HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fitz and the Tantrums are an American
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
and
neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...
band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals),
Noelle Scaggs Noelle Scaggs (born October 8, 1979) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, known as the co-lead singer of the pop group Fitz and the Tantrums. Scaggs has also had numerous collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, Dilated ...
(co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, flute, keyboard, percussion and guitar), Joseph Karnes (bass guitar), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards) and John Wicks (drums and percussion). Their debut studio album, '' Pickin' Up the Pieces'', was released in August 2010 on indie label
Dangerbird Records Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is home to artists from around the world and part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. The label has had international success from its small roster of a ...
and received critical acclaim. It reached No. 1 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Heatseekers chart. The band signed to their current label Elektra Records in early 2013 and went on to release their second LP, ''
More Than Just a Dream ''More Than Just a Dream'' is the second studio album by American band Fitz and the Tantrums, released on May 7, 2013, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, M83, Depeche Mode, Phoenix) at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles ...
,'' the same year. Their self-titled third album was released in 2016, which contains their most notable song "
HandClap A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...
". Their fourth studio album, ''All the Feels'', was released in 2019.


History


Early history

Fitz and the Tantrums was founded by Michael Fitzpatrick in 2008. Having purchased an old Conn electronic organ, he was inspired to write the song "Breakin' the Chains of Love" that same night. He contacted his college friend, saxophonist James King, who recommended singer
Noelle Scaggs Noelle Scaggs (born October 8, 1979) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, known as the co-lead singer of the pop group Fitz and the Tantrums. Scaggs has also had numerous collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, Dilated ...
and drummer John Wicks. In turn, Wicks brought in bassist Joseph Karnes and keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna. According to Fitzpatrick, the band immediately clicked. He has said, "It was literally like five phone calls, one rehearsal, and we could have played a show that night." The band performed their first show at
Hotel Café The Hotel Café is a live music venue located off an alley on the Cahuenga Boulevard strip in Hollywood, California, United States, that has become known for helping to establish the careers of new singer-songwriters in the 2000s. The venue began ...
in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...
, in December 2008, which Fitzpatrick booked one week after their first rehearsal. In interviews, he has stated the importance of booking a date before the band was ready, in order to bring out the best in all performers. During the first half of 2009, they performed at several clubs in Los Angeles, including the
Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established as The Viper Room in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp. The other part owner was Sal J ...
and Spaceland. Before Joseph Karnes was brought into the band, the previous bassist, Ethan Phillips was with the band for the first EP, and a part of their first album, "Pickin' Up The Pieces". The band recorded their debut EP, '' Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1'', during the first half of 2009 at Fitzpatrick's home in Los Angeles. The EP was first released on August 11, 2009, through Canyon Productions. In September 2009 they toured with Hepcat and
Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly. ...
. In November 2009 the band opened eight concerts on the Maroon 5's Back to School Tour. Their appearance was on short notice, after previously scheduled opener K'naan cancelled due to fatigue in late October. According to Fitzpatrick, "
Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine (; born March 18, 1979) is an American singer and songwriter. He serves as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, of which ...
from Maroon 5 was in New York to get a tattoo, and his favorite tattoo artist had downloaded the record after hearing us on the radio. He told Adam, 'you gotta hear this band.' A week and a half later, we're opening for Maroon 5 on their college tour." In December 2009 the band shot the official music video for their first single, "Breakin' the Chains of Love", which was directed by Joshua Leonard. It features Fitzpatrick and Scaggs in a moving and rotating bed.


''Pickin' Up the Pieces''

In March 2010 Fitz and the Tantrums played at the
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
festival in Austin, Texas. On April 15, 2010, they opened for
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...
legends
The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynv ...
on their North American reunion tour at
Club Nokia Club Nokia was a mobile internet digital distribution portal, similar to an App Store, operated by Nokia to provide special offers, paid-for ringtones, picture messages and game content directly to members. Following resistance from its mobile ope ...
in Los Angeles. On April 26, 2010,
Dangerbird Records Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is home to artists from around the world and part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. The label has had international success from its small roster of a ...
announced that they had signed Fitz and the Tantrums. Their first full-length album, '' Pickin' Up the Pieces,'' was released on August 24, 2010. Producer Chris Seefried was also a co-writer on the album. In October 2010, Daryl Hall invited the band to perform on his popular web-series '' Live From Daryl's House''. They played a seven-song set including four FATT songs, early Hall song "Girl I Love You", "Perkiomen" and finishing with "
Sara Smile "Sara Smile" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Hall & Oates. It was released as the third single from their album ''Daryl Hall & John Oates''. The song was the group's first top 40 and first top ten hit in the US, reachin ...
". "I walked back into the kitchen of his big old house in upstate New York, and his mother was there," recalled Fitzpatrick. "She said, 'Fitz, come over here. You sound just like my son!'" The band performed the songs " MoneyGrabber" and " Don't Gotta Work It Out" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Los Angeles on January 12, 2011. On February 28 they performed "MoneyGrabber" on TBS' Conan, and on April 5 on NBC's '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', they performed the song again. In 2011 the band announced a U.S. and international tour with April Smith and the Great Picture Show. In the fall of 2011, they made their first appearance at
Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...
. On Friday, February 3, 2012, they performed "Don't Gotta Work It Out" on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Episode 581, taped for broadcast at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. They performed a free show at
Thursday at the Square ''Thursday at the Square'' was a free weekly concert series held annually from May through August in downtown Buffalo, New York at Lafayette Square. History The first year of the series was held in downtown Buffalo at the corner of Main and Chi ...
in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Southe ...
, on June 14, 2012, and at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 7, 2012.


