New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Fantastic Cat Releases a Pair of Christmas Covers

originally published: 10/23/2024

It's never too early to get into the Christmas spirit, and this year, Rolling Stone's "supergroup-you-need-to-know" Fantastic Cat is kicking off the festivities by gifting us a pair of songs they didn't even bother to write: "Holiday Road" and "Feliz Navidad," out via Missing Piece Records.

The four instrument-swapping, cat-mask wearing, folk-rocking, singer-songwriters transformed Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” into a Yuletide masterpiece full of ringing sleigh bells and chiming piano. Now we know what you’re thinking: Lindsey Buckingham, who is she? Well, according to Wikipedia, he is the only artist to ever have a song in the soundtrack to National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation (1997), and National Lampoon’s Vacation (2015). Not too shabby.

As if that wasn’t enough (it wasn’t—the band checked and the label specifically told them they needed a second song), Fantastic Cat takes it up a notch with a riotous version of “Feliz Navidad,” performed with members of the Queens-based Mariachi Corazon De Mexico. Joyous and frenetic, the track offers up a festive, bilingual blend of Latin American holiday cheer and freewheeling garage-rock chaos that’s sure to be the perfect soundtrack as your office Christmas party goes completely off the rails.

"When Kesha released her cover of 'Holiday Road' last week, we thought, 'Great! We'll promote her version and she can promote ours,'" the band explains. "But no one from her team has gotten back, and we're beginning to think we have the wrong email address."

The holiday singles follow Fantastic Cat’s critically acclaimed sophomore album, Now That’s What I Call FantasticCat, which earned the band a return to national TV earlier this year with an appearance on CBS Saturday Morning. It also garnered praise everywhere from Rolling Stone, who called the record “gloriously fun” and a “breath of fresh air,” to The Village Voice, who dared to ask,“Is Fantastic Cat the Wu-Tang Clan of folk rock?” Most recently, the band was the subject of a feature in No Depression, while their track “So Glad You Made It,” featuring Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows was named one of the Top Songs of Summer 2024 by The Boston Globe.




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



Featuring four different instrument-swapping singer/songwriters who’ve appeared everywhere from NPR’s Tiny Desk and the New York Times to Bonnaroo and Cayamo, Fantastic Cat—lead singer Anthony D’Amato, lead singer Brian Dunne, lead singer Don DiLego, and lead singer Mike Montali—first came together in 2022 for their debut, The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat, which Rolling Stone dubbed “a wildly satisfying collection” and “equal doses of Dylan and Springsteen.”

Now pour yourself a glass of eggnog, throw some more chestnuts onto the fire, and enjoy Fantastic Cat’s “Holiday Road” and “Feliz Navidad.”



Fantastic Cat Tour Dates:

11/1 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center For The Arts

11/2 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony

12/11 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage

12/12 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live

12/13 – Northampton, MA – The Iron Horse

12/14 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House

1/26-31/25 – Miami, FL – The Rock Boat XXIV




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky


FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Collective

Collective Soul

Tuesday, April 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

Tuesday

Tuesday Night Record Club - Tom Petty, Damn the Torpedoes

Tuesday, April 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Monmouth University - The Great Hall
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

Coltrane

Coltrane 100: Both Directions at Once

Wednesday, April 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJ 08540
category: music


 

The

The Patrice Pike Band

Wednesday, April 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre Studio
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Jax

Jax Hollow

Wednesday, April 08, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info





 

EVENT PREVIEWS

The

The Vogel presents Chris Pinnella & The Big Band Project

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Get ready for an electrifying afternoon of music as Chris Pinnella & The Big Band Project take the stage on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at The Vogel, delivering a high-energy, crowd-pleasing concert experience that reimagines the sound of a classic big band for today's audiences. Showtime is 3:00pm.



Krakauer

Krakauer & Tagg's Good Vibes Explosion comes to OCC's Grunin Center on Sunday

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College will come alive with the energy and extraordinary sounds of Krakauer & Tagg's Good Vibes Explosion on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3:00pm.



South

South Jersey Jazz Association To Honor Bob Ferguson At Awards Ceremony on April 30th

(LINWOOD, NJ) -- The South Jersey Jazz Society will honor trumpeter Bob Ferguson with the 2026 George Mesterhazy Jazz Master Award at a gala event on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at Linwood Country Club. The award, named for a much-beloved local jazz pianist who made a lasting mark on the great American art form of jazz, is given to individuals who have greatly contributed to the performance of jazz both locally and nationally.



New

New Jersey Symphony presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem

(NEWARK, NJ) -- With just three programs remaining on the 2025–26 season, Music Director Xian Zhang conducts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem, the composer's final composition last performed by New Jersey Symphony in 2018, from April 16-19, 2026. Mysteriously commissioned and incomplete at the time of Mozart's death, the Requiem is widely regarded as one of the composer's most accomplished works. Written for a funeral Mass, the music is intensely emotional, ranging from powerful drama to languid sorrow to serene tenderness.



The

The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on April 17th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Simple Gifts on Friday, April 17, 2026 at Christ Congregation Church. Two women plus ten instruments equal one good time when the award-winning duo of Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon take the stage. Showtime is 8:00pm.