Brent Fitz (born March 27, 1970) is a Canadian American musician and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

. In his career, he has worked with

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

Myles Kennedy Myles Richard Bass (born November 27, 1969), known professionally as Myles Kennedy, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge and the lead vocalist in guitarist S ...

Theory of a Deadman Theory of a Deadman (abbreviated as Theory or TOAD) is a Canadian rock band from North Delta, British Columbia. Formed in 1999, the band is currently signed to Roadrunner Records as well as 604 Records. The band includes traits of music styles ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

, Vince Neil,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, Gene Simmons,

The Guess Who The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of " Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...

Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...

from Aerosmith, Derek St. Holmes,

Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie H ...

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Lamya Lamya Al-Mugheiry (30 October 1973 – 8 January 2009), better known as her mononym Lamya, was a Kenyan-born English singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to fame in the early 1990s as one of the lead singers of R&B group Soul II Soul, ...

, Streetheart,

Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian '' commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditional ...

, and

Econoline Crush Econoline Crush is a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1992. They have released five studio albums and are known for their charting singles such as "You Don't Know What It's Like", "Home", "Surefire (Never Enough)", ...

Biography

Early life

Brent is a native of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, Canada where he grew up with his parents Mervyn and Audrey Fitz and a sister, Brenda, who is also a professional musician. He attended and graduated from John Taylor Collegiate in 1988. His parents continue to take a keen interest in his career, with his mother Audrey cited as saying "we get to look at his tour schedule and follow him across the world". After leaving Winnipeg in the mid 1990s, he lived for some time in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and currently resides in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, as does his sister.Brenda Fitz LinkedI
entry
Fitz started piano lessons at the age of five and drums at the age of ten, playing percussion in his middle school and high school jazz and concert band music programs. He received piano and theory training through

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and graduated in 1994.Resume o
Linkedin
In 1985, Brent answered an ad for a teaching job at a local drum shop in Winnipeg, and despite being only 15 at the time, was hired based on his excelled musical ability and people skills.

Move to LA

Fitz got his professional start at age 15, playing in various Winnipeg clubs and outlying areas in a cover band named New Alliance. After graduating high school, he formed the band Seventh Heaven with two local musicians and two Los Angeles natives that had recently relocated to Winnipeg. After several years of touring, Brent formed another band with Seventh Heaven's guitarist, which evolved into Shake Naked. Of this period, his father related that 'we used to go to every gig he played in Winnipeg bars, ladies of the night would pass us, going through to go to the bathroom". Schedules with Seventh Heaven and Shake Naked were much more extensive and involved touring most of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1993, Fitz joined Kenny Shields from the band Streetheart and toured across Canada for the next three years. In 1996, while attending the NAMM music trade show in Anaheim, California, connections to the city of

within the band Seventh Heaven, allowed Fitz to have the opportunity to seek work in that market as a performer and session player. Working with previous Shake Naked vocalist Lenita Erickson later proved fruitful as Erickson's friend Bruce Kulick of

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

fame invited Fitz to join him in a recording effort after first hearing him play piano, and later seeing him play drums at The Roxy in Hollywood, with former Duran Duran singer,

. That band would become known as

and would also include

John Corabi John Corabi (born April 26, 1959) is an American hard rock singer and guitarist. He was the frontman of The Scream during 1989 and the frontman of Mötley Crüe between 1992 and 1996 during original frontman Vince Neil's hiatus from the band. C ...

on vocals (formerly of

The Scream ''The Scream'' is a composition created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. The agonized face in the painting has become one of the most iconic images of art, seen as symbolizing the anxiety of the human condition. Munch's work, including ...

and Mötley Crüe),

James Hunting The Outpatience were an American hard rock group formed in California by guitarist West Arkeen, who is best known for co-writing several Guns N' Roses songs, in 1995. They released one album, ''Anxious Disease'' in 1996; however, the group soon ...

of David Lee Roth on bass, with Kulick on guitar. This four-piece released their self-titled debut in 1998. A live record titled "Live In The Galaxy" was released in 1999, and the band recorded a second album titled "The Blue Room" that was released in February, 2000.

