Fantastic Cat

We are excited to kick off our 2021 Ross Farm Music Series with Fantastic Cat! The band is made up of four singer-songwriters including two Ross Farm alum Anthony D’Amato and Brian Dunne, as well as Hollis Brown frontman Mike Montali and Don DiLego who came together for a unique project where they could each bring their own element – and songs – to the table. The project was not a significant shift for each of the songwriters, but allowed a space for each to explore the music outside of solo performances. D’Amato remarked in an American Songwriter article, “Everyone brings their songwriting chops to the table, of course, and I think that’s the foundation of this entire project. We’re all fans of each other’s writing, but on top of that, Don’s a great engineer and producer, Brian’s a killer guitar player, Mike’s a phenomenal singer – and I bring snacks.” DiLego added “The veil of personal artistic pressure was lifted a bit from each of our own individual projects. We wanted this to be fun and with no pressure or expectations – basically a hand with some fellow songwriters to see what could come from it, and everyone came loaded with some great material, so it honestly felt pretty effortless.” Their debut album was recorded at DiLego’s Velvet Elk Studios in Pocono Lake, NY and the band made their Covid-era live debut via a livestream show in March.

As bands begin touring again and venues begin opening up following the pandemic, we are thrilled to bring a group of such talented musicians to kick off our return to hosting great live music in Basking Ridge! This will be an outdoor concert, so please bring chairs or blankets; picnics/snacks are welcome – carry in/carry out, please.