-Kali Kugler
On Sunday December 17th, The Fantastic Cat and company hosted their first ever holiday inspired jam session at one of their hometown venues, the Bowery Ballroom. The ballroom is a venue of elasticity, stretching to welcome every genre of music imaginable. Similarly, the Cats are flexible in their sound, never conforming to one genre and personifying the definition of experimentation. The quartet of buddies brought fellow musicians and writers on stage, paid tribute to friends who couldn’t attend, and played with kittenish elation.
Elegant-pushing-typical-holiday-tacky velvet drapes replaced the standard maroon curtains that usually cloak the stage. Garland braided with warm fairy lights hugged the iron rail of the balcony, and the dancing spotlights casted a luminescent snowfall across the faces of Fantastic Cat fans adorned in ugly sweaters. Pocket groups of friends, couples, and strangers sprinkled themselves throughout the venue, ordering from the bar or pursuing the merch-stand. The holiday spirit was lovely – a warm beat to take from the chaos of the season. With attention from reputable music media voices such as The Guardian, NPR, and Rolling Stone, Fantastic Cat attracted the hungry ears of raw folk and classic-rock fans with their debut (and sole) album “The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat.” A large demographic of their fanbase resides conveniently in New York City, where the band formed.
Opener, Cat Popper – who’s name compliments that of Fantastic Cat – opened the evening with a satirical approach towards the standard office holiday party. In between corny holiday songs like her single “ChristmasButt,” she gave out gifts to the fans in awardance to music trivia; her custom t-shirts, mugs, and craft babyclothes. The give away was chummy as was her face-to-face conversation with members of the crowd. Popper’s borderline stand-up set defrosted the audience, and she left the stage with some new friends and listeners. Between sets, the stage-crew brought out an impressive arsenal of instruments to sit below a large backdrop of a cartoon-istic poster of four humanoid cats. A mosaic of electric and acoustic guitars, twang strings, the bass, keys, various percussion pieces, and microphones were pitched around the stage.
When the curtain opened, the audience was taken aback when four children stood on stage – Fantastic Kittens one may say. They rocked on the bass, the keys, and the drums for one song then exited the stage, leaving thecrowd wildly impressed. Later, the Cats shouted out the Gowanus Music Club based in Brooklyn. Eventually, the Cats made their way on stage. Their individuality stylistically blared as they each took their respective positions. Bolloties, Steven Tyler inspired hair, classy button-ups, and turtlenecks. Typically, at a concert the band members stick behind their instruments. The Fantastic Cat took a different approach to instrumental assignment. After their first song, they scurried around the stage and swapped instruments with one another. Each Cat took turns being the lead singer, and each song adapted to the voice in command, never losing their sound simply bouldering stereotypical band boundaries.
Their first couple of songs from the setlist created a sort of comfortable dive bar experience. They teased each other in-between songs and added their own quips to their lyrics, which made the audience feel a part of the performance. After a cover of “What’s New, Pussycat?”, the show really began.
Pussy Cat,
Pussy Cat,
I love you
I love you
I Do
The Cats played songs from their album, “The Very Best of Fantastic Cat.” With Springsteen-esque lyricism and a consistent narrative of that of Bob Dylan’s, the Cats used this blueprint to explore the potential of combining folk and classic-rock and 2000’s alt-rock. After hitting all the bases – folk storylines, rock riffs, and New York City grunge-pop bridges – one would say they’ve succeeded, for their sound’s shape is limitless. Half way through their show, they broke out their acclaimed Wings cover of “Band On The Run.” D’Amato said, “we believe The Beatles walked so Wings could fly!” When they released this cover on December 5th of this year, Fantastic Cat received a burst of acclaim. Rolling Stone wrote a praising profile, and the Cats gained some well-deserved listener traction.
One of the Cats, Brian Dunne, has reputable solo endeavors which the band makes a point to celebrate at every show. They played an elongated version of Dunne’s song “If You Want To Stay A While” from his album “Bug Fixes & Performance Improvements.” The crowd received the song in awe, for Dunne’s rangeful vocals, intimate lyricism, and way with the mandolin were show-stopping.
Dunne wasn’t the only spotlighted performer of the evening. Fantastic Cat made a point to pay tribute to Jesse Malin, a vital soul/singer/songwriter in the music industry who is undergoing some heavy health complications. Before the show, Malin posted encouraging the music-goers of New York City to go see his “dear friends” at the Bowery Ballroom. The crowd was respectful and attentive as the Cats wished him good health. Community is the true nature of Fantastic Cat production. In such a vast industry, it can be difficult to represent oneself and grow solo. Sharing stories and melding style is what allows music to be an ever-changing force. The Cats echoed this sentiment when they brought writer and storyteller, Stephen Kellogg, on stage to feature in a song. Kellogg contributed on the strings and sang light-heartedly.
D’Amato spoke again about his childhood, and confessed to sneaking into the Bowery Ballroom. The Cats then took turns expressing their gratitude for being able to play in such a renowned music venue, and their love for one another. Their friendship is what truly made their performance so enjoyable. On that thought, they played their song “Amigo,” then transitioned into “Jingle Bells” for one more holiday ode.
Their willingness to share the spotlight amplified the holiday spirit, more the merrier it seemed. For their last couple of songs, the talented guitarist, Jenn Arades, took the stage alongside the Cats. Her curly mane rocked as she absolutely shredded on guitar, taking turns riffing with Dunne during a string roulade. After a long outro, the Cats and Arades left the stage.
An encore was not teased, for they immediately trotted back onto stage, switching up their positions and instruments. Before tying the bow on their show, Montali reminded the audience of their new album in the works, and the fans applauded eagerly. The Cats played two songs, “So Glad You Made It” and “Holiday Road.” Their performance fought its end as they kept reviving the song with a drum beat or a key riff. With an accordion and confetti cannons, the encore credentials were certified, and the show came to a fantastic (cat) close.