Hi, everyone! This has been a long-awaited interview that I'm very excited to share with everyone. Over the last six weeks, I have been exchanging interview questions with Matt Mondanile, former lead guitarist of the acclaimed indie band, Real Estate. Mondanile, along with founding members Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker, released three full-length LPs together until he was removed from Real Estate in 2016 for certain allegations (more on that later). He recently made the move to Athens, Greece, where he continues to make solo music as Ducktails today. I've been a huge fan of his contributions to Real Estate, as well as many Ducktails songs over the years. Despite being in a different part of the world, I'm very fortunate. he took the time to answer these questions. Read Matt breaking down his storied career in an exclusive interview for bazzreviews.
*TRIGGER WARNING: this interview contains references to sexual misconduct*
bazzreviews: Which albums or artists inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
Matt Mondanile: Weezer’s Blue Album.
I know you were an original member of the band Real Estate, how did you meet the original members of the band?
M.M.: I went to high school with Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Martin and I actually grew up in the same neighborhood. I had a friend that took double bass lessons from the same teacher as Martin, and he suggested that he and I meet. I had a band at that time, and Martin came over to play bass. The rest was history.
What is the significance behind the band’s name?
M.M.: We wanted to have a name that sounded like Steely Dan. It was Real Estate's original drummer, Etienne Duguay that just said "Real Estate" on a summer afternoon in a pool. I don't think any of us thought about it too much, we just laughed and agreed. Martin's parents and my dad both worked in real estate at the time, so it sort of came about that way, too.
br: What’s the significance behind your own stage name, Ducktails?
M.M.: I made a cassette of my music the summer before I finished college. I wrote Ducktails on it and that was it. It's obviously a reference to the Disney cartoon I grew up with, but also a reference to those times specifically - nostalgic, early 90s vibes. It was 2007 at the time, and the 90's were just starting to become retro.
br: What ultimately led you to switch from being solo to having a band, then back to solo?
M.M.: I used to tour solo only when I started making Ducktails. It started with just me in a toolshed trying to recreate the sound of a live band by myself. Eventually, I got tired of playing loops live and I wanted to play songs with a group. At first, it was just Martin (Courtney) from Real Estate that played with me live, but then I got a full band. After years of touring, you realize that becomes pretty expensive. I was also very generous and didn't do the math of how much we made, so I actually paid everyone in my band absurdly well. I liked the idea of traveling light and playing with backing tracks, so I've been doing that.
br: When Ducktails was a band, how did you meet the other members that formed the group?
M.M.: I grew up in the same town as them. One of the members, Sam Franklin, would have concerts at his parents' house in high school. When Sam was in college, I played a show at the house he was living at out in Boston, and he showed me his record collection. He had some of my records and a lot of other cool stuff. We became close friends after that, and it just so happened that some friends of his were in this band Big Troubles at that time. He played me the demos, and I was hooked. I asked if they could be my backing band, and Big Troubles would open the shows on tour.
What was it like getting to tour and play big festivals with Real Estate? Do you have any specific tour memories you enjoyed? M.M.: I have lots of good memories of playing festivals. Playing in front of big crowds and hanging out with lots of bands was something I'll never forget. We usually would play during the day at festival slots cause our music was mellow. I actually remember playing in Singapore at the Laneway Festival. Tame Impala headlined, and it was a very impressive show.
br: How have you been staying active musically during quarantine?
M.M.: I made a lot of music when I was living in New Jersey, and then I started up a Patreon with a weekly radio show. I've been listening to a lot more music because of that, which is nice. I now live in Athens, Greece and I'm really liking it here. I'm finally learning the Greek language and taking classical piano lessons a few times a week. I finished about an album's worth of songs, but I want to write more and more. I'd love for the next album to surpass Watercolors. Since I've wanted to progress my songwriting, I need a lot of time to write. I like to build up recordings and have like 30-40 and then choose the best ones for an album and then use the rest for a compilation of more raw demo material.
br: What are some of the biggest differences you’ve noticed in the music scenes in Europe compared to the United States?
