Fit For Rivals, an alternative rock band based out of Jacksonville, Florida, will hit the New Brookland Tavern tonight at 5 p.m. Lead singer Renee Phoenix, guitarists Thomas Amason and Rufino Lomboy, bassist Eli Clark and drummer Trey Catman are psyched to be a part of Columbia’s music scene.
“We write music that we would like to listen to,” Phoenix said. “It's a bit quirky at times, but definitely fun.”
The band met when Phoenix performed in a punk band called The Explicits and was in the market for a guitarist. She put an ad on Craigslist, which attracted guitartist Amason. He was familiar with the band and was interested in joining, but the two of them decided on a fresh start and formed Fit for Rivals.
Music has been a major part of each of the members' lives since high school, where they were each apart of different bands.
The band’s music stems from inspiration from Garbage, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, The Distillers and other industrial and punk rock bands.
“What we have to say is real. Everything we do comes from us as a band. No hired-on song writers, no lyrics that don't have a backbone to them,” Phoenix said. “This is truly what we all love to do and we hope that people can join us in on the adventure.”
The members write from their own experiences and use their albums as outlets to blow off steam and let their creative juices flow. Phoenix and Amason are the principal songwriters and create songs through either a melody or lyric idea, or they write the tunes on their own and present them to the group.
“By not trying to write specifically for that genre,” Phoenix said when asked how the band puts its own twist on grunge rock. “Sticking to whatever comes out and going off if it feels right rather than if it fits the genre.”
Fans can expect a fun rock and roll album as the next move in Fit For Rivals' career. But as for lofty, future goals, the band is pretty content with just being able to share their talent with the world and making a positive difference in the lives of listeners.
“I just want to be able to make a living, make people happy ... and take over the world. We did a show in Boise, Idaho where they've been playing 'Freak Machine' and a few hundred kids showed up. That was amazing,” Phoenix said. “That made me happy seeing kids singing along to our jams and having a wild time.”
Even through the ups and downs, Fit For Rivals has done whatever it takes to reach their dream.
“The million 'no’s' you receive to finally get that sometimes even life-changing 'yes'. People want you to be this and that in this business and it can be a challenge to be yourself, which is more unique than anything anymore,” Phoenix said. “Physically, performing can be a task, especially when you have a weeks worth of shows one right after another with 10 hour drives in between, but it's all definitely worth it.”