hrowback six-piece Fitz & The Tantrums are reuniting with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings for a leg of her tour, following their inaugural performance this past New Years Eve. The ensemble’s impeccable showmanship, exhilarating live show and funk ‘n’ soul hymns have been turning heads since the release of stellar five-song EP, Breakin’ the Chains of Love, designating them “one of six L.A. bands to seek out at SXSW,” by LA Weekly, while Esquire.com crowned them one of “10 SXSW bands to add to your iPod now.” Quite a coup for this dapper bunch, as they were merely one of thousands! In addition, legends The Specials invited the band to open their Los Angeles show last week before they headed to Coachella.
“It only takes about two minutes and 54 seconds – the length of single “Breakin’ The Chains of Love” – to turn a hard-line skeptic into a rug-cutting fool,” pronounced LA Weekly.
The LA-based sextet whose “DNA owes as much to Hall & Oates as it does The Spinners,” just put the finishing touches on their infectious neo-soul full-length, Pickin’ Up The Pieces,due this year. A burst of effervescent swingers and floor-stompers infused with the energy of eras passed, Fitz and co. make certain their runaway sing-along anthems get cemented in the brain, exactly like a pop song should. It’s no surprise they quickly won the adoration of tastemaking radio station KCRW, who has championed the sharp-dressed band with constant airplay, a performance on “Morning Becomes Eclectic” and a slot on their SXSW showcase sandwiched between Miike Snow and Ozomatli.
Pull out your Motown and Stax collections and start shining your dancing shoes because this summer, the crew will take over hometown Los Angeles haunt Spaceland on Thursdays, for a month-long soul-shaking, hand-clapping residency, beginning June 10.
FITZ & THE TANTRUMS ON TOUR WITH SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
May 8 – Charlottesville, Va. @ Jefferson Theatre
May 9 – Norfolk, Va. @ NorVa
May 11 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
May 12 – Asheville, N.C. @ The Orange Peel
May 13 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Center Stage
May 14 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Cannery Ballroom
May 28 – New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge *
* without Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings