Kathy McCarty

Last updated
Kathy McCarty
Kathy McCarty.jpeg
Background information
Origin Austin, Texas, U.S.
Genres Art rock
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active1981–present
Website thekathymccarty.com

Kathy McCarty is an Austin, Texas-based musician and painter.

Contents

Career

After getting her start with the band Buffalo Gals (1981–1983), McCarty was a founding member and co-leader of the band Glass Eye. After Glass Eye disbanded in 1993, she turned her attention to recording an album of covers by songwriter Daniel Johnston. Dead Dog's Eyeball: Songs of Daniel Johnston was produced by former Glass Eye bandmate Brian Beattie. Trouser Press noted that "no songwriter ever had a more imaginative or beneficial interpreter than Daniel Johnston enjoys in Kathy McCarty". [1] One of the songs of the album, Living Life, was included on the soundtrack of the movie Before Sunrise (1995). [2]

Another Day in the Sun was a full-length follow-up to Dead Dog's Eyeball. It was also produced by Beattie. Texas Monthly wrote: "Some songs recall Glass Eye's art-rock explosives... and McCarty's lyrical acuity remains intact... But there's an open, folkish quality too... that lends her work uncommon depth and staying power". [3]

In 2020, McCarty played a variety of curated shows including the occasional Johnston tribute and recorded new material. In February 2020, she traveled to Los Angeles to sing "Younger Generation" for a tribute/benefit show at the reunion of the Lovin' Spoonful. [4]

McCarty's cover of Johnston's song "Rocketship" was featured in the animated TV show Futurama and in the 2022 Richard Linklater film Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood .

Discography

With Glass Eye

Albums

EPs/singles

As a solo artist

Albums

Videos

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lovin' Spoonful</span> American folk rock band (1964–1968)

The Lovin' Spoonful is an American folk rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band was among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influenced many of the contemporary rock acts of their era. Beginning in July 1965 with their debut single "Do You Believe in Magic", the band had seven consecutive singles reach the Top Ten of the U.S. charts in the eighteen months that followed, including the number two hits "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and the chart-topping "Summer in the City".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Believe in Magic (song)</span> 1965 single by the Lovin Spoonful

"Do You Believe in Magic" is a song by American rock band the Lovin' Spoonful, written by John Sebastian in 1965. The single peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1978, Shaun Cassidy reached the Top 40 with his cover version.

<i>Bucky Fellini</i> 1987 studio album by Dead Milkmen

Bucky Fellini is the third studio album by The Dead Milkmen. It was released in 1987 by Enigma. The album peaked at No. 163 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Songs of Pain</i> 1981 album by Daniel Johnston

Songs of Pain is the first album by folk singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded on a simple tape recorder and released on Compact Cassette. Johnston recorded these songs in the basement of his parents' house in West Virginia. Johnston recorded the tape between 1980 and 1981, and it was later mass produced on cassette by Stress Records in 1988, and on Compact Disc in 2003 by the label Dual Tone, together with More Songs of Pain as Early Recordings Volume 1.

<i>Dont Be Scared</i> 1982 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Don't Be Scared is singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston's second self-released album, released in 1982. It was re-released on cassette in 1989 by Stress Records, a label run by Johnston's friend and manager Jeff Tartakov, on mp3 by emusic.com in 2000, and on CDR by Eternal Yip Eye Music in 2004.

<i>Yip/Jump Music</i> 1983 album by Daniel Johnston

Yip/Jump Music is the fifth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded over the summer 1983. The album was re-released on cassette in 1986 by Stress records, and in 1988 released on CD and double LP by Homestead Records. The album has been re-released twice by Eternal Yip Eye Music: once in 2003 on CD and CD-R, and once in 2007 as a double vinyl LP.

<i>Hi, How Are You</i> 1983 album by Daniel Johnston

Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. The subtitle refers to the length of the album; Johnston had intended for it to be an hour-long release, as a majority of his earlier releases were.

<i>Rejected Unknown</i> 2001 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Rejected Unknown is a 2001 album by acclaimed outsider musician Daniel Johnston. The title references the decision by Atlantic Records to drop him from the label after the commercial failure of his only major-label album, 1994's Fun. Rejected Unknown was produced by Austin producer and former Glass Eye member Brian Beattie. A 7-inch limited edition EP called Dream Scream, featuring that song and "Funeral Girl", was released in 1998 on Pickled Egg Records.

