Video: Michael Cerveris and Loose Cattle Share Lead Track 'Further On' From New LP

“Part of the reason why we gravitated towards Americana and country music was that the tradition was so full of complicated characters, and storytelling,’ says Grammy- and Tony-Winner Michael Cerveris, who along with Kimberly Kaye, fronts Loose Cattle, a band who have been part of New Orleans, Louisiana’s uniquely diverse and eclectic roots music scene for over a decade.

The pair of bandleaders—a one-time couple, enduring friends, and lifelong working artists—put such an emphasis on character development and storyline because, well, they’ve spent most of their lives acting, singing, and playing, logging hours under stage lights on- and off-Broadway, in punk clubs and on Warped Tour stops, and in honky tonks and classic theaters country-wide. And with their upcoming release, Someone’s Monster—out November 1st on Single Lock Records—Loose Cattle have taken the reins and written their own roles for their first LP where original compositions take center stage. They’ve also written in parts for friends like Lucinda Williams, members of Drive By Truckers, and the Grammy-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers who make guest appearances throughout Someone’s Monster. 

“We may have started as a very casual cover band, but that’s not where we’ve landed,” says Kaye. Take for example the hard-rocking, REM-inspired album-opener, “Further On,” penned by Cerveris in the throes of the pandemic when vaccines and reopenings were starting to give everyone hope that life might be returning to “normal.” “And that’s when things got even darker, and people got even weirder,” remembers Cerveris. “When things were at their darkest, I had this faint hope that this all might be a real turning point around the world. I guess my years of watching sci-fi movies had given me visions of the way humanity always shows up when invaders from another planet threaten life on earth.” “Further On” ended up being Loose Cattle’s attempt to reckon with the idea that the global threat to humans was being turned into another opportunity to sow hate, lies, and fear in an already vulnerable populace. “I knew we knew better, I just thought we would have been better.”

“When Michael sent his first draft of the chorus to me during the Pandemic, I immediately thought ‘god dammit, I hate how this one sentence sums it all up so succinctly,’” says Kaye. “Now it’s 2024, so much time has passed, and somehow that one line is summing up even more, even more succinctly.” Musically, “Further On” is a full-blown rocker, drenched in Rurik Nunan’s foreboding minor-key fiddle embellishments. “I’m infatuated with Rurik’s fiddling on this song,” says Kaye. “Sonically, I feel like ‘Further On’ is a Molotov cocktail being thrown out a front door as a greeting, and his violin communicates how flammable our collective frustration feels so clearly.”  

Fans can stream or purchase “Further On” now and pre-order or pre-save Someone’s Monster ahead of its November 1st release on Single Lock Records right here. Make note of the band's NYC release show at Joe's Pub on Nov. 18 with Nashville and New Orleans release shows to be announced soon. For more information, please visit HERE.

In addition to the album announcement, Loose Cattle’s Michael Cerveris has also just been announced as the newest member of the cast of Tammy Faye, a new Broadway production which Financial Times called a “divinely delirious glitz-bomb of a musical.” The musical, which features music by Elton John and lyrics by Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, will begin preview performances on October 19th and will officially open on November 14th. For more information, click here. 

Someone’s Monster Tracklist

Further On

Joanne

Cheneyville

Here’s That Attention You Ordered

God’s Teeth

Crescent City

Before We Begin

Not Over Yet

The Shoals

Antiversary

Big Night Out

Tender Mercy