Matt Menovcik - Electronics, guitar, piano, voice, accordion, bass, etc.
Influences
Juana Molina, Diamanda Galas, Sigur Ros, Red House Painters, Ray Lamontagne, Shannon Wright, Talk Talk, Black Eyed Dog, Transmissionary Six, Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter, Suede, Bernard Butler, The The, Radiohead, P.J. Harvey, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Kranky Records, Windy and Carl, Cocteau Twins, Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, Townes Van Zandt, Ryan Adams, Prince, The Smiths, Big Star, Vincent Gallo, Spiritualized, Dead Science, 4AD Records, His Name Is Alive, Dirty Three, Nick Cave, Kramer, Brian Eno, Rachel's, Bright Eyes, Azure Ray, Mum, Spoon, Cat Power, The Blue Nile, Steve Albini, Arvo Part, Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Aphex Twin, Mouse on Mars, Thelonious Monk, Jeff Buckley, The Smiths, many more
ABOUT MATT MENOVCIK
Matt Menovcik is the songwriter, guitarist and singer for Seattle based band SAETA as well as the former bass player for pop-punk band Ms. Led. Both bands’ last albums, “We Are Waiting All For Hope” and “Shake Yourself Awake” respectively, garnered glowing reviews and earned both bands much success. Saeta’s “We Are Waiting All For Hope” was released in Europe on Ghost Records and earned Menovcik a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Italia for the original songs on that album. Menovcik is also half of the collaboration known as ROPE, INC. with renowned producer, Kramer. Their first ep, “Is That All?”, was released in September of 2006 on Fish The Cat Records, which is run by Menovcik and Lesli Wood, and the full-length album, Songs of Love And War, came out in March 2007 on Second Shimmy Records. With this collaboration, Menovcik is again in the songwriter role, but this time the project is more electronic oriented.
In the summer of 2006, Menovcik scored his first full length film called I Awake. The movie was premiered at Seattle’s EMP museum in November of 2006. His music has also been used in the independent shorts Cruelty Free, Fear of Candy IV and A Night In The Sunlight. Additionally, his song, You Fade, has been used in Silvio Soldini's Italian feature length film, Giorni e Nuvole (Days and Clouds).
Menovcik is a self-taught musician/composer from Detroit, Michigan, who now resides in Seattle, Washington. He plays piano, guitar, accordion, percussion, and bass. He also has some experience with cello, trumpet, clarinet, trombone and flute. He has been composing music for over twenty years.
CURRENT PROJECT
SAETA’s new album, Else Another Light Might Go Out, was just released on January 20th, 2009 on Tarnished Records.
Work has ben completed on the short film that Menovcik scored, The Follower. It is soon to be hitting the festival circuit. We couldn't be happier with this one. It is really a beautiful, dark short. Please keep your eyes out for this one.
Additonally, the same director used some of Menovcik's music in two other great shorts.
Menovcik is currently working on new songs with producer S.E. Sharma. There are also rumors of another ROPE, INC. album with Kramer sometime this year.
BANDS (PAST, PRESENT, ETC.)
Baby Jayne - electronics, guitar, programming
My Dark Star - guitar, keyboards
Life of Crime - keyboards, guitar
Saeta - vocals, guitar, accordion, etc.
lesli wood - drums, bass
Ms. Led - bass
Roxy & Clark - accordion
ROPE, INC. - vocals, electronics, programming, keyboards
Transmissionary Six - bass (for 1 show)
..
