Fitz and the Tantrums have only been together since 2008, but they sound as if they’ve been playing together for much longer. This incredibly tight band of performers boasts a killer horn section, rock steady rhythm section, and the stunning blend of male and female vocalists Michael ‘Fitz’ Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs. What really impressed me about this group wasn’t just the fact that they had no guitar player (What? A funky pop group with no guitar player??), but the fact that the vocalists didn’t feel the need to upstage any of their fellow comrades. The bari sax player had a short vocal solo that threw me for a loop, and the fact that Fitz and Noelle moved to the side and let him step into the spotlight at Sunset Junction with utter nonchalance as if to say ‘Yes, this is how it should be done’ made me like this band all the more.

Inspired by funk, jazz, Motown, and big band music, Fitz and the Tantrums aren’t your grandmother’s crooners from 50 years ago. But they build on the foundations of the greats, giving me pause to reconsider the (unfortunately) aging genre. Fitz infuses hot new blood into a style that desparately needs new life, giving younger audiences a great reason to get interested in revamped retro.

In addition to beeing stellar performers, the stage show and interaction with the audience was awe-inspiring in a world where many are ‘too hip’ to dance. Noelle got the crowd riled up with some outrageous tambourine playing, Fitz egging her on and challenging the crowd to dance and clap along with them. For their single ‘MoneyGrabber’, Fitz dared the crowd to twist as low as they could go, informing everyone that he would be ‘calling out’ those who weren’t willing to dance. And call out he did, but in a good-natured way: “Hey you! Good-looking guy with no shirt on!” Fitz called, the crowd chuckling along with him and the gentleman he was referring to. “You in the cool hat and mustard-colored shirt! Yeah, you! It’s hard to hide in that shirt, so you’re gonna have to dance!” After that, everyone was crouched on the ground, twisting and grinning, until Fitz called for us to spring up again. Having that kind of power over such a sizeable crowd without coming off narcissistic requires true class and talent, something that Fitz and the Tantrums have in spades.

Fitz and the Tantrums will be performing live at Amoeba Music Tuesday, August 24^th at 7:00pm in celebration of their new album Pickin’ Up the Pieces. Amoeba Music is located at 6400 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. It’s an all-ages show, and admission is free!

 

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