ShwizZ started the night off with a huge bang, opening their set with  ‘In the Bag’ which climaxed at numerous stages during the song to loosen the crowd up and get them going. A personal highlight was “#12>Klendathu” which really threw a curveball to the crowd.  Ossoterro [FACEBOOK] hit after Shwizz to keep the crowd ragin’ on the floor.

“Somethin’ Stanky” a new song opened up FiKus’ set, immediately the crowd loved it.  A major high spot came second song in when they busted out Jim Jones, this went very deep and spacey, Jon Shmarack dominated this jam like it owed him money.  Next up, ‘Latin’ which saw the Moog Tauras for the first time which was quite fun to watch and listen too. After FiKus finished their set with Jackson 5’s “ I Want You Back” the crowd wanted more and were calling for an encore which was delivered in the face of “Space Cowboy”.

The night ended with a short set from Megablock [FACEBOOK] which finished melting the already desecrated faces of those who were left standing. If this “Kick Off The Summer Party” is a precursor to what the months of June, July and August are going to be like then If I were you I would absolutely make sure to jump on the road with either of these bands for a few dates… cause its going to get STANKY!

With Love,
Uncle Petey Spadaro [FACEBOOK]
Chief Owl Wrangler in the FiKing Army

The promotional video for Plus+ [ YOUTUBE | VIMEO ] – FiKus’ most recent EP, which is available for FREE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD HERE – closes with a reference to the album’s second track “Cool Refrigerator.” As the video comes to an end the band shouts the word “FREE” as an image of the album cover appears on the screen. One could dismiss it as a clever piece of editing, while others could see it as another example of the brilliant tongue-in-cheek humor of the band. Regardless of how one views it, Plus+ is pitch-perfect, and it is available to YOU, the listener, gratis (for FREEEEE).

2011 was a workhorse year for FiKus, as the band release two EPs in between extensive touring. A busy schedule became busier as they headed into the summer, playing more than 10 festivals every weekend through July and August and perfecting their live act. They released Mover Shaker, their first EP of 2011, in January and capped the year off with the release of the aforementioned Plus+. The difference between the two EPs is the presence of their live act, which is more evident in their latest release. It is because of this that Plus+ stands as the most definitive representation of the band to this date.

From a production standpoint, Plus+ is the most polished representation of FiKus’ music to date. It’s easily the closest they have come to reproducing a stage performance in the studio. It is equal parts uniform and spontaneous, and the band is not afraid to embrace their weirder habits. They have never sounded more comfortable in their own skin, which speaks volumes about how much they have matured in such a short period of time. The scope of Plus+ – three songs clocking in at 22-minutes – is also more akin to a FiKus show. No better example of this can be found in the solos – from Jon’s soaring keys on “Birthday Cake” to Steve’s guitar climax on “Refrigerator.” The depth of these solos are the finest examples of the poise and virtuosity possessed by these charismatic extra-terrestrials you will find.

The album opener – “Birthday Cake” – is arguably the finest ten minutes of FiKus one will ever hear. It is a song so energetic and inspiring that it should be the song they open every set with. With pulsating rhythms pounding underneath Jon’s epic synths, the band creates an atmosphere akin to a carnival, resulting in their most epic crowd-pleaser since “Michael Phelps” off Mover Shaker. The sophomore track – “Refrigerator” – is a raucous amalgam of rag and funk with a wide offering of vocal styles. Pete’s raps, Travis’ memorable breakdown, and some fine harmonizing all highlight the track, not to mention plenty of sing-along opportunities that beg for audience participation. “Weezy,” the third and final track, is everything that is righteous about alternative music. The song creeps along as Jon croons longingly for some fresh perspective on life like an optimistic slacker. Then it erupts into a riot with it’s anthem of a chorus and furthermore with Pete’s agro-rap breakdown. The band brings it back down to earth with a tasty little groove that is as restrained as it’s former parts are riotous as the album comes to a close. These three tracks result in a sound so innovative and unique that can only be defined by the band that has created it.

Plus+ is a wonder in the FiKus repertoire. It still sounds as fresh as the day it was released, and is the closest they have come to capturing the cohesive and spontaneous nature of their unparalleled live act. The genre-bending nature of these songs is bound to appeal to a broad audience, particularly anyone who is moved by music, both physically and spiritually. The most criminal part of all is that the album, like the best things in life, still is and always will be free…

FREE!

WELCOME TO FIKUS MARCH MADNESS… or what’s left of it, at least. We’ve booked a bunch of exciting shows this month. With dates taking us from our stomping grounds in New York and New Jersey to the oh so distant lands of Maryland, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

CHECK THE DATES ON OUR TOUR PAGE AND GET PUMPED!

PIGEONS AND PUDDIN’

Within the few opening notes of Puddin’ on last Wednesday night at The 8×10 in Baltimore, I immediately felt the tone in which the rest of the month would progress. This was FiKus’ first show in Baltimore, and we could not have been welcomed better! Our friends from Pigeons Playing Ping Pong [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ] invited us to come down and play as a part of their weekly residency at the 8×10 for the month of March. It happened to be our first show of many this month, and there was no better way to jump start MARCH MADNESS. I think I can speak for everybody when I say we already can’t wait to go back! Not only to play and see all the awesome Baltimore heads we met, but also for that epic Grilled Cheese Factory, Grilled Cheese & Co. spot we hit before the show. So good.

