A Reflection On The Human Condition

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Tristan Loper/Loperco.com under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

The name Michael Fitzpatrick may or may not sound familiar to you right off the bat.  On the other hand, the name of the band he formed you've probably heard before.  Fitzpatrick is the frontman of the Los Angeles based Fitz and The Tantrums.

Fitz and The Tantrums came on the scene in 2008.  The band lineup consists of Fitzpatrick on lead vocals and keyboards, Noelle Scaggs on vocals and percussion, James King who seems to play just about any instrument you could think of, Joseph Karnes on bass guitar, Jeremy Ruzumma on keyboards and John Wicks on drums and percussion.

They released their first album Pickin' Up The Pieces in August of 2010.  The album turned out to be a smashing success!  The interesting thing about the album is that it was all recorded in Fitzpatrick's living room!  It's easier to understand why they did this when you consider that they couldn't afford to go into a professional recording studio due to the usual struggles a band seems to go through just to get noticed.

Sob stories aside, the band has now achieved great success.  Pickin' Up The Pieces gives a taste of what the band is really about.  They have a soulful and blues feel in their music for sure.  One track that stands out in particular is "Dear Mr. President."

A title with the word President in it would probably lead you to believe that the song is somehow aimed at the government efforts, or lack thereof, to help out its own citizens.  That may have been the band's goal from the outset, but I also think the song's message is much more than a government manifesto.

 

"Hey put your foot down and take a look round.  Don't like what you see?  No no no no no no!"

The lyrics tell general tales of people going through various struggles in their daily lives.  There is also the contemplation of how these folks go about trying to make a better life for themselves and their families and acquaintances.

As the song advises, if you don't like your current situation in life, one choice is to put your foot down and do what you can to either change your life or make the best of it.  In the end though, it should be up to you to figure out how you want to live your life.

By the way, who doesn't like a song that starts with a catchy "Hey, woo!" clap chant?

Tim Musick
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