Vince Neil

In September 2000, Fitz briefly joined the

Bulletboys BulletBoys is an American hard rock/glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1986. The group's original lineup was composed of singer Marq Torien (formerly of Ratt, King Kobra, and Kagny & the Dirty Rats), guitarist Mick Sweda, bassist Lonnie V ...

on tour in support of their Best Of collection, and recorded several new songs at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with famed Led Zeppelin producer, Andy Johns. Soon after, he also toured and recorded with Gilby Clarke, and recorded drum tracks for the Slimmer Twins album Lack Of Luxury, featuring Kix guitarist Ronnie Younkins. In early 2001, Fitz received an invitation to tour with Vince Neil who re-released his two solo-records that summer. Performing on several international tours, and recorded the album "Live At The Whisky" in 2002. In the same year he joined Neil for the Rock Never Stops Tour from may through to July, followed by a support slot for Poison in 2003. He continued to feature with Neil on tour, although the imminent Mötley Crüe reunion at the end of 2004 put the band on hiatus.

Alice Cooper

In the first half of 2005 Fitz joined the Canadian band

as the band embarked on tour to support the album "Gasoline". The band had fired their original drummer Tim Hart, while Robin Diaz played the parts on the album. According to guitarist David Brenner, Fitz is 'a music theory nut' who also contributed backing vocals and piano. He was 'able to come in and play these other guys' parts and really make them his own'. Fitz appeared in four music videos with the band, and made several TV appearances including

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

. In July 2006, while still touring with Theory of a Deadman, Fitz temporarily left the band to tour with

, filling in on drums for

Eric Singer Eric Singer (born Eric Doyle Mensinger; May 12, 1958) is an American drummer. Associated with the hard rock band Kiss since 1991, he has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Badlands, Brian May and Gary ...

while Singer was touring with

. Later that year, Fitz toured the US with Mato Nanji as

in support of the album ''Chasing the Sun''. He also took part in the sessions for the

album'' Waking the Jester'' released in 2007. In 2007, Fitz recorded with the recently reformed Canadian rock act

on the album '' Ignite''. He subsequently became a permanent member of the band, while still remaining as regular back-up drummer with

. Fitz appeared in the video for the Econoline Crush hit song "Dirty".

Bruce Kulick

In 2009, Fitz joined the Las Vegas-based production of 'Monster Circus' as keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist. Monster Circus performed at The Hilton Hotel and Casino in

, Nevada. The band featured Dee Snider of

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated with ...

, bassist

Rudy Sarzo Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont (born November 18, 1950) is a Cuban American hard rock/ heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played ...

, guitarist Tony Montana of Great White, guitarist

Dave Kushner David Kushner (born November 16, 1966) is an American musician perhaps best known as the rhythm guitarist for the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver. Kushner has also been a member of Wasted Youth, Electric Love Hogs, Loaded, Danzig, Jan ...

from

Velvet Revolver Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of pun ...

, and

and Bruce Kulick (from Fitz's former band Union). In June 2009, Fitz appeared on the television show

Gene Simmons Family Jewels ''Gene Simmons Family Jewels'' is an American reality television series that premiered on A&E on August 7, 2006. It follows Kiss bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, his longtime partner and wife Shannon Tweed, and their two children, Nick and S ...

(season 4, episode 2: Memphis Blues); he and Bruce Kulick helped with some recording studio work Gene Simmons arranged for his son Nick's musical aspirations. Fitz also recorded drums for most of the tracks on Kulick's 2010 album release ''BK3'', including tracks featuring guest artists Gene Simmons, Nick Simmons,

, and

Doug Fieger Douglas Lars Fieger (August 20, 1952 – February 14, 2010) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band The Knack. He co-wrote "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the ...

The Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, " My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a ...

. Fitz appeared on a second episode in June 2010, this time performing live with Bruce Kulick and Nick Simmons at The Cat Club in Hollywood, California.

Slash

In March 2010, Fitz became drummer for then-former Guns N' Roses/

guitarist

. The band which also features

Alter Bridge Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former ba ...

singer

, eventually became known as Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, and released three albums: 'Apocalyptic Love' in 2012, 'World on Fire' in 2014 and 'Living The Dream' in 2018. Two live albums have been recorded also, 'Made in Stoke' 2011, and 'Live at The Roxy' in 2015. With the band, Fitz has performed on several US talk shows in including: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen, Conan (twice), Lopez Tonight (twice) and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, as well as performed live on Howard Stern. Fitz also appeared in several music videos including 'By The Sword', 'Back From Cali', 'Beautiful Dangerous' featuring Fergie, 'You're A Lie', 'Bad Rain' and 'Anastasia'. The band has two #1 singles on the US Active Rock charts: 'You're A Lie', and 'World on Fire', as well as two top 5 songs: 'Standing In The Sun' and 'Bent to Fly' (which spent over 27 weeks on the chart). The band headlined the 2014 MTV Euro Awards in Glasgow, Scotland, playing 'Crazy Train', with a tribute to

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

, who received the lifetime achievement award from MTV.

