Fitz and The Tantrums
I thought this could only happen in England.
From the ska movement to Duffy and Adele retro-soul has always had a home in the U.K. But in America we’ve been too busy chasing beats, living in a hip-hop nation.
What to make of the new sensation Fitz and The Tantrums? The band doesn’t even have a guitar player!
Used to be we waited for a tastemaker, radio or MTV, to give its imprimatur before we paid attention to a new act. But with MTV having ceded its network to nitwit reality stars and radio having gone corporate music is now in the hands of the proletariat.
It’s hard to keep up, the sheer volume is overwhelming. Then the pieces come together and suddenly you’re on the bandwagon.
The first time Fitz and The Tantrums registered on my radar was on Sirius XM, a few weeks back they were doing a live show on the Spectrum. I didn’t get it.
But then Marc Reiter mentioned the band’s name in a late night conversation at the Fairmont after the Super Bowl.
Then I started getting e-mail:
I just saw the best show ever – Fitz and the Tantrums in Detroit. I’m 50 and felt like I was 25. It was free concert on a prime Friday night. The band members were selling their own merch. People were loving the authentic quality of the music and the hard work the band was clearly demonstrating. The crowd was college age up to retirees. Do you know the marketing strategy behind FT?regards
Lindsay Root
Howell Michigan
Dear Bob,I haven’t been witness to many bands blowing up the way this one is, I hope you will take a look and find out what they have done to pick up momentum like they have. I first heard of them last fall when I logged into my Emusic account (yes, I’m still buying mp3’s on the subscription model) and Fitz and the Tantrums was the featured album that appeared on my login page. And I liked it, so I bought it. Missed their September show in Baltimore at the Ottobar, an alt-rock dive.
But I heard "Moneygrabber" on Philly radio a couple months later (and that’s a single for the ages); by the time they played World Cafe Live in Philly in January, something must have happened, because the place was packed, reportedly a sellout. And it was a great show! No tapes, synths, drum machines, or autotune (or even guitar!). They did a meet’n’greet afterwards. Now they are consistently reporting sellout shows on their Facebook page. They’ve been on Darryl’s House. Their mojo is working. What I am curious about it, HOW ARE THEY DOING IT???
Cheers,
Bill Barnett
And tonight I checked them out.
They’re like a cross between those bands playing in the basement in "Quadrophenia", ABC, the Average White Band and sixties soul music.
They’ve been hiding in plain sight. Waiting to break through. They’ve been on television, NPR, but still most people are clueless. But I don’t think that’s gonna last for long.
The track that closed me was "News 4 U".
The single is "MoneyGrabber".
But I’m gonna point you to this video to make the point:
A great band is not a studio creation. Now more than ever you’ve got to deliver live. Because you can fake it on record, but not in the auditorium. And live there’s an energy…
If this doesn’t make you want to see Fitz and The Tantrums you’ve got no soul.
As for the rest of their work…Â You’ve heard of Google, right?
Needless to say, they’re on Dangerbird. A major is not interested, because there’s no obvious commercial avenue. But now you don’t need one. You’ve got to be willing to work. To persevere. And if you’re good, people will find you.
People are finding Fitz and The Tantrums.
