THE SESSIONS' INSIDE TRACKS

Inside tracks: Exclusive new music from Fitz and The Tantrums has Stax appeal

Fitz and The Tantrums
Photo by Alicia Rose

Dressed to the nines in GypsySun Vintage, Fitz and The Tantrums turned up the heat on stage during SXSW 2011. Their hit single, “Moneygrabber,” took the entire Sessions Factory on a trip back to the ever-so-popular Motown era.

Originating in Los Angeles, Fitz and The Tantrums came to life almost overnight in 2008. Lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick snagged an electronic organ from his ex-girlfriend’s neighbor and wrote his first song, “Breaking the Chains of Love," that very same evening. He rallied up the troops to form the rest of the band and the rest is history.

Recorded in Fitzpatrick's house, Fitz and The Tantrums released an EP titled, Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1, in Summer 2009. This phenomenal debut paved the way for scoring noteworthy gigs around the Los Angeles area, including the infamous Viper Room. The '60s-inspired, neo-soul ensemble had an even bigger response to their first LP, Pickin’ Up the Pieces, which led to performances on TBS’ Conan and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

With their much deserved fame, Fitz and The Tantrums keep feeding hungry crowds with their soul-packed songs and superhuman stage presence. Fresh off the Coachella stage, Michael and his gang of musical masterminds will certainly play to sold out houses on their North American tour that starts this weekend. Peep where they have shows here.

If you do one interesting thing this summer, make sure you save the date for one of their shows. They are absolutely explosive live!

And don’t forget to “Like” Fitz and The Tantrums and The Sessions Music LLC on Facebook.

"Moneygrabber" by Fitz and The Tantrums

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About The Sessions:

Producers CJ Vinson and Lauren Bucherie are musical tastemakers based out of Austin. They built their company around a simple wish: To diminish the boundary between art and audience. Their unwavering style and eclectic creative collaborations have made The Sessions sought-after team for musicians around the world. CJ and Lauren have worked with everyone from local favorites Cowboy and Indian, Suzanna Choffel and Dan Dyer to internationally-renowned acts like Fitz and The Tantrums and two-time Grammy award winners The Civil Wars.

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bring the HEAT

Top-rated Texas pitmaster headlines new Food Network barbecue show

Photo courtesy of Food Network

Ernest Servantes (in denim jacket) is among the judges of a new Food Network series.

Ernest Servantes already knows what it takes to win $50,000 from Food Network; now the Seguin pitmaster is the one handing it out. The Burnt Bean Co. pitmaster, who won a big check on Chopped Grill Masters in 2012 and took the No. 1 spot on Texas Monthly's 2025 list of the state's top 50 barbecue joints, is one of four judges on Pitmasters, a new series that puts elite barbecue teams through a week of live-fire competition.

The series puts the teams through the wringer with a breakneck schedule of challenges ranging from whole-hog cooking to a four-protein showdown. The premiere episode drops the contestants straight into a "Big Burn" challenge, giving the pitmaster pairs nine hours to build a family-style platter of two meats and a side that defines their style.

But it wouldn’t be a Food Network show without a twist. This time, Servantes and his fellow judges — Andrew Zimmern, competition barbecue great Moe Cason, and Austin-based barbecue personality Jess Pryles — throw the cast a 60-minute "Flash Burn" curveball that asks them to create the perfect barbecue bite.San Antonio talent won’t just be behind the judges' table. Three teams will feature well-known names in the local smoked meat scene.

Grecia and Esaul Ramos, the proprietors of San Antonio’s 2M Smokehouse, might have an advantage. After all, the duo is not only married; they work together in the kitchen every day. But they’ll face stiff competition from two other locals with their own live-fire superpowers.

Boerne’s Al Frugoni, paired with Louisville, Kentucky influencer Jeremy Yoder, is known for his Argentine asado-style cooking and self-named line of seasonings sold at Walmart and H-E-B. Also representing Boerne will be Ruben Santana, paired with Palmira Barbecue pitmaster Hector Garate from Charleston, South Carolina.

That Santana is listed as a hometown pitmaster may raise a few eyebrows. He’s best known as the founder of Brooklyn’s Bark Barbecue, a project that has gained him national recognition for fusing Dominican and Texas styles. We’ll have to wait to see if he is firing something new in Texas.

Pitmasters premieres July 13 on Food Network. Episodes will air on Mondays and be available to stream on HBO Max the following day.

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