When a Hollywood producer reached out to Western Australian band Ratsalad, asking to feature their song in a blockbuster movie, the trio from the Midwest town of Geraldton thought they were being scammed.
The team behind American comedy film Jackass: Best and Last reached out to the punk rock band to use their song Southerly in the end credits.
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The song features tongue-in-cheek lyrics about the wind in Geraldton, some 400 kilometres north of Perth, which has been known to make trees grow sideways.
Too good to be true
“The idea of a song about Geraldton and the wind getting placed in a big Hollywood picture is just too unbelievable,” guitarist Ken McCartney said.
“We didn’t think it was going to be true.”
Geraldton is known for its strong wind and leaning trees. (ABC Open contributor Lisa Davis)
Vocalist and bassist Jaz McCartney said after some back and forth, and a message from the official Jackass Instagram account, the band realised it was a real opportunity.
The movie producers even offered to pay the band an extra $US5,000 ($7,200), Ms McCartney said, because they loved the song so much.
Jaz McCartney sings and plays bass in Ratsalad. (Supplied: Ratsalad)
“We’re a tiny little band from the middle of nowhere, and you’re offering us all this money,” she said.
“It’s beyond our wildest dreams of what we ever thought or set out for this band to do.“
Upward trajectory
Featuring in the Jackass movie is the latest in a series of wins for the band, who last year were recognised as the Regional Act of the Year at the WA Music Awards and this year received the Nannup Music Festival directors’ award.
The trio have also recently returned from their “biggest” tour, playing in eight countries across Europe.
“To go overseas and play new music in front of a completely foreign crowd and for them to be singing words back to you was super surreal,” Mr McCartney said.
Ratsalad vocalist and guitarist Jaz McCartney (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
“The whole Australian thing is a bit of a novelty over there and so they just eat it up,” Ms McCartney added.
Local love
Even as their popularity grows overseas, Ms McCartney said the band loved nothing more than playing to a home crowd in Geraldton.
“There’s no one more supportive than our town.”
Mr McCartney said local gigs were more nerve-wracking than international shows.
“It’s probably still more daunting playing to 50 people in Geraldton than it is to playing to 3,000 people in Germany,” he said.
Ratsalad performs high-energy punk music. (Supplied: Ratsalad)
“The guys in Gero, you know, it’s your old footy coach or school teacher or colleagues.
“They can bring you down to earth pretty quick without trying.”
Humble beginnings
Ratsalad started in 2018, when Mr and Ms McCartney, and their friend Erica Trotter, decided to play music together at home to pass time.
“It sort of just grew very slowly from there,” Ms McCartney said.
“I never expected it to leave our kitchen.“
Now that they have achieved global success, Mr McCartney said the band was looking forward to the future.
“A year ago we wouldn’t have said we were going to do another European tour and end up in a movie,” Mr McCartney said.
“I don’t know what the next year holds, but with any luck, hopefully we can see a bit more of the world.”
Jaz and Ken McCartney are excited for the future of Ratsalad. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
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