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Red Meat began in a Mission District garage in 1993. But they trace their musical roots much farther back – to the hard honky tonk songs of their youths in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Ohio, as well as the rock music of the 60s and 70s that they grew up with. Throw in the Ozark gospel harmonies from Scott Young's childhood, and you have the basic backbone of the Red Meat sound. It was this sound that they unleashed on an unsuspecting San Francisco still reeling from the demise of a strong 80s punk rock scene. And in a city known for its unusual music and its off-kilter bands, Red Meat did the craziest thing yet: they returned to their roots, writing and performing hard Bakersfield-style country music to sometimes dumbfounded early audiences. The group is comprised of a few misplaced Midwesterners who found a home for their muse in the City by the Bay. Scott Young plays fiddle, guitar and sings like a bird, and he also writes a lot of the songs. Bassist and vocalist Jill Olson is the other main songwriter, and lead guitarist Michael Montalto also contributes original material. Drummer Les James adds to the band's distinctive vocal sound while front man Smelley Kelley is not only the "vocal artist" of the group, but also the on-stage frontman. After hundreds of gigs, four albums, national tours, European dates,
sharing the stage with their idol Buck Owens and many other national
acts, backing rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson on a tour of California,
and movie and television soundtracks, Red Meat has found its place
as one of the pre-eminent honky tonk bands in California. It's a
lot of progress for five expatriate Midwesterners who found their
muse in San Francisco so long ago. And with the recent release of
their fourth album, the Dave Alvin-produced "We Never Close",
don't look for the progress to end anytime soon.
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