Sic of Elephants

Though the Super Bowl is still a few days away, Indianapolis has wasted no time in celebrating this momentous event. If you are like me, sports may not be your thing. If you are like me, when you see football, you mostly see men running around and occasionally a ball flying in midair, but you still stand up and shout with joy when someone makes a touchdown just to be a good trooper.

Usually, the Super Bowl mostly means delicious snacks to me — but with the game being a mere 45 minutes away from home this year, I have felt its presence more than ever. No, not because I’m a Patriots or Giants fan, but because of some of the amazing musicians headed to Indiana this week.

Throughout the week, a wide range of big-name acts including Snoop Dogg, Questlove, George Clinton, Umphrey’s McGee, Katy Perry, Drake, Lupe Fiasco and Jane’s Addiction will be performing at various venues. Yet after looking at a list of all the events, parties and concerts, one band truly stuck out to me: Fitz and the Tantrums.

Fitz and the Tantrums have only been together since 2008. With frontman Michael Fitzpatrick, backup vocalist Noelle Scags, a four-piece backing band, no guitarist and extra emphasis on saxophone and electric organ, Fitz and the Tantrums have the amazing ability to send listeners back to the height of the soulful 1960s.

Their sound is filed under the musical genre “neo-soul,” a genre I hold dear to my heart and close to my ears. Fitz and the Tantrums also attempt to bring back the ’60s feel in their live performances by wearing matching suits, with Scags almost always seen wearing sequin-studded dresses.

Their tambourine-infested music will have you clapping your hands, shaking your thing and singing along to the catchy choruses. “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” is their debut album that dropped in August 2010 and was immediately a success.

The album flows from one song to the other and hardly has a dud on it. They have been touring ever since this release, including a stop at the Bluebird Nightclub in Bloomington last year.

Luckily, this time their show in Indianapolis will be all-ages. They will be playing at Super Bowl Village along with LMFAO, Gentleman Alphonse, En Vogue, Bashiri Asad, Morris Day & the Time, Blackberry Jam and DJ Limelight this Friday.

So, my not-so-sporty readers, now is your chance to impress your friends with some musical Super Bowl knowledge. Leave the downs and quarterback talk to others, but make sure to pass that nacho dip over this way.

­— bafinkel@indiana.edu