Fantastic Cat | |
|---|---|
 Fantastic Cat performing in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Americana, Folk rock, Indie rock, Country music |
| Years active | 2021–present |
| Labels | Blue Rose Music, Missing Piece Records |
| Members | Anthony D'Amato, Brian Dunne, Don DiLego, Mike Montali |
| Website | https://www.fantasticcatband.com/ |
Fantastic Cat is an indie music supergroup consisting of Anthony D'Amato, Brian Dunne, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali. [1]
Fantastic Cat was conceived as a collaborative project between singer/songwriters Don DiLego, Anthony D'Amato, and Brian Dunne along with Hollis Brown frontman Mike Montali. [2] Lacking a name before their first recording session, the four asked a waitress at a local New York City bar what they should call themselves. Without hesitation, she replied, "Fantastic Cat," and the name stuck. [3] Artist Jane Beaird illustrated the band as anthropomorphic cats for the cover of their self-titled 2021 EP, which eventually turned into the signature masks the band wears in all of their photos and videos. [4] The band has described their humor and satirical attitude as a spoof of their own respective solo careers taking themselves too seriously. [5]
Fantastic Cat released their debut LP The Very Best of Fantastic Cat in 2022. [6] The cover art features the band members photographed in their masks by Shervin Lainez, and the accompanying bio references past bands with multiple singers and songwriters, claiming it had "never been done" before going on to list several famous examples including The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Highwaymen.
Rolling Stone called the album a "wildly satisfying collection of folk-rock, country, Americana, and good old rock & roll" [7] with "equal doses of Dylan and Springsteen," [8] and the band made their national television debut shortly after the release on CBS Saturday Morning. [9] [4] Reviewer Jon Young favorably compared the album's opening track "C'mon Armageddon" to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" in No Depression , [10] while Glide Magazine's Shawn Donohue likened the album to the music of Delta Spirit, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne and Monsters of Folk. [11] In an enthusiastic review for Americana Highways, critic John Moore stated, "If there is any justice in this world, this would be the first in a series of shows, followed by another record. Even the Traveling Wilburys gave us two albums (and The Highwaymen gave us three)." [12]
In 2023, Fantastic Cat released a cover of Warren Zevon's "Keep Me in Your Heart" and teamed up with Butch Walker for a 50th anniversary recording of Paul McCartney and Wings' "Band on the Run." [13] [14] The band also released a limited edition 7" vinyl EP titled Live at The Bowery Ballroom, which they claimed was a "Japanese import" from a factory that had been destroyed by Godzilla after the first and only pressing. [15]
Fantastic Cat announced their second LP, Now That's What I Call Fantastic Cat, in 2024 with the release of a music video for lead single "All My Fault," which parodied vintage VHS dating services. [16] The album track "So Glad You Made It" featured Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, and a music video for the song features Duritz along with Darryl McDaniels portraying the role of a music producer. [17] In a review for Americana Highways, John Apice praised the album for its fun sound and made comparisons to Rockpile and the Traveling Wilburys, but criticized the album's cover art as not matching the mood of the album. [18] John Moore in a review for Glide Magazine called the album a "tight softmore LP". [19] The band returned to perform on CBS Saturday Morning on June 8, 2024. [20]
Studio Albums
EPs
Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup active from 1988 to 1991 consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time".
Counting Crows is an American rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück, bass guitarist Millard Powers, and guitarist Dan Vickrey. Past members include the drummers Steve Bowman (1991–1994) and Ben Mize (1994–2002), and bass guitarist Matt Malley (1991–2005).
Adam Fredric Duritz is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, for which he serves as a founding member and principal composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records, released seven studio albums that have been certified gold or platinum, and been nominated for two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.
The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in Manhattan's Bowery neighborhood.
"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run.
Michael Jason Isbell is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won six Grammy Awards.
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Benjamin Isaac Hoffman is an American comedian, actor, writer, and musician. Hoffman is well known by his country musician alter ego Wheeler Walker Jr., as whom he has released five studio albums.
Anthony D'Amato, is an American songwriter and singer. His latest album is 2022's At First There Was Nothing.
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Nikki Lane is an American country music singer-songwriter and artist. She has released four albums: Walk of Shame, All or Nothin', Highway Queen, and Denim & Diamonds.
Ratboys are an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2010 by Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan. The band consists of Julia Steiner, Dave Sagan (guitar), Marcus Nuccio (drums) and Sean Neumann.
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Silverada is an American neotraditional country and Americana band based in Austin, Texas. It was formed by singer-songwriter Mike Harmeier in 2007. Its members are Harmeier and drummer Taylor Englert, guitarist Catlin Rutherford, bassist Omar Oyoque, and steel guitarist Zachary Moulton.
Matthew Charles Crockett is an American blues, country, and Americana singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has released twelve studio albums since 2015, with Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart and The Man from Waco breaking the US Billboard 200.
The Highwomen is the debut studio album by country music supergroup the Highwomen, made up of band members Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. It was released on September 6, 2019, by Elektra Records.
Live from the Troubadour is the third live album by American country music singer Tanya Tucker. It was released on October 16, 2020, by Fantasy Records. The album was recorded on October 16, 2019, during the first night of Tucker's sold out two night engagement at the Troubadour to promote the release of her comeback album While I'm Livin'.
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If there is any justice in this world, this would be the first in a series of shows, followed by another record. Even the Traveling Wilburys gave us two albums (and The Highwaymen gave us three).
Pressed on luxurious gold vinyl, this rare Japanese import is a collector's dream featuring four spine-tingling performances (including two previously unreleased songs) captured live at The Bowery Ballroom. Only 250 were made before the pressing plant was destroyed in what authorities have described as a routine Godzilla stomping.
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