Originally founded by guitarists Zander Cox and Wes Walsworth (in the small town of Ketchum, ID), the Scotch Greens got off and running after the duo relocated to San Diego and enlisted a rhythm section comprised of bassist C.J. Cnossen and drummer Luke "The Kid" Kristensen. With Cox also doubling on lead vocals, the group came up with a punk/Western sound that draws from their main musical influences such as Johnny Cash, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Social Distortion. Playing their first gig at a chicken farm, the group soon graduated to higher profile clubs and evolved their music to incorporate a mandolin and banjo courtesy of Nashville native Dustin Welch. Since it's hard to peg their sound to a single style, the Scotch Greens have opened for a wide variety of acts, including confrontational L.A. punkers Fear, Irish rockers Flogging Molly, and country guitarist Junior Brown, among others. April 2000 saw the release of the Scotch Greens' debut album, !Draw!, resulting in four nominations at the 2000 San Diego Music Awards -- for Best Roots Album, Best Rock Album, Best New Artist, and Album of the Year. Two years later, the band recorded the live album O.C.6.12.02, released on a friend's indie, Accident Prone. A limited-edition (only 1,000 copies were released) split 7" with the Irish Brothers appeared on Split Seven Records in 2003. The Scotch Greens next hooked up with their friends in the Street Dogs and became the first ones signed to the band's DRT imprint, Brass Tacks, in October 2005. Working under the direction of friend, guitarist and producer Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Go Betty Go), the band set to work on what they considered to be their first "real" record, as much was learned from Hutt during the recording process. The resulting Professional was issued in April 2006. The guys spent some time in Europe with Reverend Horton Heat before playing the first month of the summer's Warped Tour. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi
