PROFILE
Brian Moncarz
By Selina Setrakian
From soul to Motown , Wilson Pickett to The Temptations , there was always music playing in Brian Moncarz ’ s house . Before he could even walk , his father taught him to place the vinyl on the turntable , drop the needle , and listen . At 12 , he became inseparable from his guitar and began dreaming of life as a touring rock guitarist . But along the journey of playing in bands , he was always the designated studio guy .
“ It got to the point where I loved being in the studio so much , it almost overtook my passion for guitar . It just seemed like a magical spot where amazing things happened , and music came together ,” says Moncarz .
The rest , as they say , was history . Graduating from Ryerson University ’ s School of Radio and Television Arts , Moncarz had his eyes set on becoming a music producer when a job at a post-production house fell into his lap .
“ It was a great opportunity , I ’ d be set . But the manager said I wouldn ’ t have time to work in music , so I turned it down . It was at that moment I thought ,‘ I ’ m going to go full-in on this music production thing ,’” explains Moncarz .
Taking a teaching assistant position at Ryerson , he saved up money , bought loads of gear , and then opened his first studio in 2000 .
Shortly after , doors began opening for Moncarz after working on demos for the band Pilot Speed , which helped them get signed to a record label . Afterwards , he worked with the band The Junction on an EP . Universal quickly got interested , signed them , and Moncarz got to produce their first album , further solidifying his entry into the industry .
“ Through that , I met legendary producer Bob Ezrin , who ’ s worked with the likes of Pink Floyd , Alice Cooper , and Kiss . We started this career-altering friendship / mentorship , and I can ’ t say enough . He ’ s a musical genius who ’ s been so good to me over the course of my career ,” says Moncarz .
Ezrin also introduced Moncarz to his friend David Bottrill , another producer / engineer / mixer who has worked with Tool , Peter Gabriel , Silverchair , and Muse , among others . Getting along well , the two opened a Rattlebox Studios and Moncarz began another mentorship working alongside Bottrill on his projects . It was at Rattlebox that Bottrill and Moncarz worked on Circa Survive ’ s critically-acclaimed Blue Sky Noise album . After a few years , their lease was up and the two parted ways amicably and remain good friends .
“ It was an awesome experience . I ’ ve always enjoyed the cycle of mentorship , where someone teaches you and then you impart wisdom on someone else . I ’ ve been fortunate to have lots of people guide me ,” says Moncarz .
Moving into a studio closer to home , Moncarz began focusing more on mixing . It was here he got the opportunity to work with the band Neverending White Lights on a single that reached top-five on alternative radio . This set him on a course to take on other mixing projects , eventually leading to artists like Our Lady Peace , The Tea Party , and Fantastic Negrito .
The momentum Moncarz built could not be stopped . Reconnecting with Ezrin , they worked together on Alice Cooper latest album , Detroit Stories , engineering vocals pre-COVID and co-mixing during the lockdown . The album debuted at number one on the Billboard ’ s Top Album Sales Chart . Over the course of the pandemic , Moncarz would continue to mix tracks for a variety of clients new and old , including the James Barker Band , hip-hop artist D . O ., Nonso Amadi , and several tracks on Philip Sayce ’ s latest album , which hit over six million streams on Spotify .
None of this success would be possible , of course , if not for Moncarz ’ s unwavering spirit . “ I never had a plan B . I ’ ve always focused on progressing my career . When you have that mindset and you don ’ t have anything to fall back on , you make it work . You give up a lot , it
takes up tons of time , and it ’ s not for everyone , but it works for me because I really love it ,” he explains .
As for his passion for guitar , it runs just as strong as when he was 12 . In fact , during the pandemic , Moncarz put his guitar skills to use for a recording project with Our Lady Peace bassist Duncan Coutts and Taylor and Cole Perkins of the band Bleeker . Though the group first got together a few years ago , the pandemic provided time to reunite and write new songs .
Before the last lockdown Moncarz was also able to sneak into the studio with Staggered Crossing to record a new song for their debut album ’ s 20 th anniversary .
“ I set them up to play live-off-the-floor to capture the energy of the band together again for the first time in 10 years . After a couple takes , they gelled just as they did back in 2001 . Since then , I ’ ve been itching to get back to working with bands again in the studio ,” he says .
Currently , Moncarz works out of his mix room at Hapy Hipi Studios and aspires to continue giving back and growing by developing young bands and mixing different genres .
“ Working on different genres is making me hear my rock mixes in a new way ! I always want to keep learning and I don ’ t ever want to be set in my ways – because then it would be time to retire , and I don ’ t have plans for that anytime soon ,” says Moncarz .
Selina Setrakian is an Editorial Assistant at Professional Sound .
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