STELLA BLUES, ROUND TWO

After the warm reception the night before, we were excited for Thursday night’s show in New Haven. For the second time back at Stella Blues, this party was a little smaller but just as raging. Being a two-setter show we got to play some stuff we don’t usually play or have not played in a while. Like starting the show off with Marvin Gaye > Circus Asylum; two songs that don’t get too much play, is always refreshing.

SHWIZZ + FIKUS = SHWIKUS

The REAL party came on Saturday, the night of St. Patrick’s Day, at Olive’s in Nyack! We knew there was only one way to do St. Patty’s right this year, and that was with our talented homies ShwizZ [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ] on the home turf! As a ShwiKus St. Patty’s Day Affair in Nyack, we knew it would be nothing short of epic… which of course it was. ShwizZ tore it up as usual, igniting so much funky energy in the room for us to to come in and play to our beloved friends and fans! There’s a lot of things I love about New York, and one of them is that the bars stay open until 4 am, allowing us to play for about two and a half hours to a sweaty, musty, Nyack crowd. So far that may have been my favorite show of an already awesome 2012!

FIKUS + DOPAPOD = FIKAPOD

But last night at The Stanhope House in Stanhope was also quite the party. Teaming up with one of my favorite bands right now, Dopapod [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ], proved to be the nasty combination that I knew it would be. “FiKapod” as some people were calling it. These guys honestly just kill it on a regular basis and last night was no exception. Every time I see them they are just so fucking good. Check them out NOW, you’ll be doing yourself a favor!

TRIUMPH BREWERY RUN

This coming weekend of the 23rd and 24th we are going on our “Triumph Brewery Run”. Friday night will be with our good friends The Cosmic Dust Bunnies [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ], playing at The Triumph Brewery in Philadelphia, and then Saturday night we’ll be heading out to the brother The Triumph Brewery in New Hope, PA to play with The Effective Dose [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ]

MARCH WILL END, BUT WE JUST GETTIN STARTED

To close out March, we’ll be playing a party at The Neverlands in Brooklyn with Seed [ WEBSITE | FACEBOOK ] on Friday the 30th… and then damn it’s April already. I will say the spring air has got everyone feeling good and this year has been shaping out to be one of the best years for FiKus yet. We’re all very excited for the things to come but March isn’t over yet so let the madness continue!

Much love to all,
Kito

Hello everyone and welcome to the newly designed FiKusBand.com!

Together with our own wizard of design, one Rob DiMarzo, we have worked hard to build upon our former website with some new content and new things we have learned in the process.

In addition to the new look of the website, you may notice some new features, including:

Hope you all enjoy the site, and make sure to keep checking back as we continue to update the content… THANKS!

We are excited to announce that our new EP, Plus+, is finally here! Since we love you all so much, we decided to release it for FREE. Please share it with your friends, family, enemies, pets, local governmental figures, and neighbors!

STREAM IT HERE, DOWNLOAD IT HERE, or listen to it in the music player on the top of every page on our website.

Although it is available for FREE, if you would like to voluntarily donate money to us, you can Metro Sonic Studios in Brooklyn, New York and they were engineered, mixed, and mastered by the talented Steve Wall. We invited our friend and videographer / multimedia wizard Rob DiMarzo into the studio with us to film the PLUS+ PROMOTIONAL VIDEO found at the top of this blog post. Give it a viewing, we are very excited to release it along with the album!

We can’t thank everyone involved enough for their services and support as well as everyone who continues to come out and support us at our shows. If you enjoy Plus+, don’t forget to listen to Mover Shaker, released earlier in 2011 (yes, we released BOTH this year)! Share it, like it, hope to see all your pretty faces at our future shows! Much love!

“Is it August already??”  Yes.  It is. It seems like that’s been the concern falling from everyone’s lips as we approach the tail end of the summer.  It’s strange now to see what festivals have come and gone and which are still well on their way.  Through all of them we’ve survived (well… you have if you’re reading this), and it ain’t over yet.

Whether it be 104 degrees in the middle of a winery (oh hempfest, you nearly killed us) or jumping off of moving vehicles in the middle of the woods (hulavom, you nearly killed me,) we have enjoyed all of these antics with friends we brought and even more friends we made.  In the end we all became family.  I think that’s what really sticks out to me with all of these great gatherings: the coming together of complete strangers to camp, live, and play like we all grew up on the same block and shared the same childhood.

I’m always the first to moan and complain and make a big deal about something; sometimes I go too far and make it very apparent (yes, that’s me throwing hissy fits and punching keyboards).  Maybe it’s because I neglected to feed myself, or sleep (yes, these things will make a grown man very cranky), or maybe it’s because it’s raining and the carrying of the equipment and (back to square one, bitch and moan).

What I’m trying to say is, it’s been an incredible season and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  Looking back at all of these crazy events it is easy to see the crazy-awesome-super groovy- fun times we managed to partake in together.  With much love and great gratitude, I say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has had any part in anything we’ve done this summer, it truly has been a magical journey full of survival and danger and … and.. oh yeah, RAGE!

Keep on keepin’ on, we’ll see y’all real soon as we finish out the festival season through September.  We’ve been fortunate enough to be playing with some really killer bands and we, as a community, are gonna take this even further.

More gigs comin, fresh tracks from the studio on their way, and plenty of movin’ and groovin’ and doin’ it to it!

Rage responsibly

Wet dreams and warm wishes,

jon