grunge band, the guitarist/vocalist in a rock band, performed as a solo artist and I’ve worked out that this setup works best for me. I’m now performing as a solo musician writing all the music for Katanak, playing with a backing band. I’ve been fortunate to get the best drummer and bassist in Brisbane for the band and the guys have both become good friends now. I just really like playing with them and they are always willing to put their own spin on what I’ve created. I met Niall Gilday (drums) and Josh Mellor (bassist) through some friends and they’ve become integral to Katanak.
When I first started out in music I thought I’d be more behind the scenes and didn’t think I could write a song at all. I eventually studied music production but I fell into songwriting when the headmaster at high school asked all the students to write a song for a fundraiser. Let me preface this by saying that the school I went to (Music Industry College) was turning out students such as Thelma Plumm, Sahara Beck, Asha Jefferies and Sean from Concrete Surfers. I felt a bit of pressure to come through with something. At the time I thought it was top shelf but it’s only now when I look back I see how far I’ve come as a songwriter and with my songs production. 2022 is a big year for Katanak. We headed out on our first regional tour of Queensland, Australia in April and that’s been a massive learning curve, but it’s also been the best thing for us. Brisbane is quite small so you have to limit playing opportunities so as not to dilute the fanbase. With this tour we’ve played every Friday and Saturday night to people we don’t know and that has been a tremendous experience getting people away from the edges of the room and standing right in front of you.
I’ve learnt so much from the tour and had some amazing experiences (meeting and playing with many bands), some things that didn’t go right (finding out a venue had ZERO music equipment at the last minute and a venue owner going to jail so we had to scramble to find another venue – yep! that really happened) but I wouldn’t change a thing! Okay, maybe not so good finding out about no equipment and no venue but I’ve learnt to think on my feet. We have two shows left of this tour and we’re coming out swinging! Next on the agenda I want to organize a tour down the east coast of Australia and my goal is to work towards touring overseas. It’s the long game for me. In the meantime, if we are playing near you, get along to a gig. Take a listen to my music then drop me a line and let me know where you are listening in from. I like to chat to the people who have taken the time to listen to my music. Photo credit (purple and red background studio shots) Gabi Rankine Live photos taken from the final gig at Tomcat in Brisbane for the final gig of the Weigh Down Regional Tour.
Tips for the fellow artists:
1. Music is a long game, so network with as many people as you can.
2. Never compare yourself to other bands you see doing stuff as that’s very destructive. Just follow your own path.
3. Remember to enjoy what you do. My dad always says ‘if you enjoy what you do you never work a day in your life!’.
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