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They've been hailed as a band that's destined for stardom. Their songs seemed to pop up in a slew of TV shows and commercials overnight, and they've made the late-night TV rounds, everything from Conan to Kimmel to Leno. But despite all of the sudden attention, for Michael Fitzpatrick of SoCal's Fitz and the Tantrums, it still comes back to one thing: his organ. After breaking up with a former girlfriend, who instituted a staunch "no-talking" policy, Fitz received a phone call from her. She told him about a neighbor who was moving out and trying to get rid of an old '60s church organ. He bought it for $50 and moved it into his living room, where it took up roughly half the available space. "Sometimes you get an instrument that's just so full of old ghosts of the past. I mean, it had vibe, spirit and personality. I'm a bit of a keyboard fanatic; I collect them. Really, without getting possession of that instrument I don't know if the band would exist. Because, I got that and wrote 'Breakin' the Chains of Love' that night in about five minutes. Everything just sort of crystallized in one session." With the bitterness of the break-up still on his breath, Fitz started what was to become Fitz and the Tantrums. "Breakin' the Chains of Love" became the lead track on Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1, the 2009 EP that got them a record deal. It was re-released last year, just before their full-length debut Pickin' Up the Pieces, which went to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Fitz says his intention was to create music that gives props to the Motown/soul explosion of the mid to late '60s, with a modern pop twist. That he would do so during a revival of interest in soul music is sheer coincidence, but he doesn't mind. "I don't know if I'm influenced by [the revival], but I like the idea of being part of a movement right now. There's room for everybody and everybody in that movement has their own little take on it," he says. - Beau Dowling sanjose.com
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