DARK MEAT are an Athens ensemble mixing elements of blues, punk rock, psychedelic jams, jazz and Zappa/Beefheart styled explosions. Imagine THE STOOGES meets CRAZY HORSE with killer Stax / Funeral / Marching band horns, wailing gospel-style female backing vocals, ripping guitar leads and free jazz freakouts. Singer/guitarist Jim McHugh and bassist Ben Clack moved to Athens from North Carolina a few years ago and met guitarist Kris and drummer Forrest while working together at a downtown restaurant. When second drummer Spirit Bird left town, his chair was filled by cymbal master Jason Robira. The group features a powerful backing vocal ensemble called the Subtweeters (Heather, Page, & Claire) who can rival the vocali ntensity of the earth shaking performances on BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY's classic LP "Cheap Thrills." The groupís massive horn section led by Charlie (trumpet) and Aaron (trombone) comes across like a Salvation Army mariachi brass band - and with waves of reeds from Jeff, Al, and Becky, the songs become wildly fluid in the exploratory sections. DARK MEAT’s 7” and digital EP, “When The Shelter Came” picks up where the wildly eclectic “Universal Indians” left off. Expect a full length in the fall of 2009.