Metro’s Winter Soulstice Starring Fitz And The Tantrums With J.C. Brooks And The Uptown Sound

Fitz and the Tantrums

This past Saturday night (2/5/11) Metro presented the 2011 Winter Soulstice.  After a week with a record snowfall and very cold temperatures on the way, this is exactly what was needed, a packed house of music lovers digging the sounds of contemporary soul music from Chicago and L.A.

J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound

From L.A., Fitz and the Tantrums were the headliners touring in support of Pickin’ Up The Pieces, their first ever album released just last year.  On Saturday they blow into town on the backside of a blizzard for their first ever visit to Chicago.  In the late afternoon they performed a 93XRT Live from the Studio X show in front of an enthusiastic audience of XRT VIPs.  Then Saturday night it’s Metro.  They enter the tall stage in front of a packed house, a sold-out show on their first time in town.  The saxophone driven band was tight and funky, the lead singers (Fitz and Noelle Scaggs) were energetic and charismatic and, as they say, blew the folks away.  And the folks blew them away.  Noelle said from the stage that their reception in Chicago was incredible, calling it “the high point of our career!”

In the slot just before the headliners were J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Uptown as in Broadway and Wilson, our uptown.  This band was so good I was a little worried that they would be a tough act to follow.  J.C. fronts this very tight band with a great stage presence, natural and commanding, and a fabulous voice singing mostly original modern soul songs plus a stand-out cover of a Wilco song endorsed by the writer, Jeff Tweedy.  The biggest crowd they’ve played in front of was when they opened for Poi Dog Pondering at Ravinia last summer.  J.C. and the band were mostly unfamiliar to both the Ravinia and the Metro crowds, but won an deservedly enthusiastic response from both audiences.  Watch for them to be playing a cool club near you soon.

Both bands have albums and singles on vinyl.

See J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound on their blog with some video from Saturday night HERE.

Video: Fitz And The Tantrums Live In-Studio With “MoneyGrabber”

Free MP3 Download: Fitz & The Tantrums – “MoneyGrabber”

Free Download: Fitz & The Tantrums “MoneyGrabber” Video

Marc “After Dark” Alghini – 93XRT Show Preview: Fitz & The Tantrums Saturday Feb 5 Metro

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