Red Red Meat

Shuffled from the deck of the Chicago folk-punk outfit Friends of Betty in 1990, the modern blues balladeers of Red Red Meat would provide a stunning counterpoint to the windy city's popular Material Issue/Urge Overkill glam-informed swagger. Tim Rutili (vocals, guitars) and Glynis Johnson (bass, vocals), both of founding members of Friends of Betty, along with new recruits Brian Deck (drums) and Crows guitarist Glenn Girard, released their first single, Snowball, in 1991. Internal conflict and personal struggles were already cropping up and threatening to implode the young band as they recorded their eponymous debut LP in 1992. Released on their own Perishable records imprint, the album was a healthy slab of Stones-inspired roots rock and it helped the band to procure steady gigs, as well as heighten their profile in the chaotic, Nirvana-incited underground feeding frenzy of the early '90s. In the summer of 1992, fellow up-and-coming Chicagoans the Smashing Pumpkins invited the band to fill the opening slot on a ten-day touring excursion. The shows served to eradicate Johnson's failing health and her already strained eight-year musical and romantic relationship with Rutili suffered further. Oblivious to the severity of her illness and obliging her repeated requests, Rutili kicked her out of the band. Just a couple of months later, the 32-year-old Johnson died of AIDS. Rather than allowing the death of a bandmate and friend to deconstruct the ensemble, Red Red Meat resolved to soldier on in a kind of tribute to their comrade. In the winter of 1992, lawyer Tim Hurley was welcomed into the fold as the new permanent bass player. Mixed alongside dirty guitar tones and traditional drum kits outfitted with steel pots and actual kitchen sinks, Rutili's gravel pit voice led...