Taco Bell's winning bands announced

Taco Bell® is feeding the beat by keeping bands on the road, well fed and rocking their fans across America. The 2007 class of Feed the Beat was announced today, as 50 up-and-coming bands were named to receive $500 in free Fourthmeals – the late night meal between dinner and breakfast – no strings attached. An eclectic group of bands, found after a national audition, make up this year’s roster, hailing from a variety of music hotbeds like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Boston and Atlanta. Taco Bell is proud to congratulate the following bands:

Northeast:
Palaris (New Haven, CT), Tokyo Rose (NJ), Armor for Sleep (Maplewood, NJ),
The Appreciation Post (Boston), Farewell Flight (Harrisburg, PA), Socratic (Linden, NJ),
Big D and the Kids Table (Boston), White Rabbits (New York), Panthers (Brooklyn, NY),
After the Sirens (Beverly, MA), BlameShift (Long Island, NY), Girl Talk (Pittsburgh), Enon (Philadelphia), Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (Bloomfield, NJ), Lemuria (Buffalo, NY),

Midwest:
Rediscover (Toledo, OH), 1997 (Chicago), June (Chicago),
Scratch Track (Kansas City, MO), We Are The Fury (Toledo, OH),
The Graduate (Springfield, IL), Carawae (Stevensville, MI)

Southeast:
Holiday Parade (Atlanta), Strike Anywhere (Richmond, VA), Rookie of the Year (Fayetteville, NC), Dropout Year (Owings Mills, MD), A Day To Remember (Ocala, FL), Mayday Parade (Tallahassee, FL), Manchester Orchestra (Atlanta),
GoodNight City (Nashville), Five Star Iris (Atlanta), Old Union (Atlanta),
Backseat Goodbye (Murfreesboro, TN), Meriwether (Baton Rouge, LA),
The Hint (Baltimore), Far-Less (Blacksburg, VA)

Southwest:
Hollywood Black (Houston), The Stiletto Formal (Phoenix), It’s Like Love (Glendale, AZ),
DeSole (Glendale, AZ), The Secret Handshake (Dallas)

West:
Highlines (Los Angeles), Ozma (Pasadena, CA), Meg & Dia (Draper, UT),
Blitzen Trapper (Portland, OR), Letters Burning (Los Angeles),
The Fast Computers (Eugene, OR), Gliss (Los Angeles), Music for Animals (San Francisco), National Product (Orange County, CA)

“We were ecstatic with the response and enthusiasm we received from bands eager to partake in Feed the Beat,” said David Ovens, Chief Marketing Officer of Taco Bell Corp. “These bands are constantly touring and look to Fourthmeal as a dependable after-show meal when many other establishments have closed. Their passion for creating great music mirrors our passion for serving great food.”

Hundreds of bands submitted applications in August to www.tacobell.com/feedthebeat and were selected over the past few weeks. Taco Bell looked for up-and-coming indie rock bands with a passion for touring. These bands also have a solid fan base, tour history and are on the road this fall. Asked why Taco Bell should partner with their band, there was some great feedback.

“Taco Bell should consider us because we always support Taco Bell! We love it and it’s an easy and reliable place to get good food on tour,” said Maplewood, NJ-based band Armor for Sleep. Atlanta-based band Manchester Orchestra said, “…we have spent more money collectively on Taco Bell than we have on guitar strings.” Even bassist Tom Oppelt personally thanked Fourthmeal in his thank you notes on his band Palaris’ CD.

Music fans can head on over to www.fourthmeal.com and click on the Feed the Beat link to check out music, bios and pictures from Feed the Beat’s 2006 alumni bands including Pretty in Stereo, Nothing More and Prospect Hill. Our inaugural Feed the Beat class included three bands on this year’s Van’s Warped Tour billing, congrats to Seattle’s Amber Pacific and Daphne Loves Derby and Los Angeles’ The Hanks as well as A Thorn for Every Heart who just released their new album.

Fourthmeal is the late night meal between dinner and breakfast that includes four signature tastes and textures found only at Taco Bell®. Consumers seeking “outside the bun” late night choices will find crunchy, spicy, melty and grilled taste experiences during Fourthmeal at participating Taco Bell locations.

About Taco Bell
Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain serving tacos, burritos, signature Quesadillas, Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos and other specialty items. Taco Bell serves more than 35 million consumers each week in nearly 5,800 restaurants in the U.S. “Think Outside the Bun®” and visit www.tacobell.com.