Pure jam

Foxtrot Zulu supply Frozen treats

by Chris Kanaracus

The seven former University of Rhode Island students who make up the successful jam-rock outfit Foxtrot Zulu are happy, dammit, and they don't give a crap if you don't like it. (Well, maybe they just don't feel that strongly about it.)

The group, formed in 1996 -- and, according to lead singer and guitarist Nate Edmunds, performing three times a week since -- draw their sound from the Grateful Dead/Phish/Dave Matthews Band zeitgeist, combining bongo- and conga-tinged percussion with horns, undulating acoustic guitars, and extended lead guitar solos.

Though far from groundbreaking, the group (who appear this Saturday at the Tammany Club) make the oft-heard melange work in an engaging fashion on their latest album, Frozen In Time (Phoenix Rising). Album opener, "The American," an overt, and maybe a bit idealistic, slam against privilege and excess, is a whimsical rocker that, well, makes you gag at first, but it ends up being insidiously catchy. Though "A Pretty Goddamned Perfect Day" is an irony-steeped exploration of suicide, the music does not fail the title's promise -- it's so sunny and guileless, you can actually see the smiles plastered on the band's faces.

Other tracks, like "Maryanne" and "Into the Daytime," are stolid, extended ska-tinged fusion workouts that show remarkable polish and innovation. Only the Jimmy Buffett-like "A Statue of My Friend" stumbles, thanks mostly to a harmonica accompaniment that reeks of cheese. But on the whole, it's apparent after a few spins through Frozen In Time there is love here, both for performance and expression and, frankly, for life.

But many critics haven't been nearly as generous -- jam rock is a perennial whipping boy of the cognoscenti.

Edmunds defends Zulu against those who say jam acts ply less a legitimate form of music than an indulgent exercise in sonic diarrhea. "There are jam bands, and then there are noodle bands," says Edmunds. "Noodle bands sort of create a mosaic that doesn't produce a picture. . . . I can admit that at the beginning -- and even up to our second album (1997's Burn Slow), we were guilty of that -- but not any more."

And he dismisses those who reject the audience and good-time vibe associated with jam rock as patchouli-soaked hippie froufrou. "You know, I've just always thought of us as a fun band to go and see. We play want we want to hear, and apparently a lot of other people like it."

Not surprisingly, Foxtrot Zulu have adhered to the jam-band tradition of constant touring. The group book shows just about every weekend, both in the Northeast and nationwide -- Zulu recently returned from a swing around the West, where they logged 24 shows in just 27 days.

"It was one of the most tiring, but one of the most fun, experiences I think I've ever had," says Edmunds. "It's a friendly circuit to be on, with a lot of familiar faces." Indeed, according to the 25-year-old Edmunds (and much like genre kings Phish), Zulu boast a loyal contingent of fans that travels long distances to performances. The yearly H.O.R.D.E festival had been a successful outlet for the genre's top acts, but now with that on hiatus, the band had to turn elsewhere. But Edmunds, as well as the rest of his group, thinks his band might be on the cusp of even greater things than slogging it out on the festival circuit. "Things are definitely getting bigger for us. . . . This album is the first time we've had a producer, we have sound, lighting, and public-relations people. We've got a huge, brand-new van, and we've got national distribution for the CD."

Edmunds seems pretty happy, and he says that fact was driven home recently when the band performed a homecoming show of sorts in Rhode Island. "All my life, I've had a love of just playing music with others, but, I have to admit, living the rock-and-roll dream plays a big role, too. You sort of realize that when you're up there on stage and two hundred people are bouncing up and down in front of you, singing the words to all your songs."

The same may happen in Worcester: the group have performed at the Tammany, a jam- band-friendly club, dozens of times and, according to Edmunds, have built quite a following. "It's always been good. . . . In fact, I'd say playing in Worcester is almost like playing a hometown show."

Foxtrot Zulu appear on July 31 at the Tammany Club. Call 791-6550.