Zoo Drive plays a blend of California, Latin, and Brazilian pop. The band is based in Los Angeles, California. Their music is melodic and percussive, including reggae, funk, Bahian and other cool rhythms. Chill out and groove to this music........ Their debut CD is titled Sweet. Their first single is a hypnotic track called "People Around the World". Check it out.... Don't forget to come up for air. A new sound hovers on the musical horizon, released by Los Angeles-based Latin Pop band, Zoo Drive by its label, Pound the Earth Records. As commercially viable as any present day radio sound, it is a compellingly passionate musical work. A truly international act hailing from such diverse locations as Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Rome and Ecuador, the four-man band known as Zoo Drive - began its quest for musical notoriety and recognition just this past year. Zoo Drive members and their respective instruments include: Keith Nichols (Lead Vocal and Acoustic Guitar), Juan Pedro Estanga (Drummer and Percussionist), Lorenzo Grassi (Electric and Spanish Guitars) and Mauricio Jacome (Bass Guitarist). Nichols, originally from New York, considers himself a native Californian, after living both in San Francisco and Los Angeles for the past decade. His songwriting catalog is extensive and he has performed in the LA area for several years. Estanga and Jacome, both from South America, and both LAMA graduates, have played a variety of musical styles together in Southern California over the past two years. Grassi, the former Rome, Italy resident, also a LAMA graduate, has resided in the United States for a couple years now. He is a connoisseur of Jazz, Funk, and Latin music. Several tracks on the Sweet CD include trumpet, sax, and even a flute. At live shows you may find one of these side players jamming with the band. Otherwise, Grassi covers the solos quite effectively on his guitar. Two other phenomenal musicians contributed tracks to this project, bass players Doug Margetts and Leo Nobre. Doug has played with talented guys like jazz legend David Sanborn. And Leo, a true brasileiro, has worked with Brasilian vocalist Gal Costa. "This debut recording project has really moved along quite nicely," says Keith Nichols, Lead Vocalist and Acoustic Guitarist for the group. "We have spent the last few months making this record, focusing on keeping the sound of it live, i.e., a tight sounding band that can reproduce this music at a show sounding quite similar to the record, rather than with drum machines, or too many overdubs. Most of our energy has been in this recording project, and now it is up to the promotion to see it the rest of the way through" Nichols adds. Having just formed in 2002, the act performed only twice before deciding to divert complete attention to recording its debut release. Titled Sweet, the production includes the use of side players on saxophone, trumpet and flute, with the repertoire boasting - 2 Brazilian cover selections by Jobim and a Gipsy Kings song (Bem, Bem, Maria). And, for good measure, a healthy dose of reggae rhythms is incorporated throughout as well.