AWARDS:

BEST FEATURE – 2010 Paranoia Film Festival, Los Angeles
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Paranoia Film Fest 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION – ScareFest 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Fright Night Film Fest 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Contamination St.Louis 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Nashville Full Moon Horror Film Fest 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Gatlinburg Screenfest 2011

Since their first show at Hollywood’s Hotel Café in December 2008, Fitz and co. have toured with Maroon 5, played to thousands at Colorado’s world famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre, shared the stage New Year’s Eve with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and performed on KCRW’s esteemed show, Morning Becomes Eclectic, all this on the strength of their stellar five-song EP, Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1.

For some bands, it takes a lifetime to build this success, but few performers deliver an unrestrained blast of soul-clapping, get-down-on-the-floor, moneymaker shakers like Fitz and the Tantrums. Now post-release of their debut full length, Pickin’ Up the Pieces, which has since earned them a 3 ½ star album review in ROLLING STONE, the troupe is poised to get down in dancehalls across the universe.

It all began when… [cue flashback sounds]

“I got a call from my ex-girlfriend,” Fitz explains, “And she said, ‘My neighbor is moving out in a hurry and has to sell everything. And, he has this organ…”

Fitz, the Svengali frontman of the crew, describes the find like the discovery of a compass, or that treasure map in Goonies, which undoubtedly leads to adventure. Not one to say no, Fitz called some piano movers, cashed in some favors, and seven hours later, the organ went from the curb to his living room. That night, Fitz stationed himself in front of that vintage instrument and wrote a blue-eyed soul anthem, “Breaking the Chains of Love.”

“Sometimes, the Music Gods just give it to you,” Fitz says.

The overflow of inspiration startled Fitz. He’d spent years in L.A.’s music industry, writing music and working in a studio with Beck producer, Mickey Petralia. But at those 88 keys, just seven hours after that organ dropped into his life, Fitz had finally found his voice.

“I’ve always been a singer,” Fitz says, “but with so much music, I felt that I was trying to push a square peg through a round hole. I was being not true to myself, and it never felt right until I wrote that song, and I sang like that. I thought, this feels so real, so natural.”

Fitz shared his vision with long-time friend and saxophonist, James King, who immediately connected with the sound. While the electric guitar drives rock, the saxophone takes center stage in soul, and that’s the way Fitz likes it. “We wanted to find a new vocabulary for the genre, I wanted to make a record without any guitars. Could we make a huge sound with out any guitars?”

A huge sound takes a huge studio–Motown had Studio A in Detroit, Philadelphia International had Sigma Studios, Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound was created in Hollywood’s legendary Gold Star Studios– but when it came time to capture the feeling and the soul of soul, Fitz knew of the perfect studio: his home.

There in the living room, he recorded Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1, a burst of effervescent swingers and floor-stompers, infused with the energy of long forgotten songs. The infectious, rolling rhythms of “Breaking the Chains of Love,” immediately turns your head and actually get cemented in your brain, like a good pop song should.

The sound is familiar, but distinct. That’s what grabbed the attention of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Levine was getting a tattoo in New York when the tattoo artist told him he had to hear this new band he had discovered. After that one encounter, Levine personally invited Fitz and the Tantrums to join their tour.

Like the EP, Fitz recorded the full-length debut back at home, to bottle the lightning that struck in those first jam sessions. He now delves into more acerbic lyrical territory, going on the offensive against gold diggers on the exceptionally funky “MoneyGrabber,” and even gets political on the piano-banging, handclap-driven call to action, “Dear Mr. President.” “L.O.V.” is a jaunt through pop music history embarking with a groovy organ intro, meandering through juicy big band breakdowns and Fitz’s svelte croons, then carrying us away with flute outro. It’s a funk-filled plea to give love a chance. These powerful songs take the band’s energy up a notch, but like their energized performances, they never loose control.

Those blistering performances are now well-chronicled for adequate ubiquity, Last Call With Carson Daly nailing the money shot for “MoneyGrabber” at the band’s sold out show in November at LA’s El Rey Theatre featuring a sea of a thousand pogoing fans and a handful of F.A.T.T. gems rocked along with blue-eyed soul vet, Daryl Hall on the band’s spot on Live From Daryl’s House. Lest we forget, an omnipresent T-Mobile HTC ad that actually namechecks the band that, for the past several months, is impossible not to see if you’re watching even an hour’s worth of television. Oh, and there are the hot spots on Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives and a great many more, not to mention a ton of success at radio for the aforementioned runaway “MoneyGrabber,” all with the promise of more to come.