PRESS:
Seattle Times
May 18, 2007
Rope, Inc. He's not nearly as famous as Gibbard, but Matt Menovcik just might be as talented, though in a strange, nonmainstream way. While Saeta remains Menovcik's spooky main band, he has launched something called Rope, Inc. It has electronic and spacey edges, a shimmering setting for his deep, pained voice. The other half of Rope, Inc. is the brilliant producer Kramer, who collaborated with the singer to put out an EP released last fall and now an album called "Songs of Love & War." Kramer was a member of bands such as Butthole Surfers and Half Japanese, and produced notable works from Galaxie 500, Low and Daniel Johnston. (As well as the Urge Overkill/Pulp Fiction version of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon.") "I recorded my parts for the album [voice, keyboards, programming] at my apartment, which I call Fish The Cat Studios," Menovcik explained, via e-mail. "I then sent the files I created to Kramer in Florida, and he added his parts at his studio, Noise Miami, and mixed and mastered it there. "Kramer really produced and arranged a lot of the songs on this album. He also added a lot of the instrumentation and had his wife, who I've never met, lend her vocal talents to several of the tracks." Menovcik met Kramer when he was sending around Saeta's second album. Kramer also produced a new Saeta album, "which will be coming out in Italy in early 2008 and we will be touring over there to support that. I haven't yet figured out what I want to do with the album domestically yet." Kramer won't be there, but Menovcik performs Rope, Inc. songs at Café Venus at 9 p.m. Sunday ($6).
Tom Scanlon
Seattle Sound - May 2007
Between singing lead vocals for Seattle trio Saeta nd playing bass for pop-punk outfit, Ms. Led, Matt Menovcik forms half of the shadowy, looping ROPE, INC.. On the duo's second album, Menovcik lays down electric piano and the gravelly vocals that haunt the album here in Seattle, while renowned producer Kramer (Low, Gwar, Pulp Fiction's "Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon"" rcorded his own guitar work and arrangements in Florida. The result: a wandering dream-sequence of a record evocative of Beck, circa Sea Change. While most of the songs lean towards the sublime and ghostly, Songs of Love & War is saved from being dull or gloomy by its glittering piano work (notably in "Become"), the occasional catchy beat ("Hold") and above all, Menovcik's abrasive and spectral vocals throughout.
-Erin Thompson
AIDING AND ABETTING ISSUE 284 Rope, Inc. Songs of Love and War (Second Shimmy) http://www.aidabet.com/issues/284/284reviews.html There really is a Kramer sound. It's not so much a particular way of twisting the knobs as it is marrying a feel to the songs involved. Kramer has always managed to mutate his style to fit his subjects, and the results become even more interesting when he joins up with the outfit in question. And so Matt Menovcik writes the songs, plays the keyboards and sings, while Kramer produces, plays guitar and whatever else is necessary. Though often enough these songs do pretty well with just voice, keyboard implement, beats and guitar. The sound is vaguely dreary, I suppose, but nonetheless possessing a sort of untouchable beauty. There's a real ache to the sound on this album. It really brings out the quiet desperation of Menovcik's songs. The more I hear from Rope, Inc., the more I like what I hear. There's just not enough room here for me to give all the reasons why. Contact: Second Shimmy www: www.secondshimmy.com
BABY SUE MAGAZINE - April 2007 http://www.lmnop.com/2007-April-LMNOP-Reviews.htmlanchor66199 Rope, Inc. - Songs of Love & War (CD, Second-Shimmy, Pop) Rope, Inc. is Matt Menovcik (who was previously in the band Saeta) and notorious producer Kramer. Songs of Love & War is a collection of subtle dub-influenced electronic pop. These thoughtful, personal, moody songs are delivered with appropriate restraint...incorporating some very simple yet beautiful keyboards. Manovcik has a slightly raspy almost hushed voice that works very well with this sort of music. Kramer's acute attention to details gives the music the heart and soul it deserves. This is probably a bit too subdued and provocative to become the most popular download of the month...but positive word-of-mouth about this project is bound to spread which will give it the exposure it so obviously deserves... (Rating: 4+++++)
AIDING AND ABETTING ISSUE 278
Rope, Inc. Is That All? EP (Fish the Cat) Matt Mencovik and Kramer (yes, that Kramer) noodle around five songs penned by Mencovik. Those expecting truly strange fare will be disappointed. These are often pretty, sometimes delicate songs that are almost perfectly presented. There must have been a lot of cutting and pasting, but the sound is wonderfully organic. The album title is fitting; I think most folks would like to hear a whole lot more.
