The Ricky Fitts Ascend to “The Great Beyond” with Debut Album

  PHOENIX, AZ - 02/21/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Alternative Phoenician band The Ricky Fitts is taking listeners to further heights thanks to their debut album, “The Great Beyond”.  Infusing elements of Indie, Pop and Funk, The Ricky Fitts have created a psychedelic wave on their 13-track LP.  Already gaining the attention and performing with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Fitz and the Tantrums, The Ricky Fitts are on their way to becoming one of the most sought after bands from the “Valley of the Sun”.

It all began back in 2016 when Matt Brunsvold placed an ad on Craigslist looking for a drummer.  The keyboardist who also served as a sound tech for The Lumineers, Regina Spektor and Daughter returned to Arizona to be closer to his son in addition to focus on producing and recording.  A month and a half later a drummer by the name of Alec Bushman replied to the listing.

“Initially we were doing a Twenty One Pilots type thing,” recalls Brunsvold. “I had some songs from another project so we started to learn those. Alec played drums and I sang while playing keys and bass with a produced track. Alec suggested we bring in Matt Meza to play the guitar.”

From their initial meeting, the three wrote two songs on the spot affirming they were birthing something special.  Alec and Meza suggested a mutual guitarist friend named Fletcher Milloy join the band to fill their sound out while Brunsvold contacted a vocalist named Elliot James whom he worked on a Rock album with in previous years to join as well. 

“Whereas I connected with Alec, Matt, and Fletcher via the indie world of M83 and Arctic Monkeys, Elliot and I always connected more so with The Weeknd and Prince-like vibes. We were both always studying songs,” says Brunsvold. “Once I had this group of talented players, it only made sense to get Elliot involved to finish what we had started.”

Combining their musical palettes the band was born but without a name.  When the group started to compare what films and music help shape their childhood and teenage years, the cult classic “American Beauty” was amongst many of them.  One of the characters that resonated with the band was Ricky Fitts, the teenager that quit his job on impulse one day to pursue photography, as well as selling marijuana to Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey).  Thus, The Ricky Fitts were born and spent the majority of 2016 working on their debut LP “The Great Beyond”.

Psychedelic guitar riffs, filtered vocals and 80’s driving drums invade listeners’ ears on songs like “Back to the Basics”.  “We belong somewhere better than this,” croons Elliot James on “Where To Begin” before the song breaks into a Disco dancing beat lonely hearts will be singing everywhere.  Most songs on the album were one takes. single shot.  “The Great Beyond” showcases musical minds in the moment creating; mistakes and all are what makes their debut authentic.

“Our sound is unorthodox and a bit all over the place in a good way,” laughs Brunsvold.  “We felt we needed to express our vision entirely so everyone could see the big picture like us.  That’s why we decided to record a full-length album. We want this project to be a journey, not just another playlist.”

The Ricky Fitts musical journey has only just begun.  Their music has been played multiple times on KWSS in Phoenix, 93.3 ALT-AZ, college radio and Fox 10 News.  The Alternative band is even playing at the Pot of Gold Festival in Chandler, AZ.  With their eyes set on becoming a household name, a quote by Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age helps keep them grounded.

“When you expect anything from music, you expect too much,” states Brunsvold. “That quote has a way of managing expectations for us a bit but also reminds us why we do this in the first place. We’ll never try to think about what “they” want to hear, but instead our focus is on just this, what “we” want to play.  Do what makes you happy. Be weird, be yourself, be nice.”

For more information, tour dates, media, etc. please visit The Ricky Fitts website at: www.therickyfitts.com.  All press/media inquiries please contact Andrew Scott at (818) 392-0682 or ascott@asa-pr.com.

ABOUT THE RICKY FITTS

If Prince, M83, and Two Door Cinema Club had a musical baby together it would be The Ricky Fitts. Alternative rock, Pop, and funk collide on the Arizonian band’s full-length debut “The Great Beyond”. Alec Bushman supplies the pulse of the group on the drums. Fletcher Milloy and Matt Meza tug at the heartstrings on guitar. Matt Brunsvold provides the muscle, blood, and bones on the bass, keys and additional vocals. Elliot James creates the heart with honest and profound lyrics told through his haunting yet soulful voice. Already performing with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Fitz and the Tantrums, The Ricky Fitts star is burning hotter than the Phoenician sun.