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Fitz & The Tantrums

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS

It all started with a phone call. The X. Best to let voicemail pick that one up! YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE: "Hey, sorry to call but my neighbor has got to leave L.A in a hurry, he's selling everything including this old church organ for 50 bucks. Do you want it?" This was worth the pain of calling the heartbreaker. "He's got someone coming later today to see it, I don't know what kind it is, if it worksâ¦it's gigantic" "Pay him, pay him now! Put the 50 dollars in his hand!". "Okay but the landlord says it has to be out of the basement tonight". 13 phone calls to piano movers and 50 dollars later four guys were trying to fit this thing through the front door. That was the beginning. "Breakin' the Chains of Love" was written that night and the inspiration for the record was born. All the pain of splitting with someone poured out into this 5 song EP of 1960's inspired Soul music. SONGS FOR A BREAK-UP VOL.1 was recorded entirely in Fitz's living room, using one crappy old mic. The songs are influenced by '67 AM radio, Motown and early Hall and Oates records. Fitz was born in France and moved to L.A. as a child. This half French, half Irish kid fended off the California rays with a lot of sunscreen to emerge as an artist with a vision. A soulful voice with infectious songs, Fitz's music makes you wanna' grab a tambourine and dance.

http://www.myspace.com/fitzandthetantrums
http://fitzandthetantrums.com/

HERMAN ASTRO

Formed as a veritable reunion tour in 2009, Herman Astro is a four-piece, Milwaukee band whose recent formation has been a long time coming. After diverse musical wanderings, stepbrothers Zachary Pluer (vocals/guitar) and Cody Calderon (drums) joined childhood friend and former garage-band slasher Eric LeMieux to create the eclectic sound they'd individually been forming for years. Adding a dose of bass (Adam Dosemagen), this lively bunch hit the ground running.

Combining elements from every genre under the Kuiper Belt, Herman Astro is a welcome return to good, old-fashioned groove. Driven by soul vocals, jazzy, locked-in drums and bass, and soaring guitar work, these boys genuinely combine Radiohead with Otis, Miles with the Talking Heads, hell, your grandpa's cap with your uncle's handlebar mustache. Herman Astro's members focus on giving new life to what's been done (and should have been done), infusing the tried-and-true with their new.

Herman Astro recorded their first self-titled EP live in December 2009 at Bobby Peru Recording in South Milwaukee, WI. In their freshmen year on the Milwaukee music scene, they would perform in-studio at 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, WMSE (91.7, Radio Milwaukee) and venues and festivals such as The Miramar Theater, Shank Hall and Summerfest. In December of 2010, their single "Sambawete" was the most-played single on Milwaukee's #1 independent radio station, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. Most recently, they have recorded three new tracks Boilerplate, New Orleans and Slipping Away once again at Bobbi Peru Recording, and are planning the release of their first music video in Spring of 2011.

Zachary Pluer is the nephew of Milwaukee, vocal legend, Robin Pluer, son of a classical organist, James Pluer, and distant relative of Dutch, circus-organ tycoon, Elbert Pluer. Needless to say, musicianship and eclecticism run in the family. Zachary started playing bass guitar at the age of nine (in Rambling Rose, a band with stepbrother, Cody Calderon, and guitarist, Eric LeMieux), but switched to guitar in his early teens in order to allow his voice and songwriting to fully develop. Performing solo for most of his adult life, Zachary had frequented the Milwaukee/ Chicago music scene with the old soul of a traveling bluesman. Hoping to add the rhythm to his rhythm and blues, Zachary formed Herman Astro, again with stepbrother, Cody Calderon, guitarist, Eric LeMieux and bassist, Adam Dosemagen, in what was, and is, essentially a family affair.

Cody Calderon was born tapping and was one of those kids you'd really want to tap over the head yourself for always drumming on s#%@. Drawn to drums at an early age, Cody began lessons with the late Milwaukee legend, John Ruka, at the age of four. Cody's musical endeavors are too many to list, but he thumped with the old-timey Milwaukee group, The Superchiefs, Gypsy Kitchen and Micah Olsan. As a career musician for the past five years, Cody has had the opportunity to sit in on a number of recording sessions and toured the Midwest. He lived in Prague for a number of years where he sat in at a number of jazz clubs. Zachary asked him to play when they were watching their niece's violin rehearsal, who is not yet in the band due to Child Labor Laws.

Eric LeMieux unfortunately was not born with that handle-bar mustache, but has been growing it ever since. A graduate in Sound Engineering from Madison Media Art Institute, Eric is the

brains, and judging by that mustache, brawn of the group. Eric started playing guitar at the age of six, is self-taught, and isn't afraid to fill in his hand contusions with super-glue for the sake of a good show. Eric's formed band, Madison-based Polydream, won a MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) for best new artist in 2006, and created quite a Midwestern stir until relocation drew them apart. His decision to join old pals Zachary and Cody in Herman Astro was a no- brainer and seemed to be the moment his mustache was waiting for.

Adam Dosemagen is a bass player and anthropologist whose focus has been on the migration trends of the Eurasian population. Dose has been playing bass since he was just a little thing and has continued it up until his 6'4" manhood. Like Cody, Adam has been gigging for most of his adult life and has managed to see much of the country through his touring. He met Zachary while cooking some delicious (sic) pizza at Pizza Hut eight years ago, and wonder why in the hell it's taken this long to get this thing together.

http://hermanastro.org

Location

High Noon Saloon
701A. E. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53703
United States

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Owner: True Endeavors LLC

On BPT Since: Sep 03, 2007

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