<i>Its Spooky</i> 1989 studio album by Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair

It's Spooky is a collaborative album by musicians Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston. It was first released in 1989 on 50 Skidillion Watts Records, under the title Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston. Although receiving praise from critics and fans alike, the record was commercially overlooked. Both Johnston and Fair play the majority of instruments, including vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards and drums.

"Walking the Cow" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston from his 1983 album Hi, How Are You. The title was inspired by an illustration on a wrapper for Blue Bell ice cream depicting a young girl attempting to lead a reluctant cow by its reins.

Glass Eye were an influential art rock group based in Austin, Texas, and were primarily active from 1983 to 1993. Popular in Austin, and on the college radio and tour circuit, the band's unusual and unique musical style, blending melodic hooks with dissonance and occasional tendencies for the avant-garde, delighted critics. Considered "one of Austin's most popular and influential bands", their commercial success never matched their critical acclaim. Through self-release, and being signed to Wrestler and Bar/None Records, they released four LPs, two EPs and one single, and when the band regrouped in 2006, they released their previously lost final LP, Every Woman's Fantasy, on their own label, Glass Eye Records.

<i>Artistic Vice</i> 1991 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Artistic Vice is the first studio album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, and his twelfth overall, counting his nine widely distributed demo tapes, two earlier aborted attempts at studio albums,, and collaboration with Jad Fair, It's Spooky. It was his first full-length album recorded after a three-year hiatus. The album is considered more light-hearted than its predecessor, 1990.

<i>1990</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1990 album by Daniel Johnston

1990 is the eleventh album by American singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. It was released in January 1990, through record label Shimmy Disc. Like Continued Story before it, 1990 was intended to be Johnston's first studio album, but had to be completed using live recordings and home demos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Johnston discography</span>

This is a list of the discography of Daniel Johnston, who lived in Austin, Texas.

<i>Retired Boxer</i> 1984 album by Daniel Johnston

Retired Boxer is the seventh self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1984. The album's nine songs are performed in Johnston's usual confessional piano ballad style. This album, like those before it, was recorded with a consumer grade tape player. Evidence of this is found in the warbling tape hiss and distortion.

<i>Respect</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1985 album by Daniel Johnston

Respect is the 8th self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, released in 1985. It features covers of the Elvis Presley song "Heartbreak Hotel" and the Bert Berns song "A Little Bit of Soap", made popular by The Jarmels.

<i>Continued Story with Texas Instruments</i> 1985 studio album by Daniel Johnston

Continued Story is the ninth self-released album by Daniel Johnston, released on cassette tape in 1985. The album includes a cover of the Beatles song "I Saw Her Standing There." It was released on CD in 1991 by Homestead Records and re-released in 2003 on a dual-album CD, along with the 1983 album Hi, How Are You, by Johnston's own label, Eternal Yip Eye Music.

<i>Merry Christmas</i> (Daniel Johnston album) 1988 album by Daniel Johnston

Merry Christmas is the tenth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1988. The back of the cover features a typed message from Daniel: "Thanks to everyone who's helped in the past year, especially those who have bought and played my album. Thanks again."

Dead Dog's Eyeball: Songs of Daniel Johnston is an album by the American musician Kathy McCarty, released in 1994. It contains 19 renditions of songs written by Daniel Johnston. McCarty became aware of Johnston when he opened for her former band, Glass Eye, in 1985. McCarty supported the album with a North American tour. An EP of additional Johnston material, Sorry Entertainer, was released in 1995. Dead Dog's Eyeball was reissued in 2005, with bonus tracks and videos. Johnston and his parents were fans of the album.

References

  1. "K McCarty". Trouser Press . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. "Kathy McCarty - Living Life" . Retrieved March 11, 2021 via YouTube.
  3. McCord, Jeff (June 2005). "Another Day in the Sun". Texas Monthly . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. Willman, Chris (March 1, 2020). "Lovin' Spoonful Daydreams Come True as John Sebastian Goes All-In for Tribute Show". Variety . Retrieved 6 December 2020.