(BROOKLYN, NY) -- Acclaimed songwriter Anthony D’Amato returned to NPR's Weekend Edition on Saturday, November 19, 2022 to discuss his widely-lauded new album, At First There Was Nothing, which has earned career-best reviews in both the US and Europe, with American Songwriter hailing it as “a new masterpiece” and MOJO awarding it four stars. D’Amato spoke with host Scott Simon about the period of intense uncertainty and transformation behind the album, as well as his decision to release an accompanying book of photography complete with lyrics, an essay, and a digital download code for our increasingly post-CD world.
You can listen to the NPR interview here and links to stream or purchase the album are found here.
Earlier this month, D’Amato made his Mountain Stage debut, and just this week, he announced a winter US tour with GRAMMY-winning legend Keb’ Mo’ that’s set to kick off Feb 6 in Clearwater, FL. In the meantime, you can find D’Amato back on the road and in the studio with songwriter “supergroup” Fantastic Cat, which made their national TV debut on CBS Saturday Morning earlier in the year.
Anthony's latest video was for "Long Haul". It was shot entirely on Super 8 by filmmaker David Dibble, the epic video features a century old steam train, a 1929 Ford Model A, and a horse named Warrior joining D’Amato on a larger-than-life journey through San Juan Mountains outside Durango, Colorado.
“I’ve loved trains since I was a kid, and when I’m not on tour you can generally find me off on some railroad photography adventure,” D’Amato told PopMatters, “so to bring my passion for music and trains together was really special for me with this video. When the pandemic put touring on hold, I spent almost a year living right beside the tracks of the Durango & Silverton, which is one of the most scenic train routes in America, and I was like a kid in a candy store getting to have our own caboose on this shoot and film all throughout the gorgeous San Juan National Forest. We shot pretty much everything in this video in and around Durango, Colorado, and that town and all the wonderful people I’ve met there really mean a lot to me, so it really filled my heart getting to capture it on film."
Born and raised in New Jersey, D’Amato first rose to international attention with the 2014 release of The Shipwreck From The Shore, his New West Records debut. Inspired in part by time spent studying with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon, the album garnered rave reviews on both sides of the pond, with NPR inviting D’Amato for a Tiny Desk Concert and lauding that “he writes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen or Josh Ritter," and Uncut proclaiming that his songwriting "echoes with early Bob Dylan."
D’Amato followed it up in 2016 with the Mike Mogis-produced Cold Snap, which earned him his first national TV appearance along with an “Artist You Need To Know” nod from Rolling Stone, who hailed his writing as “folk music raised on New Jersey grit.” In 2017, D’Amato released a collaborative EP titled Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which raised more than $10,000 for refugee aid, and in 2019, he returned with Five Songs From New Orleans, a stripped-down acoustic collection that earned continued praise from Billboard to Rolling Stone. Along the way, D’Amato toured extensively across the US and Europe, sharing bills with the likes of Ben Folds, Valerie June, Keb’ Mo’, The Felice Brothers, American Aquarium, and many more.
Here are upcoming solo dates as well as East and West Coast performances with Fantastic Cat, and stay tuned for more to be announced soon.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES (solo shows unless with Fantastic Cat)
25 Nov - The Falcon – Marlboro, NY **
26 Nov - Narrows Center for The Arts - Fall River, MA **
17 Dec - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA **
06 Feb - Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre #
07 Feb - Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre #
08 Feb - Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall #
11 Feb - Charleston, NC – Blumenthal Performing Arts Center #
13 Feb - Annapolis, MD – Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts #
14 Feb - Ridgefield, CT – The Ridgefield Playhouse #
15 Feb - Rutland, VT – Paramount Theatre #
17 Feb - Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center #
18 Feb - Bensalem, PA – Parx Casino #
20 Feb - Alexandria, VA – Birchmere #
21 Feb - Alexandria, VA – Birchmere #
25 Feb - Woodbridge Township, NJ – Avenel Performing Arts Center **
25 Mar - New York, NY – Webster Hall **
30 Apr - Lessines, BE – Roots & Roses Festival **
01 May - Lessines, BE – Roots & Roses Festival **
02 Jun - Mcgil, NV – Schellraiser 2023
03 Jun - Kill Devil Hills, NC – Down The Hatch 2023 **
** As Fantastic Cat # Supporting Keb’ Mo’
