Noelle Scaggs, the tireless fireball that sings opposite lead vocalist Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, is a Colorado-born talent that epitomizes everything great still left in the industry. She and the band are coming to Denver for two nights at The Ogden Theatre July 1 and 2.
We’re not sure why some acts in the music industry hit a firestorm with fans and take off faster than a minivan late for dance practice. There has to be some sort of unknown science behind the popularity to explain it, but to be honest we’d rather just blissfully play along and not worry ourselves with nutty things like logic and realities. Some acts get popular. Some don’t. It’s been that way for years and who are we to change tradition?
What we do know for certain is that the musicians in the '80s-influenced, neo-soul indie act Fitz & the Tantrums are loaded with talent. The band's rise to the top took hard work, impeccably addictive song structure and their ability to evoke enjoyable emotion with every note. It’s not a gimmick act. It’s an un-bastardized example of what musicians are supposed to be.
Noelle Scaggs, the tireless fireball that sings opposite lead vocalist Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, is a Colorado-born talent that epitomizes everything great still left in the industry. She and the band are coming to Denver for two nights at The Ogden Theatre July 1 and 2. We spoke with her about her feelings towards the acts quick rise and how she found herself immersed in the unpredictable trade.
The band basically started, had huge gigs, got signed and then took off within months. What was your perception through all the speedy success?
It’s interesting because I don’t think I really thought about it to be honest. When you’re actually in the box, you’re not seeing what everyone else sees on the outside. But when you’re in it, it kind of seemed like it was dragging along. When you’re on the road so often… for one you’re forgetting what day it is. I think we were just working so hard that we didn’t notice all of the fruit happening until later.
It did grow very, very quickly…
Yeah, when we had gone on our first headlining tour we realized that the music was actually out there because people were singing along to the songs. It was like, we had never stepped foot in Boston before and I had completely lost my voice from having the flu, and the crowd literally sang all my parts because I couldn’t do it. Moments like that, we saw little windows into ‘oh there’s something special happening.’ It kept us moving.
To outsiders it looked like you just picked up and easily ran with it, but you all have other careers with music. What was the driving force to continue with the band?
I think it was because it was so easy for us to play with one another. Seeing how people were responding was another layer of keeping us together. We had gotten so much support so early. I was with a band (The Rebirth) for ten years and you recognize it when it happens. It was kind of a no brainer.
I think that’s what every person that’s a musician is looking for in a band. You want it to be effortless. Nobody likes jumping around all the time.
Do you ever have second thoughts about it?
I think on the realm of touring and being a touring artist – it wasn’t something that I actually aspired to do. I was looking more to be in the backdrop and write songs for people and really push more of the business aspect. That was something that I really wanted to do in college. I’ve never really said no to anything though. It was always fun for me to perform, but I never thought about traveling with it around the world. I still want to pursue that other side.
Is that your background then, as a music management and writing type?
I was always kind of into the scientific parts of creating a song. (It) was always something I was fascinated with as a kid. I’d write the song lyrics down of every single rap song and, like, try to get the cadence and the words and how the rhyme patterns were; I loved it. I still love it to this day.
That’s all reflected in your band’s songs…
It is. I love creating a song with Fitz and looking at the words – because he has a slight accent with his French background and then he also has a deviated septum – so there are certain words that he sings better than other words. It’s really funny. I’ve always paid attention to that. I guess that’s just that weird OCD part of me as well. I’m always tinkering with things in that realm.
So when you get together then and write songs is there a unifying idea, or does each one of you pitch something and work on it from there?
It’s different; it depends on the song. There have been songs that Fitz and I have written on our own, and we combine the ideas. Or the guys got together and jammed out on some stuff. Sometimes we’d be listening to all these other ideas and what would work on what track, basically what bone fits into what skeleton. Every song is different.
That natural energy really translates on stage, is that something you’ve discussed together, or is what we’re seeing an organic happenstance?
Definitely for me that’s the part of the way I perform. I’ve always had to move around. I feel a little bit stagnant when I can’t. This band was really Fitz’s real first experience with touring and being on the level that we’re doing it after being a studio guy. It was an experience for him to watch me because I’ve been doing it for so long – and all the other guys as well – so we just kind of fed off of one another. It’s really hard for me to get on stage with John Wicks, our drummer, and not want to jump off the stage or stage dive.
I think that’s what we’re always striving towards though is getting that one person that is in the room with their arms crossed to finally start letting themselves go. That’s definitely something that I ask for before I go on stage, is that everybody in the room just enjoy themselves for one night.
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