Fantastic Cat Coming To Sparta
The Sparta Summer Concert Series is proud to present the folk/rock quartet Fantastic Cat on July 16th in Dykstra Park. The entertaining band are a self-deprecating group of accomplished musicians, coming together in pandemic times to forge a new entity.
They said it couldn’t be done. Four different songwriters joining forces to form a single band? There was simply no precedent (outside of CSNY, The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, The Highwaymen, Monsters of Folk, etc). And yet Fantastic Cat did it anyway, defying the odds and teaming up to record their highly unanticipated debut, ‘The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat.’ Captured in the wilds of the Pocono Mountains, the album gleefully careens between genres and decades, mixing electrified 60’s folk and 70’s AM radio gold with 80’s heartland rock and 90’s alt-country. The result is a debut record that balances careful craftsmanship and ecstatic abandon in equal measure, a raw, intoxicating collection captured live in the moment and fueled by the chemistry of four longtime friends making music for the sheer joy of it.
Individually, each member of Fantastic Cat boasts their own impressive resume along with a litany of critical acclaim. The Guardian dubbed Don DiLego “one to watch.” NPR said Anthony D’Amato “sings and writes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen or Josh Ritter.” Rolling Stone called Brian Dunne’s latest single a “stunner” and praised Mike Montali’s band, Hollis Brown, as “the soundtrack for a late-night drive through the American heartland.” Collectively, though, the four transcend their respective roots, emerging as an instrument-swapping, harmony-trading, tear-jerking, wise-cracking rock and roll cooperative far greater than the sum of its parts.
They say some cats are born fantastic; others have fantasy thrust upon them. These guys are somewhere in the middle.
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The opening act for the evening is the local acoustic group ‘Blue Country’ featuring Don Elliker, Geof Doubleday and Rich Meir. Self-described as “600 pounds of sin” with 3 part harmonies and lots of strings, the trio brings you an eclectic mix of old school Americana, with a bit of Bluegrass and cool takes on classic rock tunes.
This FREE concert will start at 7PM at The Nicholson Pavilion in Dykstra Park. It is a family friendly event. Bring friends and family, lawn chairs and picnics. Enjoy another great night of music under the sky and stars in Sparta. Please visit www.spartaarts.org for the complete schedule and for info on weather updates.