Their music has been described as neo-soul and indie pop, but Fitz & The Tantrums’ sound is hard to define and that’s a good thing. Having released its debut album in 2010, the sextet led by charismatic frontman Michael Fitzpatrick blends elements of pop, soul and rock into a unique style of its own. On Friday, Oct. 10, Fitz & The Tantrums will return to Birmingham with a performance at Iron City. I Am Dynamite will open the 8 p.m. show. Currently, Fitz is on tour in support of the 2013 Elektra Records release More Than Just A Dream. Recently, we caught up with Jeremy Ruzumna, the band’s keyboardist, by phone on a rare off-day at his Los Angeles home.
Weld: Jeremy, thanks for your time. Is there a way to summarize the whirlwind ride your band has been on during the past four years?
Jeremy Ruzumna: It’s been a whirlwind, but the funny thing is we don’t see the success from day-to-day. We’re doing the same thing we always do, which is getting on a stage and trying to play our asses off for everybody. You know what’s happening because you get emails and texts from friends and family, but for us the day-to-day really stays the same. We do a show, we get on the bus, we go to sleep and do it all over again the next day in a new city.
Weld: If you will, talk about the writing and recording for More Than Just A Dream. Did the material come quickly or over a period of time?
JR: It was a few different things. [Hit song] “6AM” had been played live for over a year. A lot of the songs were written in a frenzy of writing. All in all, maybe 40 songs were on the table that we had to choose from. A few of the songs happened from band jam sessions that we recorded and Fitz would take it home and piece it together. It’s a lot of different approaches.
Weld: Your band is known for its melding of several musical styles. Is that a conscious effort or just an outflow of all you’ve absorbed over the years?
JR: I think that no matter what you do, you have your influences and your childhood memories of music and movies. Somehow it gets synthesized into this thing that comes out and it gets exponentially more interesting when you have six people having those visions.
Tickets to the show are $27. For more information, visit ironcitybham.com.