''More Than Just a Dream''

The band's second LP, ''
More Than Just a Dream ''More Than Just a Dream'' is the second studio album by American band Fitz and the Tantrums, released on May 7, 2013, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, M83, Depeche Mode, Phoenix) at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles ...
'', was released May 7, 2013, on Elektra Records. It was produced by
Tony Hoffer Tony Hoffer is an American record producer, songwriter, and music mixer. Career Hoffer is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air. His records have bee ...
. The album features the lead single " Out of My League", which reached number one on ''Billboard'''s
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart on September 30, 2013. A French version of "Out of My League" was also released and played on Canadian radio. This version has most of the verses sung in French, while the chorus remains in English. The second single from ''More Than Just a Dream'', " The Walker", also reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Alternative songs chart. In October 2014 FATT returned to the
Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-bas ...
and played both weekends of the expanded festival.


''Fitz and the Tantrums''

In March 2016, the band released the lead single, "
HandClap A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...
", off their self-titled album. The album was released on June 10, 2016, and was supported by the 2016 Get Right Back Summer Tour. In July 2016 FATT performed at Slossfest in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fro ...
. The band supported OneRepublic on the 2017 Honda Civic Tour which began on July 7, 2017.


''All the Feels''

On March 20, 2019, the band released the single "123456" from their fourth studio album. The second single, "Don't Ever Let Em", was released on April 17 of the same year, followed by "I Need Help!" on May 3, and then the title track of the album, "All the Feels" on June 28. The album, '' All the Feels'', consists of 17 songs and was released on September 20, 2019, through Elektra Records.


''Let Yourself Free''

On June 10, 2022, the band released the single "Sway" through Elektra Records. This was followed by the single "Moneymaker" on September 27, 2022, along with the announcement of their fifth studio album ''Let Yourself Free'', which was released on November 11, 2022.


Musical style

Fitzpatrick has said that the band's musical style can be fairly described as "soul-influenced indie pop." He noted that while the band is influenced by the classic songs of the Motown and Stax record labels, the band is not trying to create an exact replica of that music. In another interview, Fitzpatrick talked about his decision not to use guitars in the band. "I did want to try and make a big sounding record without guitars," he said. "For me, I just feel like in any music that has a band, the guitar is always there, it's always featured, it's always prevalent. I'm just sick of hearing it."


Critical reception

'' Los Angeles Times'' music critic Ann Powers wrote, "Fitz & the Tantrums is the kind of band that communicates best in concert, but this album serves as a fine proxy and party-starter." Aly Comingore of the '' Santa Barbara Independent'' wrote that the band members craft "soulful, nostalgia pop that's not only infectious, but just fresh enough to make it stand apart from its predecessors." The band was heralded as a "band to watch" in an April 2011 profile in '' Rolling Stone''. In June 2011, ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' named Fitz and the Tantrums the "Hardest-Working Band" of the 2011 summer festival circuit. "Not only do L.A.–based six-piece Fitz and the Tantrums share James Brown’s penchant for snazzy-dressed brass bands and feel-good retro ballads, they also have the late godfather of soul’s tireless work ethic." Their third album has been described as "a product of contemporary market forces and a depressing relic of an era of the music industry best forgotten."


Band members

Current members * Michael Fitzpatrick – lead vocals and keyboards (2008–present) *
Noelle Scaggs Noelle Scaggs (born October 8, 1979) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, known as the co-lead singer of the pop group Fitz and the Tantrums. Scaggs has also had numerous collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, Dilated ...
– co-lead vocals and percussion (2008–present) * James King – saxophones, flute, harmonica, keyboards, percussion and guitar (2008–present) *Joseph Karnes – bass guitar (2010–present) *Jeremy Ruzumna – keyboards (2008–present) * John Wicks – drums and percussion (2008–present) Former members *Ethan Phillips – bass guitar (2008-2010)


Timeline


Discography

* '' Pickin' Up the Pieces'' (2010) * ''
More Than Just a Dream ''More Than Just a Dream'' is the second studio album by American band Fitz and the Tantrums, released on May 7, 2013, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, M83, Depeche Mode, Phoenix) at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles ...
'' (2013) * '' Fitz and the Tantrums'' (2016) * '' All the Feels'' (2019) * ''Let Yourself Free'' (2022)


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2008 establishments in California American soul musical groups Indie pop groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 2008 American neo soul singers Elektra Records artists Dangerbird Records artists