Paster: lead vocals, choruses, yogi tea and eucalyptus honey.
"Big Tony" Fresa: piano, fender rhodes, organ, synthesizer, vocals and clapping
Scialdone: bass, lead guitar, 12 string guitar and vocals
Carlos Valderrama: drums, electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, glockenspiel, percussion, lead choir vocals.
2006
Carlos Velderrama, the producer, composer, ex-underwear model, arranger and multi-instrumentalist (and one of the worst dancers and singers in the music industry), founds FITNESS FOREVER in Naples (Italy) soon after realizing that love is not forever. That's why, unfortunately, he couldn't call the band LOVE FOREVER.
Shortly after, in the waiting room of the "help center for unemployed ex-models", he met the rest of the people who would become his band mates:
"Big Tony" Fresa: orchestra director, who plays the keyboards and the piano in his free time (he is currently in shape)
Scialdone: bass player and guitar genius, still not in shape. Almost 20 years ago the famous power-pop group THE KNACK wrote a song about him, and it was a huge hit! It was called “My Scialdona".
Paster: gorgeous lady and singer, "we think that a modern pop band absolutely needs a pretty female singer who can later leave the group for a solo career like Gwen Stefani or Nina Persson did".
All the members of FITNESS FOREVER were involved, at the time, in other musical projects: Carlos was playing surf-rock with THE PREACHERS, sixties styled psychedelic indie pop with VALDERRAMA 5, hard-rock, hip hop and cruise music with THE GOONIES and shoegaze with SEA DWELLER. "Big Tony", electro-tango with KANTANGO, jazz with his FRESA TRIO, techno music and one of the most solicited session keyboard and Fender Rhodes musicians for concerts in Italy. "My Scialdone" is a progressive rock maniac from the 70's, so for years he has been playing in progressive bands like GARDENWALL and CONTROTEMPO. He's also a band member of Inigo (an incredible sunshine pop composer) and Marzouk (rai pop). Paster had never sung before. She works as a web designer and speaks Japanese very well.
2007
After recording the promo "Marmalade Gomelsky", they're signed by EMI. The quickly record the single "Mondo Fitness" (only available on iTunes, and downloaded twice by Carlos' aunt, Rosa) and they begin the recording of their ultra-ambitious first album (which is ultimately called "Personal Train"), which takes them almost a year, due to the quantity of arrangements and orchestrations it contains (but above all, "because Carlos doesn't play very well!"). The album is recorded by the very Luigi Scialdone and "Big Tony" Fresa.
2008
After their relationship with EMI didn't work out very well, Elefant Records signs them and will be who releases their debut album, "Personal Train", an album that will be a musical tribute to their beloved country... They have this to say on the subject:
“Nowadays, things aren't going very well, but there was a time when people went on vacation for a whole month in the summer, they made a ton of super fun B movies, and, ultimately, people were happier. Italy was also the home of marvelous pop music in the seventies and eighties.
This is an inheritance that can't be lost or erased... what we've done is take this music from the subconscious of our happy inner children, and record it following the examples of Italian and international pop geniuses like Bruno Martino,Brian Wilson, Piero Umiliani, Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker, Fred Bongusto, Kevin Shields, Ennio Morricone, David Axelrod, FREE DESIGN, Lucio Battisti, Syd Barrett, THE BEATLES, Joao Gilberto & A.C. Jobim, Barry White, STEREOLAB, LA CASA AZUL, THE DIVINE COMEDY, THE CLIENTELE, Sergio Endrigo, Armando Trovajoli, LILYS, Alan Sorrenti, CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, XTC, BEE GEES, RAMONES, SPIRITUALIZED, Billy Nicholls, BROADCAST, SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, TALKING HEADS, Serge Gainsbourg, THE BYRDS, THE HEAVY BLINKERS, CORNELIUS, STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK, BLOSSOM TOES, Peppino Di Capri, THE WHO, NON VOGLIO CHE CLARA, THE HIGH LLAMAS, JOY ZIPPER, NAZZ, NIRVANA (UK), OS MUTANTES, Esquivel, Sly Stone, EARTH WIND & FIRE, GLADYS KNIGHT, all the music from the 70s, SERENA MANEESH, OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL, SUPERGRASS, Armando Trovajoli, BLUR, Piero Piccioni, POP SHOPPING, Gazebo, DUNGEN, Sabrina Salerno, PULP, MELT BANANA, ARIEL PINK, Astor Piazzolla, JUNIOR BOYS…
Our album will remind you that you deserve to be happy, and that you deserve to listen to pretty music. Our pop is made with love, so "Love Forever, for all of you.”
2009
In January their debut album, "Personal Train" is released, an album with such incredible songs as "Probablemente", "Se Come Te" or "Bacharach", which explore diverse parts of pop, passing through sunshine pop, orchestral pop, or small brushes of bubblegum. The album has a precious and fun photo of the group on the cover, taken by Anna Di Prospero, one of the photographers Elefant admires most (also responsible for, among other things, the recently released single cover photo of AU REVOIR SIMONE and all of the promo photos of FITNESS FOREVER.
Tracklisting:
01. Intro
02. Probabilmente
03. L'Anarchica Pugliese
04. Vacanze a Settembre
05. Albertone
06. Se come te
07. Je je jeox
08. Quando ho tempo
09. Monica
10. Bacharach
11. Outro
12. D'Estate
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