Squirrel Nut Zippers singer/songwriter/guitarist/saxophonist Tom Maxwell is leaving the band. "I'm not going to discuss details, but I will say that there is no anger or hard feelings," Maxwell said in a letter to fans on the band's website.| "Basically, all things must pass and it was time to go."

Maxwell's departure comes just over a month after the release of bandmate's Katharine Whalen's solo album, Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad. But according to bandmate Ken Mosher, the rest of the Squirrel camp -- Whalen included -- remains intact. "No one else is leaving this band, or they'll have to deal with me," Mosher claimed on the site. "This is a very sad day for me. I love Tom, am sad to see him go, and wish him the best." Maxwell was a little more upbeat about the future, though. "Keep your ears open," he wrote, "because there's still a lot of good music to be made by myself and other Zippers."

The group scored an unlikely platinum success in 1996 with their Southern swing-revival album, Hot.

ANDREW DANSBY(July 8, 1999)