It’s twenty minutes to show time and I am a block away from the club when my phone starts ringing with an unknown number. Martin Courtney is on the other line,
“Are you there yet? No? Good. Tell then you’re on Bleekers’s list. I totally forgot to tell them to put you on and I’m not there yet.”
When I arrive at Webster Hall there is a crowd of people outside. Technically the show is to promote their cover story in Fader magazine, and it’s already a zoo. Brooklynites, indie rock fans, and the like stand in line, jackets on for the first time in the season to fight the chill in the early fall air. When I get to the bouncer his way of checking that I am really who I say I am is to lean close to me and whisper conspiratorially.
“Ok, if you’re on the list, which band are you here to see?”
When I answer Real Estate he grins “It’s a secret show…” he says, looking more like an excited kid than an intimidating bouncer. I’ve never seen security detail this excited for a small rock performance. I’ve also never had a band member so concerned that we would get into the show. It’s this kind of two way enthusiasm that is keeping the band’s momentum rolling from their first album, a dreamy decidedly lo-fi affair, to their second, a more polished but deeply honest album. Once when we get inside the smaller downstairs room “The Studio” as it’s known is almost packed wall to wall. It’s pretty clear that the secret is out.
Real Estate got its start in the groomed gardens and immaculate landscapes of suburban New Jersey. In the kind of environment that might inspire scorn in a talented musician Real Estate found it’s earliest inspiration. The boys, Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker, and Matt Mondanile had been long time friends, growing up together and spending lazy summers playing music in each other’s homes. When college was over and the boys returned home, it seemed second nature to play with one another again. The result was the freshman self-titled album released on Woodsist in 2009. Their new album, Days, released this October through their new label Domino, retains all of the things that made the first album catch notice from the likes of Pitchfork and Popmatters. Well-crafted melodies that catch you with their elegant simplicity, paired with sparkling guitar riffs that evoke Johnny Marr from The Smiths craft the “beachy” vibe that the band is known for. The bass line provides the kind of groove that can even get jaded New York scenesters to dance.
When Real Estate takes the stage it’s clear that their recording technique is not the only thing that has evolved from this tour to the last. While Courtney previously hid behind his shoulder length hair as he played he now seems almost comfortable on stage. Almost. The band is tight technically and the years of playing with one another show in their intuitive grasp of each others playing styles. The addition of Jonah Mauer on synth adds depth to the overall sound.
After the show the good vibes spill over backstage. The room is cramped and smoky. A far cry from the sullen indie rock stereotype, everyone is friendly and upbeat. Throughout my conversation with Martin well-wishers and old friends show up. This is a hometown band that never lost their connection to where they came from, despite a move from the suburbs to Brooklyn. A lot of things are changing for Real Estate. A few weeks after this show their single “It’s Real” was featured on iTunes, a nice nod; their album too has garnered positive reviews. Their tour to support the album has just begun and though it will take them far out of New Jersey you can be sure that the state will in some ways travel with them. At the end of the day the title of their single is true of the whole band themselves. It is what it is; it’s real.
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