Ruth Cattle went against everything, jokes vocalist and guitarist Michael Cerveris.
It usually takes time for bands to record and work on holiday music outside of the studio. But the New Orleans-based Americana band got their start in 2013 with a live album and released a well-received Christmas record a few years later.
In 2021, more than a decade after Cerveris and vocalist Kimberly Kaye started Loose Cattle while living in New York, the band finally released a studio-recorded full-length that better captures the band’s gritty alt-country spirit. Released “Heavy Lifting”.
Still, while “Heavy Lifting” includes several songs written by Cerveris and Kaye, Ruth Cattle also includes songs such as Vic Chesnutt’s “Aunt Avis” and Buddy Miller and Julie Miller’s “Gasoline”. They leaned toward putting their own spin on favorite songs by other artists, such as “And Much.” and a raucous mashup of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and CeeLo Green’s “Fuck You.”
Now, Loose Cattle’s latest studio album, Someone’s Monster, finds the band focusing on their songwriting. The album, which will be released November 1st on Single Rock Records, includes mostly original songs written by Cerveris and Kaye, as well as three interesting cover songs.
After “Heavy Lifting,” “Kim and I said to each other, ‘We want to write the next record,'” Cerveris says. “And we were confident that we could and would do that.”
During the pandemic shutdown, Cerveris and Kaye found themselves with a lot of time on their hands, trying to get through the heaviness of 2020. Cerveris says many of the songs on “Someone’s Monster” began to develop during that time.
In late 2022, the band (Cerveris, Kaye, bassist Rene Coman, drummer Doug Garrison, and fiddler Rurik Nunan) will work with Dinosaur Jr., Son Volt, Waxahatchee, and more at Dockside Studios in Morris. The album was recorded with producer John Agnello, who has worked with him.
“When we were together in the dockside studio, I realized that I hadn’t been with people for a period of time, about two years at that point, and it felt very special to me. ” says Kay. “Community is really important.”
The album’s title, “Someone’s Monster,” is a nod to the fact that anyone can hurt someone. But it depends on how we deal with that reality. And throughout the album, Loose Cattle leans into its progressive worldview, adopting an empathetic, humanity-focused lens.
In addition to original songs, Loose Cattle also featured guest vocals from acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, and also gave a nod to Lady Gaga’s “Joanne.” And in the second half of the album, Loose Cattle covers Williams’ “Crescent City.”
The band also includes Lafayette musician Johanna Devine’s “Big Night Out,” which Kaye describes as “a provocative, sarcastic, booze-filled ode to the realities of midlife awakening.” It is written. Divine also plays lap steel on the track.
Williams isn’t the only notable Americana artist to appear on “Someone’s Monster.” Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood lends his voice to “The Shoals,” a southern rock song written by Cerveris about Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And while the album features guest appearances by many great musicians, including Jay Gonzalez, Alex McMurray, John Graboff, vocalists Debbie Davis, Arsene DeLay, and Meschiya Lake, here we’ll talk about Kaye and It’s called The Coven Choir, in homage to the witchy New Orleans supergroup.
Cerveris and Kaye are music veterans. Kay is a trained vocalist and trumpeter who performed with her own ska band on the Warped Tour circuit. Cerveris toured as guitarist for Bob Mold of Hüsker Dü. He is a Tony Award-winning actor currently playing Jerry Falwell in the Broadway production of Tammy Faye.
The two were once in a romantic relationship and formed Loose Cattle to play casual gigs around New York. The duo moved to New Orleans and although the relationship did not last, they remained close friends and grew Ruth Cattle. The band became an established part of New Orleans’ inclusive Americana community.
“When it started, Michael and I were a couple and I was in my 20s and trying to be a backyard party band,” Kay says. “Obviously something is different now. But we didn’t force it…I’m in my 40s now, and a lot has happened to the world and all of us. As we’ve gotten smarter, the way we communicate has changed.”
For more information about Loose Cattle, including “Someone’s Monster,” visit loosecattleband.com.
