Matt Mondanile

Matthew A. Mondanile (born February 8, 1985) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American indie rock band Real Estate, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and for his solo music project Ducktails.

Matt Mondanile
Mondanile performing with Real Estate, 2014
Background information
Born (1985-02-08) February 8, 1985
New Jersey, United States
GenresIndie rock
InstrumentsGuitar, vocals, keyboards
Years active2006–present
LabelsDomino
Associated actsReal Estate, Ducktails

In October 2017 Mondanile was publicly accused of sexual assault by several women. It was revealed that he had been fired from Real Estate in 2016 as a result of his behavior towards women, rather than resigning to focus on his personal projects as the band had previously stated.

Early life

Mondanile was born as Matthew Anthony Mondanile. He attended Ridgewood High School with two of his future Real Estate bandmates, Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker. Mondanile auditioned the former to join his high school band as a bass player but opted for an older schoolmate with a car,[1] while the latter learned how to play Pixies songs from Mondanile, along with taking guitar lessons together.[2]

After graduating from high school, Mondanile attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts where he studied literature, history and art.[3]

Career

Ducktails

While studying in Massachusetts, Mondanile became involved in the local music scene, where he would book shows for his campus[4] and join a number of bands, including Predator Vision with future Real Estate drummer Etienne Pierre Duguay.[2]

After a stint in Berlin to work on his thesis[3] where he became acquainted with musicians such as James Ferraro, Spencer Clark and Steven Warwick, Mondanile became influenced by their method of quickly recording music on cassette and releasing it. Upon returning to the U.S., Mondanile recorded what was to become the first Ducktails release in one day, and released it the next[5] by giving copies of the tape to friends.[4] Upon graduation, Mondanile moved back into his parents' house and continued writing and recording Ducktails material there.[5]

Real Estate

Mondanile kept in touch with high school friends Martin Courtney and Alex Bleeker while each of them had moved away from Ridgewood for college, and would send each other music that they had been working on individually.[6] During a summer break, they formed Lese Majesty with Mondanile's Massachusetts acquaintance Etienne Pierre Duguay for the purpose of being the touring band for Julian Lynch, another high schoolmate of Mondanile, Courtney and Bleeker's.[2] When Mondanile and Courtney moved back to Ridgewood in summer 2008, they starting writing and recording songs which formed the basis of what would become Real Estate.[1] After recording several songs, they were eventually joined by Bleeker and Duguay.[7] Real Estate released their self-titled debut album in 2009 to critical acclaim, with Mondanile in particular gaining praise for his distinctive guitar work.[8] Two subsequent albums, Days (2011) and Atlas (2014), brought the band further recognition.

On May 25, 2016, Real Estate announced that Mondanile had left the band, and "will continue to focus his creative energy on Ducktails."[9]

Controversy

In October 2017, Real Estate elaborated on Mondanile's departure from the band by stating that they had fired him due to "allegations of unacceptable treatment of women" and that they were "no longer in contact" with Mondanile.[10]

On October 16, 2017, SPIN released an article describing the allegations against Mondanile, sharing details of incidents reported by seven women. Mondanile was accused of shoving at least two women into confined spaces while forcibly kissing and groping them, and of molesting at least four women in whose apartments he stayed while on tour. Many of these women were fans of Mondanile whose experiences occurred after they attended a Real Estate or Ducktails performance, and many were 5-10 years his junior. A classmate at Hampshire College also alleged that Mondanile molested her in her sleep in a dorm room in 2005. [11] Julia Holter, Mondanile's former girlfriend who also contributed to the Ducktails album St. Catherine, stated in the wake of the allegations that Mondanile was "emotionally abusive to the point where I had to have a lawyer intervene and was afraid for my life."[12]

On October 20, Mondanile issued an apology through his attorneys, admitting that he "took advantage of [his] position as a musician" and referring to himself as an "insensitive creep."[13] In January 2018, Mondanile released another statement in which he claimed he had been in therapy for two years prior to the public accusations and lamented the effects of the allegations on his personal and professional life. He stated "I never considered myself a misognyist [sic] or sexual predator."[14]

As a result of the allegations, Ducktails tour dates in Asia and the U.S. were cancelled by the promoters[15] and Ducktails was dropped from Domino Recording Company.[10]

Discography
See also: Ducktails (music) § Discography

with Real Estate

References
  1. McGovern, Kyle (2014-02-27). "The Boys Next Door: Real Estate's Subtle Charms". Spin. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  2. Greenhaus, Mike (2012-04-05). "Real Estate's Wonder Years". Jambands.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  3. Tetzner, Anne (2015-07-15). "Bad Dates and the Berlin Wall: Small Talk with Matt Mondanile of Ducktails - NBHAP". nbhap.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  4. Obert, Alex (2014-12-13). "On the line with Matt Mondanile of Real Estate and Ducktails". Journey of a Frontman. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  5. Steeply, M. Hugh (2009-02-03). "Ducktails "I like the idea of everything being as raw-sounding as possible, with nothing covering up the sound."". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  6. Fitzmaurice, Larry (2014-02-27). "Real Estate: Suburban Dreams". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  7. Stosuy, Brandon (2009-01-23). "Band To Watch: Real Estate". Stereogum. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  8. Bevan, David (2009-11-17). "Real Estate Real Estate". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  9. "A Message From The Band". realestatetheband.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30.
  10. "Real Estate Fired Guitarist Matt Mondanile in 2016 Because He Allegedly Mistreated Women | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-10-14.
  11. "Allegations of Sexual Misconduct by Ex-Real Estate Guitarist Matt Mondanile Detailed by Seven Women". Spin. 2017-10-16. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  12. Connick, Tom (2017-10-25). "Julia Holter details emotional abuse from ex-Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile". NME. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  13. "Matt Mondanile Responds to Allegations of Sexual Misconduct". Spin. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  14. "Matt Mondanile Issues Statement on Sexual Misconduct Allegations". Spin. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  15. "Ducktails shows cancelled amid sexual assault allegations". The Guardian. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
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