Foxtrot Zulu speaks to the soul with a unique brand of high-energy, horn-driven rock. Effortlessly working within the framework of their highly melodic and finely crafted songs, the band mixes jazz, folk, funk, and ska with superb improvisational skills. Foxtrot Zulu is now poised to take their place on the national stage with Frozen In Time, the band's first album for the nationally distributed, independent Phoenix Rising label. Through extensive touring, superb gigs and a visible passion for their work, Foxtrot Zulu has attracted a youthful, energetic and diverse following of music lovers that ranges from the mainstream to the bohemian. The music sparkles with vitality, originality and integrity, laced with an undeniable good-time feel. Begun through basement jam sessions while at the University of Rhode Island in 1994, Foxtrot Zulu was a way for band members to continue their lives in the suspended state of adolescence that college provides.

'The basement version of the group had been together for six drunken months when we got our first gig, but we still had no name,' says multi-instrumentalist Terryston 'TK' Chwan Kyan. 'That day in military science class we learned the soldier's alphabet, and we were translating our own names. One guy, Frank Zolfo, came out as Foxtrot Zulu. We thought it was cool, so we kept it.' From this inauspicious start, the members of Foxtrot Zulu developed a profound sense of destiny. By the time they had all graduated, there was no fallback plan. 'This is it,' says guitarist and vocalist Neal Jones. 'Foxtrot Zulu is what we eat, sleep and breathe.' The next several years provided Foxtrot Zulu with the important testing ground that any successful act must conquer. The band recorded two independent releases, Moe's Diner (1995) and Burn Slow (1997), and used constant touring throughout the Northeast and Atlantic regions to perfect its live performance. Mixing catchy pop melodies with fantastic rhythm grooves, Foxtrot Zulu learned how to build its songs into dance-oriented tunes that freely swap funk, jazz, and ska elements around a pop-harmony core. 'This band is all about playing live,' says vocalist and guitarist Nate Edmunds. 'We know that once people come to a show, they will leave saying they had a great time. There is a special energy transfer that goes on between the band and the audience.'

While the band is passionate about performing live, it approached the recording of Frozen In Time with a single-minded focus. Co-produced by Steve Bramberg and Harvey Goldberg, and mixed by Goldberg (Soft Cell, Kool & the Gang, Madness, Bow Wow Wow), the band viewed these session as 'A once in a lifetime opportunity to work with a producer of Harvey's caliber,' says Jones. 'Working with him made this our best album to date, as well as making us a better band overall.' While Foxtrot Zulu's live shows create a dance-party atmosphere, the songs on Frozen In Time demonstrate the very real concerns of songwriter Edmunds. An album of surprising depth and reflection, Frozen In Time deals with a wide range of topics, include perceptions of Western imperialism ('The American'), issues of environmental protection ('The Day the Moon Crashed to the Ground'), and more personal topics like assisted suicide ('A Pretty Perfect God Damned Day') and sexuality ('Maryanne').

'The music is life affirming and positive, and has an uplifting sound, but the subject matter is serious,' says Jones. 'There's a duality in the lyrics, which is Nate's way of expressing and dealing with it all.' Whether you are looking for deep meaning in the world or just an excuse to dance your backside off, Foxtrot Zulu has your ticket. So don't miss this fast-rising phenomenon when they come through your neck of the woods.