CAT RIDGEWAY & THE TOURISTS

You can’t help but be excited when talking about Orlando singer songwriter Cat Ridgeway.  She is a hard person to summarize because she is, for lack of a better word, an anomaly.  Her infectious energy and contagious enthusiasm in everything she creates is electric, while her passion and commitment to her music radiate through her fiery blend of indie-rock and punk with hints of dream pop and folk.  A skilled lyricist and melodist, Ridgeway is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, harmonica, trumpet, trombone, drums, piano, mandolin, and bass – sometimes playing three instruments at once while looping!  Not only a gifted musician, she is also an audio/visual synesthete. Cross-wired sensory pathways in her brain allow her to see colors, shapes, and textures when she hears and plays music, intensifying her creative process.  With all this energy bundled into one dynamic person, it’s no wonder she almost always has a coffee in hand.  Her passion for all things coffee has led her to start her own roasting company: Jitter Coffee Roasters. Pick up a bag of her signature roast at a show, and she’ll talk to you for hours about the intricacies of the beans, the sourcing, and the science behind the roasting process.

Ridgeway, along with the revolving members of her touring band, The Tourists, create a sweaty, energetic, exciting party with each live show. It’s not uncommon to see them play musical chairs as they switch places and instruments on stage. You never know where a band member will end up or what will happen, from seeing Ridgeway jump behind the drums or watching a mosh pit open up in the crowd.  Anything and everything goes.  Expect the unexpected.

With her upcoming album Sprinter, Ridgeway overcame the challenges of understanding the fragility of human existence, duality of life and death, and her encounters with those close to her struggling with mental health.  Sprintercame together in a “serendipitous way,” says Ridgeway.   While at a Kishi Bashi show on New Year’s Eve of 2023 in Athens, GA, Ridgeway watched in awe as Mike Savino (Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees) got on stage and blew her mind. “I don’t know how to describe it aside from calling it spiritual, but I just intuitively KNEW he was the person I needed to work with on this record,” said Ridgeway. After the show, she reached out to him through Instagram and, to her absolute delight, Savino responded telling her he’d just built a studio in Asheville, NC.  She sent him her music, and soon after, he invited her to record there. While Ridgeway and Savino co-produced and played multiple instruments on the album, Sprinter was mastered by Joe LaPorta of Sterling Sound (David Bowie, Foo Fighters) and mixed by Dan Molad of Lucius and Coco (JD McPherson, Pavo Pavo, Here We Go Magic).  All-star players include Claude Coleman, Jr. (Ween) and Josiah Wolf (WHY?) on drums, Adam Schatz (Sylvan Esso, Japanese Breakfast) on sax, some of The Tourists, and even Ridgeway’s dad, “Papa Ridge.”

Self-described by Ridgeway as “indie rock for overthinkers” and a departure from her previous Americana success (more on that later), Sprinter contains a varied mix of 12 songs that draw the listener in as Ridgeway reckons with the fragility and dualities of life, with moments of poignancy and humor sparkling through her soundscapes.  The title track “Sprinter,” was written about Ridgeway’s friend who lost her battle with mental health. “She was a runner, which I found poetic because of how much she metaphorically ran from her problems. I felt like I was doing the same thing. But then I realized by writing this record, I was running straight into everything I’d been avoiding processing. It may have been in different directions, but we both ran, so it only felt right to call the record ‘Sprinter,’” says Ridgeway.  In doing so, Ridgeway discovered a theme of resilience in her lyrics, and a certain playfulness emerged in conjunction with the themes of death and loss. “I realized I had stalled while processing everything that had happened to and around me, and I had been living in my head for far too long. ‘Sprinter’ is me learning to laugh again,” says Ridgeway. Friend and mentor Livingston Taylor helped guide her through some of the editing process of the tune. “I think it’s one of the strongest lyrics I’ve ever written, and I’m very grateful to have had his support in carving the marble away,” says Ridgeway. 

Other tracks on the album include the first single “Epilogue,” a stomp and holler-esque punk rock explosion hinging off a recklessly played, overdriven banjo.  The song serves as a dissertation on her relationship with religion and death. The tender “Cursive” is about Ridgeway learning to experience and appreciate a love that is patient.   A few years ago, while playing 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida, she happened to be rooming with Lucy Dacus (Boy Genius).  Ridgeway had the chance to play her the beginnings of the song. “When Lucy told me she thought the melody was beautiful, I felt like I was really onto something… her melodies are always very strong, and I deeply respect her writing,” says Ridgeway.  So, when she and Mike got into the studio on day one, this was the song they started with. Mike created an ethereal loop with a banjola, and everything spun out from there in an effortless, natural way.  “It was the very beginning of the most beautiful creative partnership I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, let alone my career, and the intro specifically will always take me right back to sitting on the floor in his studio,” says Ridgeway. The synth-filled Zillennial anthem “Look Ma, No Plans!” is Ridgeway’s take on the good old American Dream.  The folk-tinged “Restless Leg Syndrome” was written when Ridgeway realized how much peace traveling and constant movement brought her while she was studying abroad in Australia. Ridgeway’s dad plays djembe on the track.

Ridgeway has gathered countless accolades on the way to recording Sprinter. In 2016, indie rock duo Tegan and Sara personally selected her as the winner of their worldwide cover contest for the song “Stop Desire” after being impressed by her prowess across five different instruments that she self-recorded – guitar, drums, keys, trumpet, bass.  In 2020 she released the album Nice to Meet You marking her debut to radio. Her lead single “Giving You Up” was the #5 most-added Americana single, reached #6 on the Americana Bubblin’ Up chart, and moved up 129 spots to #71 on the Americana single chart. While these numbers may seem modest, they are quite impressive for an indie artist debuting to commercial radio for the very first time.  Also in 2020, Ridgeway caught the attention of hit songwriter Shawn Mullins (known for his 1998 chart-topper “Lullaby”). The two became fast friends and have since played many shows together.  They also became collaborative partners, co-writing and releasing “Give Me Love,” which cracked the top 100 on AAA radio.  In recent years, Orlando Weekly thrice named Ridgeway Orlando’s “Best Singer-Songwriter” and twice named Cat Ridgeway & The Tourists “Best Rock Act.”  

All this experience under her belt, Ridgeway has directly supported and shared bills with acts like Lucy Dacus, Sylvan Esso, Houndmouth, and Arcade Fire, among others, and has also played many notable stages and festivals including 30A Songwriters Festival, Okeechobee Music and Arts Fest, and House of Blues Orlando. With Sprinter, Ridgeway is poised to catapult herself onto the national stage.  Her mission as an artist is to form a welcoming community within the songs and live shows and to encourage people to take the scenic route of life. As she puts it, “Sometimes you take a turn, and the road gets sketchy, or you realize you need to turn around, but there’s always something to be gained from taking that path. And usually, you get a good story or joke out of whatever happened.”

FRIEND OF A FRIEND:

Friend of a Friend formed in the summer of 2020 after a lifetime just missing each other. Since the 2022 release of their debut album “In Arms,” they’ve toured relentlessly throughout Europe and North America. Their sophomore album “FACILITIES” was recorded in Joshua Tree, California with Jordan Lawlor (M83, J. Laser) and released in the spring of 2024.

FOAF has been named an artist to watch by Rolling Stone, an “American Visionary Duo” by Mesmerized, an “indie rock band taking the scene by storm” by Wonderland Magazine, a “cultural phenomenon” by Extravafrench, “sonic visionaries” by Plastic Magazine, “the next huge thing in indie rock” by Each Measure, “seamlessly intriguing” by Obscure Sound. Their third album is due for release under Earth Libraries in the spring of 2025.