As a cynical 50-something who is more likely to win the Mega Millions than be impressed by a folk rock supergroup that he’s never listened to before, I have to admit I was quickly won over by Fantastic Cat.
I was predisposed to poo-poo whatever the band was serving up. I disliked the dopey name (which, upon deeper consideration, is no more dumb or irritating than the moniker of any other band formed in this decade) and anything recorded after the mid-1970s considered to be folk rock or even folk-adjacent. Yet, Fantastic Cat immediately endeared itself to me.
In a genre so wrapped up in pretending to be unpretentious by way of beard length, and overrun with the type of annoying asshole with an acoustic guitar who ruined every party you went to in college—Fantastic Cat does not take itself seriously. At all.
The band has the best press release I can remember reading, which claims that because someone in the group forgot to press record, FC made a lost album capturing “a bewildering blend of step-dad rock and in-law country destined to solidify their status as your least favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriters.” The band’s catchy songs are smart without going full nerd, and Americana without that outdated foot-stompin’ “hey ho” nonsense made to sound like farmers cutting loose in a colonial tavern.
No, this group of four singing multi-instrumentalists who deftly trade off lead vocal duties—and switch around on guitars, bass, and drums—channels the best aspects of the genre through a Dylanesque lens that touches on Springsteen and Simon & Garfunkel. Overall, the result is elevated by irrepressible lyrical humor and earnest emotional honesty.
Both the debut album, The Very Best of Fantastic Cat (2022), and its follow up, Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat (2024), are overflowing with well-written, heartfelt tracks that don’t look back in a cloying retro way—an enviable accomplishment for folk-related music in this century. “So Glad You Made It” and “Oh Man!” from the latter collection are all you need to hear the Fantastic talent in full. Don’t wait to listen to them shine in person—at least not as long as the band coyly waits for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame eligibility, as per the clock counting down the days on its website: a little more than 22 years to go.
The Southern Café & Music Hall
7/11
