| Background: | group_or_band |
| Fantastic Cat | |
| Genre: | Americana, Folk rock, Indie rock, Country music |
| Years Active: | –present |
| Label: | Blue Rose Music, Missing Piece Records |
| Current 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]
Fantastic Cat was announced as one of the guest performers on 2024's Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin a benefit album for the Sweet Relief artist fund on behalf of Jesse Malin, with Fantastic Cat covering "Queen of the Underworld".[21] [22]
Studio Albums
EPs