“Willows Weep”

Now Streaming

Meet us

Alma June and The Persian Cats formed in 2024 as a group of music students at the University of Southern Maine who bonded over a mutual appreciation for bending genres and defying the expectations of conventional songwriting. Soon after their inception, they won the college’s annual Battle of the Bands competition, which earned them an appearance on WMPG’s long-running radio show Local Motives. Their captivating live-on-air performance got them on the radar of Equal Measure Arts, a local nonprofit who has been supporting the band in recording their debut album over the past year as they’ve developed their sound and fleshed out their line-up. Meet the band members here.

The group’s sonic palette is an eclectic blend of musical styles that breaks down rigid genre boundaries. Although it never sidesteps nostalgia, their inventive sound is difficult to compare. The seven-piece features jazz-influenced vocals; classical fingerstyle guitar; neo-romantic viola stylings that weave into free-flowing beats; and intricate upright bass lines juxtaposed with a mournful multi-phonic horn section. In the band’s first year, they have performed for enthusiastic audiences at many local venues, including SPACE Gallery and regular appearances at the Apohadion. They have also participated in fundraiser showcases for Equal Measure Arts at Mayo Street Arts, Blue Portland Maine (in partnership with WMPG), and All Roads Music Festival.

Hear us

The first two singles from our debut album — No Reiki Healer and Willows Weep — are now available to stream!

Alma June plays solo at Mayo Street Arts in January 2025

See us

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:

Black cat
Alma June and The Persian Cats live

Support emerging artists

We have a crowdfunding campaign in-progress to finish our debut album, in partnership with the local nonprofit Equal Measure Arts.