M.M.: I think if you're from the states, you're given a bigger opportunity to make it as a musician, so be like the Europeans: take it slow and be more humble about your accomplishments. The people I’ve met here are incredible musicians with a great ear. They usually stay in their home country, never do big tours or see the world as frequently as American musicians can. It's really sad because I haven't been able to play live these past three years. Yes, I can still play shows, but it's much, much harder than it used to be. I tried living in the US last year and it wasn't that easy. Not only from a musical perspective but a personal perspective, too. For those of you who don't know, Real Estate threw me under the bus and essentially destroyed my career by telling the press I was a sexual predator. I didn't do anything illegal or nonconsensual and I firmly stand by this. I've never been charged with anything or arrested, and when girls said no I stopped. Most of my close friends are women, too. I think it's extremely cowardly and disturbing what they announced, and how they did it without informing me of anything whatsoever. Martin, Julian (Lynch), nor Alex have ever reached out to talk to me about this since, and didn't express this to me when I was in the band. Only one of the members did, and it was really more of a scolding than an intelligent discussion. I've kept a memoir since the day I was kicked out of the band. Of course, I'm not a perfect person, but who is? People change and grow all the time. This so-called "cancel culture" prevents people from treating each other in a humane way. It's pointing fingers at an individual in perpetuity instead of working in a therapeutic way to find a solution for society at large. That's the reason why I came back to Greece. It's beautiful and I can focus here. Another thing that's great about Europe is their societies are way more of an understanding place about this type of thing. I can be quite open and honest, and I'm not ashamed or looked at like a freak as I would be in America.
br: Can you describe your process for making songs?
M.M.: I usually play some chords and then write a melody on a keyboard or guitar. I just keep writing any other necessary parts after that and then combine them all together. Then I sing. The best is when I am singing, writing the chords and melody all at the same time.
What was the writing process like on earlier Real Estate records?
Martin would just write the lyrics and chords of a song and then show it to Bleeker and me. I would write my own guitar parts most of the time. Early on, Martin and I recorded together on 4 tracks, writing as we were recording more or less. That's how we made songs like "Suburban Dogs" from our self-titled.
br: What’s more important to you- lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
M.M.: All three are equal. In the past, it would've been production value, but now it's all three. It's important to be balanced in life.
br: In the past, you’ve gotten to collaborate with some of the biggest names in independent music- including Oneohtrix Point Never and Panda Bear- what have those experiences been like?
M.M.: It was really incredible. Both are immensely talented musicians. At the time, Dan (Lopatin) [Oneohtrix Point Never) was just playing goofy mono synth solos in the studio in Greenpoint with me. I met Noah Lennox [Panda Bear] in Lisbon, and he was super kind. I sent him the song I was working on and he recorded his vocals through email!
br: What have been some of your favorite songs to have made over the years? Are there any fun stories behind them?
M.M.: “Flower Lane” was cool because the chorus of the song came from the producer looping a part by accident. That part then switched and became the chorus and outro. That was studio magic.
br: If there was one song you could rewrite or delete entirely from your discography, what would it be and why?
M.M.: None. I have no regrets about any songs I’ve made.
br: I know you released your last album, Watercolors, last summer, but do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about?
M.M.: I will release a few songs this year and an album next year.
br: What music goals do you have for the future?
M.M.: Above all, my goal is to keep making art and music forever as my first priority in life.
Once again, I'd like to thank Matt for sharing his story and giving his time to do an interview. Please understand that I may not agree with some of the statements Matt expressed in this interview, and it was his music that I wanted to come out on display. I'm sure many of you are familiar with that in one way or another, but I'd still recommend checking out both Real Estate and Ducktails if you haven't already. In the meantime, I am wishing you guys well post-election. Thanks for checking this out, and I hope you check out more bazzreviews content down the road.
To check out Matt's music, go to https://ducktails.bandcamp.com
