Drummer John Wicks is a proud Seattleite. After recalling a time when bands from Los Angeles were not often well-received in Seattle, he is honored by the love his band, Fitz and The Tantrums, receives whenever they’re in town.

When we talked with Wicks, he had just finished a run around Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. We chatted with him about this hobby, the band’s second album and what dancing at The Re-Bar taught him about drumming before Fitz and The Tantrums plays the Columbia City Theater tonight.

SW: When did you get into running?

Wicks: I was into running when I lived in Seattle but then my wife and I moved to L.A. for eight-and-a-half years. In the hustle and bustle of trying to make a living as a studio musician, I didn’t concentrate on running. I have 4-year-old twin girls and when they came along, suddenly my priorities changed. I realized I needed to improve my diet and get in better shape because I’m not getting any younger, and I want to be around for my girls as long as I can. When Fitz and The Tantrums started to take off, my wife and I decided to move to Montana. In Missoula, there’s such a big mountain-running, trail-running community. I just started to get addicted to it. Now, when I’m on the road, running gives me a little more intimacy with every city.

I was going to ask if it’s difficult to find time to run while on tour but you seem to manage just fine.

It is difficult. I’m the only runner in the band so I get up as soon as I feel the bus stop when we get to a town, sometimes it’s 4:30, 5 a.m., and try to get as much mileage in as I can before we have to do a radio promo or load into the club.

Do you listen to any music while you run?

I don’t just because I’m around it so much all the other hours of the day. I give my ears a rest when I’m out, listen to the sound of my footsteps.

You all are set to release More Than Just A Dream next month. How did the writing and recording process for this album differ from that of Pickin’ Up the Pieces ?

It differed a lot. The first record was very much Fitz’s baby. A lot of the songs were written prior to us meeting Fitz and he had already set the compass, musically, the way it was going to go. But this record is much more collaborative. We originally thought this record was going to be out last October so we were really pressed for time. We all went to our respective home studios and wrote. We developed [each song] in the studio but it was first time that we’ve really worked collaboratively.

Based on the first two singles, “Out of My League” and “Spark,” there seems to be a conscious effort to not be pigeon-holed as a “retro soul” band. Would you agree?

Absolutely. That was at the forefront of our brains [laughs]. Our main goal was leave no options unavailable. This record is a completely different thing because all of us have different influences. But there were no pushbacks. If there were, that’s where our producer really helped and Tony Hoffer was an amazing producer to have. People will assume this record stills sounds like Motown in the ‘60s. The songwriting is still there; sonically, things have changed a little bit.

The one thing that was clear is that we wanted to make a danceable record. Growing up in Seattle, I spent most of my young adult life at The Re-Bar dancing and at all the gay dance clubs on Capitol Hill. That’s where I learned what’s required of me as a drummer and how to make people dance. I used to go see MC Queen Lucky on Wednesday nights just to listen to her spin records because I danced my ass off there…Fitz and I were both like “That’s the record we want to make.” We want to make it be a party record because we have the most fun playing live when people are just freaking out.