DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM | SHOW BEGINS AT 8:00 PM

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FANTASTIC CAT

Dubbed “the Harlem Globetrotters of Americana” by Rolling Stone and “The Wu-Tang Clan of folk rock” by The Village Voice, Fantastic Cat is, much like pornography, better seen than described. Featuring four widely lauded singer/songwriters who trade vocals and swap instruments on nearly every tune, the band emerged to broad critical acclaim with the release of their irreverent debut, The Very Best of Fantastic Cat, which earned the group their first national TV appearance, sold out headline dates around the US and Europe, a performance at the Sundance Film Festival, and a song in the Paramount+ series Tulsa King. Two years later, they followed it up with the similarly celebrated Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat, which featured an appearance from Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz, landed the band dates with Dawes and Lucius, and prompted WFUV to declare them “one of the best Americana and rock bands to tumble out of New York over the last few years.

”Now, Fantastic Cat has defied the odds—and their therapists’ strong urging—to return with their third and most-likely-to-prompt-a-lawsuit-from-the-Meat-Loaf-estate album yet, Cat Out Of Hell. Produced by the band and mixed by D. James Goodwin (Goose, Kevin Morby, The Hold Steady), the collection elevates Fantastic Cat’s trademark blend of craftsmanship and chaos to new sonic heights, capturing the freewheeling, lightning in a bottle energy of their must-see live show and channeling it into a ramshackle house party full of existential searchers, desperate romantics, and barstool philosophers.

Individually, each member of Fantastic Cat boasts their own impressive resume including appearances everywhere from the New York Times and the Tiny Desk to Bonnaroo and Cayamo. NPR said Anthony D’Amato “sings and writes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen or Josh Ritter.”Pitchfork called Brian Dunne’s new album “wise and poetic,” declaring that “every song sounds like his life depends on it.” Paste proclaimed Don DiLego's latest record a "stunner,” and Rolling Stone hailed Mike Montali’s band, Hollis Brown, as “the soundtrack fora late-night drive through the American heartland.

"Together, they form a four-headed songwriting hydra, one with the lush harmonies of CSNY, the playful wit of The Traveling Wilburys, and the relentless interpersonal strife of the Eagles.

OK COWGIRL

Ok Cowgirl is an American Rock Band reminiscent of a past before streaming, algorithms, and AI slop, when a band was a way of life. The band—made up of singer and songwriter Leah Lavigne, guitarist Jacob Sabinsky, multi-instrumentalist John Miller, bassist Ryan Work, and drummer Matt Birkenholz—conjures the anthemic nostalgia and joyful rebelliousness of Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, and Bruce Springsteen. At the same time, Rhinestone Cowgirl, their sophomore LP, places Ok Cowgirl in the lineage of modern auteurs like Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and Angel Olsen, and fits nicely into the world of renowned producer Alex Farrar’s other work with MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, Indigo De Souza, and Girl Puppy.

Furthermore, Rhinestone Cowgirl is an American Rock Record. Cue wistful desert vistas and empty highways, dim yellow lights hanging above scuffed green pool table felt. This is Drinking Music. It’s a soundtrack to nursing our accumulated wounds. It asks us to ask ourselves how we made it this far. It is survivor’s guilt, a grappling with who we had to leave behind, why we did, and what it might have looked like if we had played our hand differently. “Sometimes I wonder if she would’ve died / If she would’ve left with me,” Lavigne asks on the title track. It’s a question without a simple answer, and this yearning lies at the heart of Rhinestone Cowgirl.

That’s not to say Ok Cowgirl believes there are no ways to cope beyond the aforementioned comfort at the bottom of a bottle. There is a certain dark sense of humor underlying Lavigne’s stoic acceptance of the profound tragedy of the human condition. “So babe laugh a good laugh / Carve your own path / Got no answers to share,” she offers on “God Made A Farmer.” It’s an easier pill to swallow when you can share it with others, “Laughing about the dark stuff / I knew we could be friends,” she sings on “Winner.” It’s not an answer, but it’s the best thing we’ve got—the sense that, in one another, we can find solidarity and camaraderie in the absurdity of our struggle. “Life will break our hearts and take our pride / Hold onto the ones that see you right,” she proclaims on “Rock N Roll Ruined My Life.” For a band that made a name for themselves in the New York indie rock scene, building community show by show in warehouse lofts and dive bars, sharpening their sound on small stages over the last eight years, this precious knowledge has been earned—and they prefer it that way.

These years of honing are apparent in the confidence of the composition, arrangement, and production. The satisfaction of a perfectly placed back beat on “Fun Girl,” the crunch of stacked guitars on the chorus of “Rock N Roll Ruined My Life,” the finger-picked guitar and swirling atmospherics of “Wished I Could Be,” the powerfully sparse spaghetti-western guitars on the title track, and tempos that feel lived-in like an old leather saddle, all speak to this hard-earned experience. This is the work of veteran craftsmen with complete command of their tools. Much like Lavigne’s carefully crafted lyrics, each melody, counter-melody, chord progression & groove is thoughtfully considered but not overwrought. More than that, it is all in service of The Song, and you can feel that genre and style concerns are secondary to telling the story.

Rhinestone Cowgirl tells stories about learning to accept what is out of our control. In this capitalist society, we’re told we can manifest our own reality and create our own good fortunes, but we are no fools. As Lavigne puts it, “When the game is rigged, none of us really win.” It’s a cutting portrait of a cruel world, but acceptance does not beget apathy for Lavigne. “I do have a lot I love / Cliché to thank the stars above / But I’m still gonna do it,” she belts in “Prepared To Lose.” It’s the sound of defiance, of perseverance, of understanding and wielding the power we do have.

For any wheelchair or ADA needs, please contact the Box Office in advance of the performance at (202)-787-1000.

Please note that the front row of tables and chairs will be cleared for this show to create a general admission Pit. Be advised that there may be some seated areas where vision of the stage is obstructed.