Alameda County Line (Ranchero)

Red Meat 

Alameda County Line (Ranchero)

Red Meat (not to be confused with the harder-rockin' Chicago outfit Red Red Meat) is a traditional country outfit whose members have apartments in San Francisco and hearts and homes in various parts of the Midwest. As singer Smelley (David) Kelley sings in the anti-California lament "Midwest Blues," Iowa's callin' me 'cause I got nothin' out here to lose. Kelley actually sounds a little bit like George Jones, and the similarity is natural, not because of a strained affectation.

With producer Dave Alvin's help, Alameda County Line is as traditional as a beef-packing plant. The band's original songs range from the '60s-country-radio-ready "Memory of Your Smile" to the dying car ballad "Under the Wrench" to bassist Jill Scott's folky "Sweet Song" and guitarist Scott Young's comical "Lolita," about a guy who can hook up only with women named Lolita because he branded the name of the first Lolita on his arm. By the time the band dusts off Harlan Howard and Tompall Glaser's "Streets of Baltimore" for a live encore track, Red Meat has erased any doubt that a group that hails from the city of delectables and fine wine can produce music that's far from dainty.

  • Alameda County Line (Ranchero)

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this thread:

Add a comment

Latest in Hear & Now

  • The Magic Numbers

    The Magic Numbers(Capitol)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • Lightning Bolt

    Hypermagic Mountain(Load)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • Atmosphere

    You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having(Rhymesayers)
    • Oct 20, 2005
  • More »

Facebook Activity

All contents ©2012 Kansas City Pitch LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this service may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Kansas City Pitch LLC,
except that an individual may download and/or forward articles via email to a reasonable number of recipients for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Website powered by Foundation