Put on a Show: Moondoggy
WRITTEN BY JACKSON MACKASEY
A band's success shouldn’t be based on whether or not you can listen to them on a road trip, but hearing Moondoggy makes me want to drive down a country road with the windows down, and that is more than enough for me to say they are one of my favourite groups in Toronto today.
This four-man ensemble features brothers Jakob and Ben Matanowitsch, Jonathan Contini, and Victor Carrillo. Moondoggy was originally based in Collingwood, which is best known for sitting at the base of the Blue Mountains, and their connection feels almost too perfect. Their records carry the same free-breathing, restless energy as a mountain itself. You get hit with a sense of momentum, freedom and a warm dose of nostalgia all at once while listening.
After forming in 2019, the band decided to relocate to Toronto just a year later, knowing the opportunities that come with urbanizing yourself. They’ve played venues as small as the back room at “The Cameron House”, over to “Horseshoe Tavern” and down Bloor at “Lee’s Palace”. By doing so, they have built a reputation in the indie scene here in Toronto.
In 2023, they released their debut album "Mad and Noisy", a loose and lively indie rock album that maintains a genuine feel-good vibe. It is also a bit of an ode to Ontario. Tracks like “The Capital City” and “Another Last Song” explore romantic experiences through the eyes of lead singer and songwriter Jakob, in which the settings were places like Ottawa and Toronto. The name of the album recognizes the Mad and Noisy Rivers in Ontario, which are wetlands that originated west of the Niagara Escarpment and merged near Creemore.
The intro track “Don’t Let Me Go” does a phenomenal job of encompassing the album’s title because that is exactly what the song feels like, mad and noisy. From the jump, the jangly, slightly unhinged guitar line provided by Contini collides with Carrillo's punchy and driving drums, creating a sense of restless momentum that never really lets up. When Jakob’s raspy, weathered voice cuts through the chaos, it instantly grounds the track while also pulling you headfirst into the band’s world. There’s a youthfulness to the record, but it maintains that consistent mature urgency. Everything is on the verge of spilling over, but it doesn’t; it stays concise, which sets the tone for the record as a whole. This album signals that it is less about polish and more about raw energy, emotion, and cathartic release.
Most of Moondoggy’s music is threaded with saxophone, and Ben Matanowitsch’s playing has become one of the band’s most distinctive calling cards. Seeing a sax on stage immediately sets them apart in my eyes, adding a sense of swagger and soul that’s rare in contemporary indie rock. It evokes the spirit of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, where the sax isn’t just an accessory, but a force that fills the room and elevates the entire performance.
They are inspired by a wide range of music like Cage the Elephant, Mac DeMarco, and Neil Young, which shows in their writing and performing. You can hear Cage the Elephant’s restless, garage-rock ferocity in the way their songs charge forward, Mac DeMarco’s breezy melodies and loose guitars in the band’s relaxed moments, and Neil Young’s raw emotional honesty in their unpolished singing and songwriting. It all blends into a sound that feels familiar but never derivative.
These four men are hitting the road in March, introducing some of their newest stuff in over 20 cities across America and into Europe. Their first order of business is their show here in Toronto at “The Garrison” on March 7th to showcase their newest record, “Around The Fire”. They have released three singles for this LP so far, most recently “Grow Up, Move Out” on January 2nd, which talks about the memories that we forget in the midst of aging. It may be nice to have the house, the job, and the car, but Moondoggy makes it clear in this track that maybe we should sit back and appreciate life a little more, which is exactly what goes through my head when I’m tuned into these guys.
Moondoggy at the Horseshoe Tavern via Instagram (2022)
