When Michael Fitzpatrick and the rest of the Tantrums take the stage Saturday night at the Roots ’N Blues ’N BBQ Festival, fans can appreciate a retro-blues sound that might have never been.
“I didn’t even have an intention of starting a band,” Fitz says. “I was just losing my mind heartbroken over a girl and just needed to write some songs.”
The neo-soul, indie pop band — which has found recent radio success for the hit single “Moneygrabber” — formed in 2008. It had its big break after a successful five-song EP led to touring with prominent acts like Maroon 5. But the band might have never started without the help of a vintage organ.
“The ex-girlfriend called and says, ‘I know we’re not supposed to be talking but there’s this vintage organ that my neighbor’s selling, and I know you collect keyboards. Are you interested? It’s 50 bucks,’” Fitz says. “I was like, ‘Put the money in the guy’s hands right now.’”
Once Fitz had the organ in his living room, he wrote “Breaking the Chains of Love,” the first track of the band’s debut album, _Pickin’ Up the Pieces_.
After writing a couple songs, Fitz approached his college friend James King, who now plays saxophone and flute for the band.
“A couple phone calls later and we’re lucky enough to put together a group of musicians,” Fitz says. “It’s been a crazy ride these last two and a half years.”
The other musicians are Noelle Scaggs (backup vocals and tambourine), Joseph Karnes (bass), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards) and John Wicks (drums).
You might notice a prominent instrumentalist missing from that list. Fitz and the Tantrums don’t use guitars in their music.
“In those first songs, I was just really sort of feeling like the guitar is always featured in a live music setup and it’d be really interesting to sort of try and do a band without guitars and see if we could create a full, big, vibrant sound without it,” Fitz says.
The decision has helped the band develop a sound that sets it apart from many other indie-pop bands around today.
“It creates a little bit of a different sonic experience for the listeners, and they might not realize it at first, but we’ve definitely made it our own,” Fitz says.
Motown and ’60s soul music influence the band’s sound, according to Fitz.
Add in some ’80s new wave, a little bit of hip-hop and the vintage suits band members don in concert and you find a band with the spunk and class of earlier times bringing a new flare on blues into the 21st century.
Roots ’N Blues representatives approached Fitz and the Tantrums several months ago to headline the main stage Saturday night.
The show will begin at 9 p.m. on the Mpix Stage at Seventh and Locust streets.
“Anytime we get to play in front of a new crowd, we’re always into it,” Fitz says. “Plus, I’m a big fan of some barbecue.”
Festival-goers can expect to stay on their feet once Fitz and the Tantrums take the stage.
“We play 150 percent every show, like it’s our last, just really trying to give it our all and to win over as many new fans as we can wherever we go,” Fitz says. “It’s really a celebration of music. A lot of dancing is required, that’s for sure.”
After Roots ’N Blues, the band will embark on a prominent fall tour across the eastern U.S. Fitz says come January, he and the Tantrums will likely begin work on their next record.
