Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
Featured on national TV shows like the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, their most recent appearance was the 2017 Puppy Bowl broadcast on Animal Planet. Tuna and the Rock Cats did the half-time honors with a performance from Kitty Gaga in her vegan meat dress!
…And if you are, then you probably know that the Chicago-based The Amazing Acro-cats are returning to Arlington later this year for a run of shows at the Regent Theatre (September 2 to 4), and they are bringing along the world’s only all-feline band and stars of the 2017 Puppy Bowl halftime show, The Rock Cats.
All together now: This. Is. PAWSOME!
Of course, we’ve written about The Rock Cats and their fuzzy acrobatic brethren a few times before on Vanyaland, but it seems there has been a bit of a shakeup in the band’s world. Frontcat Tuna reportedly passed away back in January from oral cancer, but the press releases still list the meowcalist as part of the band.
Is there a new Tuna? Is this the cat version of Menudo? Or are they just keeping the name on the marquee after the tragic death of their leader as some sort of raised glass of Apollo Creek’s Fur Loco in honor of their fallen cowbell-playing caterwauler?
We’ll find out this September. But first, here’s some background:
“The Amazing Acro-cats Featuring Tuna and the Rock Cats are a troupe of REAL performing house cats. The Acro-cats experience all started with Chief Executive Human (CEH for short) and animal trainer Samantha Martin. She has not only rescued her own pets, but also has found happy homes for over 200 homeless cats and kittens. Using the magic of clicker training (a stress-free positive reinforcement method) Samantha and the cats take their newfound amazing abilities on the road, and tour the nation’s stages in the infamous Acro-cat bus! A portion of the proceeds always benefits our mobile foster and rescue efforts. They have cats riding skateboards, jumping through hoops, and Alley, our rising star, has even leapt into the Guinness Book of World Records, holding the record for the longest cat jump!”
The current Rock Cat lineup, which is composed of rescued housecats, features a trio of returning players — Oz on guitar, Asti on drums, and Nue on keyboard — and a few new additions to the band including Ahi and Albacore playing cowbell and woodblocks and Buggles on trumpet. The Rock Cats are even widening their species horizon, bringing in a chicken named Cluck Norris to play tambourine.
Tuna would be proud.
Tickets are priced between $24 and $39 and are available at both at circuscats.com and the Regent Theatre box office.