Albums

featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - 4 (2022) * Phil X & The Drills - Stupid Good Lookings, Vol.1 (2019) *

featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Living The Dream (2018) *

- The Future IS What It Used To Be (2018) *

Sass Jordan Sass Jordan (c. 1962) is a British-born Canadian rock singer from Montreal, Quebec. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same name won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Since then, she has been ...

- Racine Revisited (2017) * Chemia - Let Me (2015) *

featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators -

Live at the Roxy 9.25.14 ''Live at the Roxy 9.25.14'' (or ''Live at the Roxy 25.9.14'' outside the United States) is a live album and DVD by English–American guitarist Slash, featuring vocalist Myles Kennedy and backing band The Conspirators (bassist Todd Kerns, drumm ...

(2015) *

featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - World On Fire (2014) *

Jake E. Lee Jake E. Lee (born Jakey Lou Williams, February 15, 1957) is an American musician best known as lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne between 1982 and 1987 and later as a member of the band Badlands with Ray Gillen. He formed the band Red Dragon Car ...

(Red Dragon Cartel) - Red Dragon Cartel (2014) *

featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators -

Apocalyptic Love ''Apocalyptic Love'' is the second solo studio album by guitarist Slash. However, it is also the first studio album billed to Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. The band features vocalist Myles Kennedy, bassist Todd Kerns and drummer ...

(2012) *

featuring Myles Kennedy - ''

Made in Stoke 24/7/11 ''Made in Stoke 24/7/11'' is the second live album by British-American hard rock guitarist Slash. Featuring American vocalist Myles Kennedy, the album was recorded on Slash's debut solo tour in Stoke-on-Trent, where Slash spent his early yea ...

'' (2011) *

Beggars & Thieves Beggars & Thieves is a band initially made up of lead vocalist Louie Merlino, guitarist Ron Mancuso, bassist Phil Soussan, and drummer Bobby Borg. Phil Soussan and Bobby Borg left after the band’s first album and after some light touring, and ...

- ''We Are The Broken Hearted'' (2011) * Syndicate - Syndicate (2011) *

Live in Manchester (Slash album) ''Live in Manchester'' is a double live album by Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash featuring Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy. The album was recorded by Abbey Road Live, during Slash's solo show at the Manchester Academy on July 3, 2010. Copies o ...

(2010) *

-
iTunes Session
' (2010) *

- ''

'' (Deluxe Edition) (2010) * Bruce Kulick - ''

BK3 BK3 were an American rock band led by Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Kreutzmann formed the band in 2008 with Max Creek guitarist Scott Murawski and Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge. Formation Bill Kreutzmann and Scott Murawsk ...

'' (2010) *

- '' Ignite'' (2008) *

- ''Waking the Jester'' (2007) * Various Artists: '' WWE Wreckless Intent'' (2006) *

- ''

Gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organi ...

(2005)
Various Artists: ''Numbers from the Beast'', a tribute to Iron Maiden
(2005)
Voodooland
-
Give Me Air
' (2003) * Vince Neil - '' Live at the Whisky: One Night Only'' (2003) * Bruce Kulick -

Transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

(2002) * Gilby Clarke - '' Swag'' (2002) * Bruce Kulick - ''

Audiodog ''Audiodog'' is the first solo album by former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick, released October 23, 2001 by Perris Records. The album was produced by Bruce Kulick and Curt Cuomo, and features Kulick on bass, guitar and vocals, and Cuomo on keyboar ...

'' (2001) *

- The Blue Room (2000) *

- ''Live in the Galaxy'' (1999) *

- ''Union'' (1998)
Various Artists: ''Forever Mod - A Portrait of a Storyteller'', a tribute to Rod Stewart
(1998)

(1997)

References

External links

* *
YouTube
- Brent Fitz with Vince Neil - "Wildside" live from Winnipeg 2003 solo tour w/ Poison.
YouTube
TV interview on The Rush in Vancouver, BC. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitz, Brent 1970 births Alternative rock drummers Canadian alternative rock musicians Canadian rock drummers Canadian male drummers Living people Musicians from Winnipeg Musicians from Las Vegas The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni Vince Neil Band members BulletBoys members 21st-century Canadian drummers 21st-century American male musicians