The Fritz
HALLOWEEN WITH THE FRITZ AND N.A.R.P!
The Fritz is hosting a Halloween celebration at Sycamore Deli on Friday, October 31st with special guests N.A.R.P! The energetic quintet’s sound is rooted in progressive rock but they easily swings from driving funk to gospel-soul, keeping the crowd on their feet. Fans can look forward to new songs The Fritz is experimenting with the moment, plus old favorites like “Oppenheim” off of their 2013 release Bootstrap. Based in Asheville, NC, The Fritz has taking the stage at several of the southeast US’s biggest music festivals including Bear Creek, AURA Music Festival and Purple Hatter’s Ball. They performed at Catskill Chill in New York last month and they will be rocking Suwannee Hulaween in Florida on November 1.
Wookie Post had a chance to catch up with The Fritz and ask them about the Halloween shindig and their upcoming album.
WP: Give us a brief history of the band…
TF: We all met about 6 years ago in Jacksonville, FL while studying music at the University of North Florida. We are lucky to still have all the original members.
WP: You guys are in the process of recording a 3rd studio album…
TF: Yes! The album will be out late spring.
We are a live band for sure. Bringing the music into the studio forces you to take a good look at each song and try and boil it down to it’s essence. Certain things become painfully obvious about an arrangement when you take it out of a live setting. For us, we really enjoy the process and it certainly helps the music.
WP: Is there a specific method for The Fritz when it comes to recording?
TF: Just good ol’ fashion hard work without much sleep!
WP: What are some of the newer influences that we might not have heard on previous albums?
TF: The biggest thing we are focusing on is song choice. We have a lot of music but we are trying to put together an album that really flows together.
WP: Is there a welcomed challenge to incorporate the older songs in with the newer stuff on stage?
TF: In the past we have abandoned old material as we slowly mold our sound. For example, we do not play any music from our first album (Prehistoric Stomp) For us, that album might as well be a different band. A drastically different band actually. The last album (Bootstrap) has some material that has stayed in our repertoire but as each year passes we get better at being ourselves and the songs we play live reflect that. We are all pretty excited about the newer tunes we have written in the past year or so.. I think we have finally started to sound like ourselves.
WP: How would you describe your sound?
TF: We are a rock band that likes to get funky. We have a lot of through composed sections but we improvise every night. We take the instrumental sections very seriously but at the same time we spend just as much time songwriting. We want the songs to work as just simple songs first and then we get to all of the cool arrangement things you can do with a 5 piece rock band. But in the end, hopefully, it is just fun music you can dance to.
WP: Is Hulaween Music Festival your last confirmed tour date?
TF: No, actually, it’s Bear Creek Music Festival! Also located at Spirit of Suwannee Music Park. We have played several festivals at that park and without question it is one of our favorite places on earth. We can not wait to get back there this November.
Let’s talk about Halloween…
WP: Have you guys ever played a Halloween show before?
TF: Yes, we have done several. We always do something weird. My favorite moment would have to be when we played the funk classic “Shining Star” with special guest “Mike Ditka” on vocals. That was quite a sight…
WP: What’s the most memorable Halloween moment for The Fritz?
TF: About 5 years ago we had just started playing shows and we did our first Halloween in Jacksonville, Fl where we all lived at the time. It was a blast and ended up being a very successful show that gave our young band some good momentum to continue.
WP: Who has had the best costume since you guys have been a band?
TF: That is something we will never agree on.
WP: This may be the most anticipated question of the whole interview…Trick or Treat??
TF: TREAT!
Watch and Listen to The Fritz here:
AUDIO: 1904 Music Hall 8.24.13
VIDEO: “Robbery” Asheville Music Hall 2.14.14
WHEN:
Friday, October 31st
Doors 9 pm | 18+ until 11 PM | 21+ after 11 PM
WHERE:
Sycamore Deli
211 Draper Road SW
Blacksburg, VA 24060
540.951.9817 | www.SycamoreDeli.com
TICKETS:
$10 | 18+ before 11 pm | 21+ after midnight
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