A relatively new LA band, ‘Fitz and the Tantrums’ was playing yesterday night at Spaceland, and there was a giveaway on theradiofreesilverlake website.
‘Fitz and the Tantrums’ have benefited from airplay on KCRW, and in just a year they have been catapulted under the spot lights so that they ended up touring with Maroon 5. They are about to release their first album ‘Pickin’ Up the Pieces’ on Dangerbird Records at the end of August.
They are a six-piece ensemble, dressed in 50’s classy narrow black suits and thin ties, with a saxophone section, a pretty rare thing these days, two vocalists, a male and a female, a vintage keyboard, a bass, a drum set and no guitar, but as a result, a big soul sound largely influenced by the Motown era as if it was 1969 again, although you can detect some more recent influences here and there.
That’s the beauty of bands using a familiar sound, you immediately get it, and I will be willing to check out if they are the next hot soul band, if they are really going to bring back the magic Motown sound. I have just listened to one of their songs ‘Breakin’ the chains of love’ which has been largely pumped up with rhythm & blues, the foot-tapping-on-the-floor type, which would make an audience move their hips on the dance floor. ‘Breakin’ the chains of love’, ‘Chain of Fools’, ‘Chain gang’, ‘Chain reaction’, even the vocabulary seems similar.
Unfortunately, I did not win the giveaway, although I received an email from the organizer telling me that Radio Free Silver Lake hadn’t pulled my name out of the hat as a winner of free entry to the Spaceland show, but that it would be great to see the giveaway go to such a good use (I told him I was reviewing shows).
But that’s fine I will have other occasions to see them live as they are playing again on July 15th at the Hammer Museum as part of the free ‘Also I Like to Rock series’, and on August 22nd at the Sunset Junction