Music Fans Make Their Voice and Votes Heard, Crown Three Bands “Best of the Beat” for Taco Bell®’s Feed the Beat

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At first glance Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch and Fireflight have little in common other than being alternative rock bands. They feature contrasting musical styles, come from different hometowns and command their own, unique fan followings.

Today they share one common bond – all three will share the stage and spotlight as part of Taco Bell®’s inaugural “Best of the Beat” winners, part of the leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant’s Feed the Beat program. Already privy to $500 in Taco Bell® Bucks for free Fourthmeal, the late night meal between dinner and breakfast, these three bands will work with Taco Bell to identify and hire a well-known producer to record a single for them and then receive help in promotion by Taco Bell in the Spring of 2009.

The “Best of the Beat” winners can thank the legions of devoted fans who voted this October and November on Taco Bell’s Virtual Music Festival Web site (www.feedthebeat.com). One hundred Feed the Beat bands showcased their music, photos, bios and tour schedules on the site, vying for the chance to become “Best of the Beat.” More than 180,000 votes were cast over the past six weeks and Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch and Fireflight outlasted the competition to win the bracket-style contest. In its third year, Feed the Beat provided $500 in Taco Bell® Bucks to all participating bands.

“Music fans have spoken and they’ve selected three amazing bands that we can help take that next big step in their careers,” said David Ovens, Chief Marketing Officer, Taco Bell Corp. “These winning bands not only impressed us with their passion for music but also with their ability to mobilize their fan base to vote them ‘Best of the Beat’. Next spring we will feed the beat with new music from Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch and Fireflight and showcasing it with our customers.”

Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch and Fireflight will work with Taco Bell to identify and hire a well-known producer to record a single for them. The singles will then be promoted on www.feedthebeat.com and through in-store efforts in the Spring of 2009, as the Web site address will be featured on Taco Bell’s iconic Sauce Packet, which reaches more than 208 million people each month.

Since the release of the debut album “This Is A Stickup...Don’t Make It A Murder,” Lima, Ohio-based Hit the Lights have built a strong and loyal fan base worldwide through constant touring. The band has toured with the likes of New Found Glory, Boys Like Girls, Hellogoodbye, The Rocket Summer, appeared on the Warped Tour, Bamboozle as well as a sold out headline tour. The band chose former Hidden In Plain View guitarist Rob Freeman to produce their sophomore album “Skip School, Start Fights.” New songs capture the energy of the first album and more. From the pop punk of “Drop The Girl” and “Statues” to the pop sounds of “Tell Me Where You Are” and “On and On,” the album promises to make old fans happy while gaining new ones.

“Hit the Lights is stoked to be a winner of the ‘Best of the Beat’ contest, excited to play our music and eat our crunchwraps,” said Nick Thompson, lead singer, Hit the Lights. “We’re looking forward to recording a brand new song for your listening enjoyment. A huge thanks to all of our fans who helped us out!”

Thousand Foot Krutch, started by frontman/songwriter Trevor McNevan, have sold a half-million copies to date of their albums “Set It Off,” “Phenomenon,” “The Art Of Breaking,” and “The Flame in All of Us.” The band hit the musical scene with the “Phenomenon” album and branched into radio with songs “Rawkfist” (Phenomenon) and “Move” (The Art of Breaking). It was “Rawkfist” that became the first great sports anthem of the 21st century, being heard everywhere from sports stadiums to commercials (NHL, NFL and major league baseball, ESPN) to the WB’s Smallville. TFK has shared stages with a wide mix of headliners including Switchfoot, Chevelle, Three Days Grace, 311 and Sevendust.

"When we entered this contest we never thought we'd wind up being one of the winning bands,” said Trevor McNevan, lead singer, Thousand Foot Krutch. “A huge THANK YOU to the fans who voted and voted and voted, we're humbled by your show of support. We want to thank Taco Bell for doing something like this to raise awareness of the great bands out there hitting the road to share their music with people."

Fireflight, which self-released an album and EP before debuting nationally with 2006's The Healing of Harms (Flicker), spent years as tireless road warriors on the concert circuit. Fireflight's music offers a haven for the accused and beaten down and an inspirational spark to trust and dream again. As the title track from their recent album "Unbreakable" was selected to air in promotion for the NBC's "Bionic Woman" and their music has been featured on E! Entertainment's "Style Network" and "America's Funniest Home Videos."

"We are thrilled to be a part of the winners circle and have our amazing fans to thank for it,” said Dawn Richardson, leader signer, Fireflight. “Working with Taco Bell is perfect for us, as late night eaters. We're excited to be a part of the discovery of new music, and supporting Fourthmeal!"

About Taco Bell Corp.

Taco Bell Corp. (“Taco Bell”), a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, signature quesadillas, Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos, and other specialty items such as Crunchwrap Supreme®, in addition to the 79-89-99 Why Pay More™ Value Menu. Taco Bell serves more than 36.8 million consumers each week in nearly 5,600 restaurants in the U.S.