I had the amazing opportunity to connect with Matt Di Panni, the bassist for The Mowgli’s, and hear his take on being in the lineup for Freakfest this year and other important things like college football and beer. He was so nice, and assured me that we are in for a great show Nov. 1, not that I had any doubt.
Abigail: Have you performed in Madison before?
Matt: Yeah we have a couple times. We’ve been there for some festivals, and we’ve performed at one of the venues down there, but I can’t remember the name of it. We’ve performed on campus before too, but I can’t remember the details. We’ve performed at Summerfest, and did a show in Milwaukee when we were on tour with Walk the Moon last year. I’m excited because every time we are in Wisconsin we always have a blast. You guys are the best.
A: That’s awesome. I saw you guys at Summerfest. It was a great show. So, have you heard of Freakfest? Do you know what you’re in for?
M: [Laughs] I’ve never witnessed it, but we looked up some videos and pictures. We’ve heard that it gets crazy. We can’t wait to finally experience it.
A: Well that’s good. I’m glad you guys are prepared because it does indeed get crazy. I mean, after all it is a giant Halloween party. Are you guys dressing up?
M: Halloween is something I hold dear to my heart. I think is stems from my love of Disneyland. It just makes me feel like a kid again. I’ve always dressed up since I was little and my parent’s would take me around the neighborhood. It’s one of my favorite holidays, and yes we will all be dressing up, but I can’t tell you as what. [Laughs]
A: Well I can’t tell you what I’m going to be either. I’m sure all of us will be excited that you are dressed up. Since you’ve been to Wisconsin before, I’m sure you know how cold it can get. It is 70 here today, so that’s pretty cool, but are you ready for the cold?
M: Yes, I’ve packed several coats. It’s actually a reality check that people deal with and live in conditions like you guys have. I’m from LA so wherever I go, I miss the weather. Let’s hope for some nice weather on Saturday for the show.
A: I think we all are hoping for some nice weather. So, what I really want to know is what we can expect from the show on Saturday, and a Mowlgi’s show in general.
M: Our ultimate goal is to have fun and promote positivity and happiness through every chord, and every strum. Basically we want everyone to leave our shows happier. People always try and classify our music, but to us it doesn’t matter. It’s not what it is, it’s how it makes our audience feel.
A: That’s so inspiring. What are you inspired by?
M: Our music is inspired by life, love and well basically everything. I don’t write many of the vocal melodies, but everything that those guys come up with is inspired by something dark, but more or less the journey getting past it. Our music has a lot of simple major chords that radiate openness and acceptance. No matter what chord it’s in, it’s beautiful no matter what.
A: What aspects of your music show that?
M: Our vocal harmonies. They really just emphasize the openness.
A: I love that. I’m inspired by the big city so my favorite song by you guys is San Francisco. What’s your favorite song to perform?
M: "Love is Easy." It’s just so pure.
A: Oh my gosh, I’m so nervous I can’t remember my next questions. I guess, do you still get nervous? What makes you nervous?
M: I get butterflies before big shows. Like when we performed at Lollapolooza. We were on the smallest stage and I was getting my things ready and I turned around and saw this huge crowd of kids. I was told that there was over 15,000 people out there and that was the biggest crowd that stage had attracted in over 15 years. That made me more nervous, but I knew we were doing remarkable things. My mind was blown.
A: What do you do when you get nervous?
M: I just jump right in. I let the music take over. I also like to have a beer with me on stage, so I guess that helps. [Laughs]
A: Well you’re coming to the land of beer and cheese. Are you excited to try some of what we have to offer?
M: I really like microbrews. I’m a huge IPA fan. I’m looking forward to trying some of what you guys have there.
A: We are excited to have you guys. Can you just explain to us how you guys came up with such a unique name like The Mowgli’s?
M: Well in the beginning we were channeling the young, wild and free nature of Mowgli in “The Jungle Book.” Plus we are all “Jungle Book” fans. Also in the early days when we were recording some EP’s an old member’s dog’s name was Mowgli and every time we would try and record we would catch him barking in the background. I sort of feel that we belong and work for him in some psychotic way. That’s how come we have the weird apostrophe “s” in our name. We are owned by Mowgli. We also started the #BeAMowgli campaign to promote random acts of kindness. We like to give back, and want to inspire people to care. We even would volunteer at homeless shelters while we were on tour. People should care about the world, and everyone in general.
A: You guys are awesome. I just have one more question before you go. I’m going to warn you now, don’t say ASU because we are all still a little bitter over what happened last year. What’s your favorite college football team?
M: WISCONSIN! I’m not a huge sports follower, but some of the guys in the band are. For all intents and purposes, this weekend Wisconsin is my favorite team. On Wisconsin!
Be sure to check out Matt and the rest of The Mowgli’s on the Gilman Stage right before the American Authors this Saturday. It’s going to be a great show!