ALL MUSIC GUIDE ROPE, INC - SONGS OF LOVE AND WAR Review by Alex Henderson Songs of Love and War has been described as a combination of Beck and '70s-era Brian Eno, and that is not an inaccurate description of the ambient-minded alternative pop/rock/art rock that Rope, Inc. provides on this 2007 release. But there are other influences as well on Songs of Love and War, which is the duo's first full-length album - influences that include Kraftwerk, David Bowie (especially the Bowie/Eno collaborations that gave us Low, Heroes and Lodger in the late '70s), Roxy Music, Pink Floyd and '80s new wave groups like Joy Division, Spandau Ballet and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. But none of those influences are people that Rope, Inc. (an American group with a very European sound) go out of their way to emulate; this duo has an attractive personality of its own, and that personality is very unassuming. Songs of Love and War is electronica-oriented pop/rock and art rock that never rocks; rather, it floats and does so in a way that is spacey, atmospheric and sometimes ethereal. At times, Rope, Inc.'s melodies are sweetly good-natured ("Become," "Believe," "Promise"), and other times, their melodies can be darkly haunting ("Unknown," "Begin," "Strange," "Wrong"). But either way, vocalist/songwriter/musician Matt Menovcik and producer/musician Kramer (who comprise Rope, Inc.) never beat listeners over the head to get their emotional points across. Again, the word "unassuming" is applicable throughout Songs of Love and War, which is slightly uneven but has more ups than downs and is worth obtaining.
POPMATTERS MAGAZINE
MAY 7, 2007
Rope, Inc., Songs of Love & War (Second Shimmy)
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/shorttakes/
The tandem of Matt Menovcik and Kramer has created this rather abstract, ambient, and interesting collection of songs. Not quite electronica, but with enough textures to make songs such as "Believe" come to life rather quickly. Think of Moby circa "Porcelain", or perhaps a more obscure band like No-Man, and you'll get the idea. In fact, the music is so seamless one doesn't even notice that "Promise" has begun, another charming, reflective tune. That doesn't mean everything turns to gold here, with "Strange" being a strange affair resembling a b-side from Nine Inch Nails. However, Rope, Inc. comes back to life with the Depeche Mode-ish "Hold". Another strong effort is the hushed duet during "Escape", bringing to mind Dido fronting Portishead. The often raspy delivery might be an acquired taste for some, but "Circumstance" and the carnival-tinged "Stay" are well worth it. Even the eerie, haunting "Unknown", with its Gregorian-like hues that evoke memories of Enigma, is a keeper. 7 OUT OF 10 STARS
WEB LINKS
www.myspace.com/mattmenovcik
http://www.saetamusic.com
www.myspace.com/ropeinc
www.msled.com
Thanks my I really wanted to incorporate that music into the film so it just naturally fit the mood and look of it all to well like the Follower. I will keep in touch and hopefully will get to hangout and chill with you and some of my peeps the next time in town. until the keep the faith.
Hey man thought I should let you know the music you composed for the Follower still is amazing people everytime they see it and me as well. Thank you so much and would like to also thank you for the second set of songs you composed for once in a lifetime which actually ended up going into another film I edited on my myspace called Alone in A Crowd, its for everyone to see along with a trailer of the follower. check them out hope you like them and everything else is going well for you. Hope all is well . Faith vs Fate
thanks for coming to the show i played last night and for your feedback hope you were'nt just being nice think i would like to do that again in the future
Last night was fun! Your songs really are beautiful. I love all of the layers. Thank you *so* much for having me play, and letting me use your amp, and for all of your help!
Matt, hope all is well ? I'm going back home to see the Lions on Thanksgiving Day !!! My Mom has 3rd row (season tickets) on the Goal line to the right of the Goal post, oppostie to where the Lions come out at. I will have a Orange BSU Hat Beenie, so I'll stand out with all the Blue. I'll be wearing my Kevin Jones jersey as well. Lions are doing great this year. Take care, Michael
Hey Matt! I REALLY enjoyed your show the other night at the chai place! So glad we made it on time! you have very neat toys to play with on stage too. :) cheers!
riddle me this: why is it cats must always curl up on your clean laundry before you get the chance to put it up? And then look so darn cute and comfy that you almost feel guilty for moving them?
