Neptune|Local Event
Anthony D'Amato (of Fantastic Cat) with Special Guest Deseree Spinks Live at JSAC's Palaia Theater
Anthony D’Amato, lauded solo artist and a member of the band Fantastic Cat, will perform Jersey Shore Arts Center's Palaia Theater in Ocean Grove on Saturday, January 24th at 8 PM. Deseree Spinks, a favorite of the Asbury Park music scene, will open the show. Advance tickets are $30 and can be purchased at jerseyshoreartscenter.ticketleap.com/. The show is part of the on-going Split Level Concerts Series which highlights renowned Americana and contemporary folk musicians in a uniquely intimate setting.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Anthony D’Amato first rose to international attention with The Shipwreck From The Shore, his 2014 debut for New West Records. 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 even more 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
After more than a decade in New York City, D’Amato headed west to record his 2022 album, At First There Was Nothing, relocating to American Fork, Utah, for recording sessions with acclaimed songwriter and producer Joshua James. Bristling with joyful energy and piercing insight, the LP draws on everything from hazy ’60s soul to rootsy ’70s rock and roll. The songs are loose and playful, even as they grapple with faith and trust, mortality and loss, resilience and regret, all set against sweeping sonic backdrops every bit as epic and rugged as the landscapes that inspired them. D’Amato followed that release with 2024’s five song EP, The Salvage Sessions, Vol. 1, a collection primarily comprised of acoustic versions of songs previously released on The Shipwreck From The Shore.
D'Amato is also a member of the folk rock supergroup Fantastic Cat, which released its first album, The Very Best Of Fantastic Cat, and made its national TV debut in 2022. Rolling Stone called the album "a wildly satisfying collection of folk-rock, country, Americana, and good old rock & roll" and dubbed the band "the supergroup-you-need-to-know." Their follow-up LP, 2024’s Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat, was hailed by Americana Highways as offering “lots of sharp young voices, hooky melodies, snappy playing and a momentum that begins right at the start.”
Deseree Spinks is a three-time Asbury Music Award-winning performer and lead singer of the band Des & the Swagmatics. Her career began as a backup vocalist in the bands deSoL and Captain James and the P.A.I.N. before branching out into a solo career. As the leader of the Swagmatics, she headlined a show at the Stone Pony this past summer and performed at the kickoff show for the 2025 Asbury Porchfest.
Net ticket proceeds from all Split Level concerts support the programming and arts education offered by the Jersey Shore Arts Center, a non-profit organization serving Ocean Grove and its surrounding areas. In addition, Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts are proud to partner with Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night and Musicians On A Mission (MOAM) to promote the concert series. Musicians On A Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating connection and inspiring giving through music. MOAM will be on hand for all shows in the series, collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to benefit Fulfill (formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County). Concertgoers that visit the MOAM table in the lobby before the show, or during intermission, can learn more about Fulfill’s mission and enter a drawing to win items donated by the artists, 90.5 The Night, and local businesses.
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Photos credit: Vivian Wang