Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff are “fun.” A “contemporary re-thinking of classic 70s pop,” fun. blends a wide range of sounds with intricate arrangements that complement its musical abilities.
Fun. will be performing today at Newport Music Hall with Motion City Soundtrack, and will return to Columbus on May 3 for a performance at The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion with Paramore and Relient K.
In early 2008, Nate Ruess was seemingly living the dream of any musician. Having gained national attention as singer for The Format, he was consistently on tour with bands such as The All-American Rejects. Following nearly a decade as band mates, however, a faltering personal relationship among the group resulted in The Format’s break-up.
Turning crisis into opportunity, Ruess called upon multi-instrumentalist Dost of Anathallo, as well as guitarist Antonoff of Steel Train, in hopes of finding a new sound.
Dost had played trumpet for The Format previously, and Antonoff and Ruess had been close friends for years, making the transition into playing together fairly seamless.
“If it makes noise, I can probably make music out of it,” Dost said. He then rattled off a list of instruments he plays for the band, including piano, guitar, trumpet and flugelhorn.
Ruess’ melodies and the musical diversity of Dost and Antonoff blended into a new sound altogether that sparked the recording of their debut album in fall 2008.
Shortly before a tour with Jack’s Mannequin, in which they were required to have a name, they decided “fun.” was a better fit for the band than “ice cream, which seemed a bit too silly,” Dost said.
Dost was inspired by a broad range of music but always had an affinity for show tunes. In 2008 he wrote a slapstick comedy musical for his graduate thesis project entitled “Columbus!” that pokes fun at Christopher Columbus.
“Aim and Ignite” is the band’s debut album and was released in August 2009. It features a diverse blend of sounds with elements of Broadway and gospel mixed with the melodies of classic pop music.
“Success is tough to measure these days. Everyone downloads music, even I download most of my music,” Dost said. “But I think the album is going really well and I think everything to come in the future will just be incredible.”
The first song from the album, “Be Calm,” sounds as though it was arranged for a musical, with changing tempos and a variety of breaks and crescendos that demonstrate the diversity of multi-instrumentalist Dost.
“If you love somebody, you’d better let them know,” Ruess cries out on the album’s final track “Take Your Time (Coming Home).”
The indie pop album has gained popularity within the genre, pairing intricate arrangements with Ruess’ original melodies. Following two tour performances in Columbus, fun will travel to the U.K. at the end of May.
They “hope to be headlining a tour sometime later this year,” Dost said.