In their sound and on the stage, Fitz and the Tantrums are nothing but professionals, and never less than classy. Enter the Tantrums, Fitz’s airtight ensemble keeping it real like it’s 1969. Funky drummer John Wicks is a Motown B-side aficionado and prolific session player, Jeremy Ruzumna manned the keyboards and was musical director for Macy Gray. James King backed De La Soul and bassist Joseph Karnes is a well sought after session player. Then there’s Noelle Scaggs, the powerful voice behind Fitz’s croons. Make no mistake, Scaggs is not just there for “doo-wops” and handclaps. She shimmies and flirts, she stokes the crowd and simmers them down, and she has no qualms about keeping Fitz in check. “She is not just a backup singer,” Fitz says, “We have repartee. Onstage, we’re Ike and Tina.”

There, on the stage, Fitz and the Tantrums are not just a band, they’re an explosion. Scaggs high steps it to the tight-as-hell rhythm section, while Fitz, cooler than cobalt, croons like the aforementioned Mr. Hall for a new generation. It’s obvious that this is no tryst for the band, this is a full-blown, head-over-heels love affair.

…Now in it’s second year, the Halloween In July film festival was created to celebrate the darker side of the silver screen. We started this event to find the best new horror and science fiction films out there because we love film, horror and science fiction especially, and we finally got tired of waiting for October’s cable line-up to come around each year. So we’re having Halloween early in Nashville, TN.
On Day One of Halloween In July, come to the 85-year-old Belcourt Theatre, last of the original Nashville neighborhood theatres to remain operational, for an afternoon and evening of innovative science fiction and horror films.

Follow that up on Day Two with our Halloween In July costume party and awards presentation. Held at The Rutledge, one of Nashville’s premier live music venues, we’ll have prizes for the best costumes, an award for the best film, a concert featuring rising stars of the local rock scene, and a full cash bar!

Rebuilding Together Nashville is a collaborative all volunteer non-profit organization who helps rebuild lives by revitalizing existing homes of low-income, elderly, and disabled people to live safely and comfortably.

When Karen Shayne speaks, it’s not just that people listen.

It’s that her story is so compelling, her life so inspiring, that people want to listen. A two-time cancer survivor, Karen didn’t just survive her condition, she rose above it. Today, the chief executive officer of Maristone Senior Living is an example of success in the face of hardship, a glimmer of light in the darkest of nights.

As a business professional, Karen,is shaping Maristone Senior Living into an innovator in independent and assisted living at a time that demographics alone show a growing need for a new lifestyle for seniors in America.

Recognition came quickly for her moves to incorporate new media into the senior living industry using conventional and online media. She is the producer and host of “On Modern Age,” a television show in Nashville, and writes columns to educate and help focus public policy on issues facing seniors. In 2009, Karen was awarded the Best of the Best by the Assisted Living Federation of America for her community outreach for “On Modern Age”. Most recently, Karen was named to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Chapter of the Assisted Living Federation of America and serves as State Chairman for both the Educational and Legislative Committees.

Karen, a former successful recording artist, has traveled the United States as a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

She was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 20 years old. Already published with an inspiring book, she is writing a second on her life to help others rise above adversity and the many challenges they face. Her reflections and accountability to SELF help women become the best they can be and inspires emotional and professional achievement.

Karen is the founder of Ivan and Sam/Billy’s Wish, a nonprofit that helps children fight cancer through entertainment and educational programs. It provides age appropriate material to help children deal with the disease and what they will face through the colorful world of animation using DVD’s, CD’s and coloring books. The materials are free to hospitals in the United States.

Karen got her start in the business world with Capital Care Management Company. She moved into the senior living industry as a top executive of numerous assisted living, Alzheimer’s and retirement living communities for ServiceMaster, Diversified Health Services and Atria Senior Living.

Karen is a member of the National Speakers Association, American Psychological Association, Assisted Living Federation of America, CEO Space, Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the Country Music Association, and BMI