Birmingham SlossFest profile: Fitz and the Tantrums
Fitz and the Tantrums has found chart success and earned a reputation as an electrifying live act. (Contributed)
Performer: Fitz and the Tantrums
Type of music: Soul-influenced indie pop
About: It’s hard to escape the infectious energy from a live Fitz and the Tantrums show. The soul-influenced indie pop band’s powerful, groundbreaking sound challenges genres of music and produces electric live performances that keep audience members on their feet.
Co-lead vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz), originally a studio engineer and aspiring musician, founded the LA-based band in 2008 driven by “a need to be creative and not lose my mind over a breakup.” He combined forces with Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocalist), James King (saxophone, flute), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards), Joseph Karnes (bass) and John Wicks (drums, percussion) to create a masterful sextuplet – retaining all original band members to the present day.
The band’s first album, “Pickin’ Up The Pieces,” debuted in 2010 with a distinctive, soulful R&B-revival sound. With wide critical acclaim, the album featured singles “MoneyGrabber” and “Don’t Gotta Work It Out” that began drawing national radio airplay. “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” ascended to No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and the band was voted “Hardest Working Band” of summer 2011 by Vogue for its ambitious tour and festival appearances.
That electric success has continued with the release of “More Than Just a Dream” in 2013, which featured the gold-certified and No. 1 alternative radio singles “The Walker” and “Out of My League,” and showcased a new wave-influenced dance-pop sound. The release of the band’s third album earlier this year, the self-titled “Fitz and the Tantrums,” brings the audience at SlossFest more tunes, including the popular single “HandClap.”
“To me, the songs on this album offer a release from whatever is going on,” Scaggs says.
You can follow Fitz and the Tantrums on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Source: http://www.fitzandthetantrums.com
Discography: “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” (2010), “More Than Just a Dream” (2013), “Fitz and the Tantrums” (2016).
You might have heard: “The Walker,” “Out of My League,” “Moneygrabber,” “HandClap,” “More Than Just a Dream,” “Fools Gold.”
Playing at SlossFest: Fitz and the Tantrums will perform on the Steam stage Sunday, July 17, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Sloss Music and Arts Festival takes place at the historic Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham July 16-17 and features 40 performers on four stages. Tickets can be purchased here.
