Split Lip Rayfield
| Split Lip Rayfield | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Wichita |
| Genres | Bluegrass, alternative country |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Bloodshot Records |
| Website | Official Site |
| Members | Jeff Eaton Wayne Gottstine Eric Mardis |
| Past members |
Kirk Rundstrom (deceased) David Lawrence |
Split Lip Rayfield is a vocal and acoustic instrumental group from Wichita, Kansas. Though they are sometimes classified as a bluegrass, alternative country, or cowpunk band, their music draws on a wide array of influences.
Split Lip Rayfield is a band from Wichita, Kansas featuring Kirk Rundstrom (guitar), Eric Mardis (banjo), Wayne Gottstine (mandolin), and Jeff Eaton (bass). Early on, the group's gimmick was Eaton's homemade one-string bass, named Stitchgiver, built from the gas tank of a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis and a piece of hickory and strung with one piece of Weedwhacker line.
The name "Split Lip Rayfield" was inspired by a real-life person who went to high school with Eaton's parents in Desloge, MO. He acquired the nickname "Split Lip" due to constant chapped lips so bad his lip would split.
The trio of Rundstrom, Eaton and Mardis recorded the album Split Lip Rayfield in 1998; Bloodshot released it that same year.
In 1999, Split Lip Rayfield released In the Mud, the first album on which the group was joined by Gottstine and performed as a quartet. This album contained fan favorites such as Gottstine's "3.2 Flu", Rundstrom's "Devil", Mardis' "Hounds" and a cover of the George Jones/Melba Montgomery song "Easy Street". The band followed up the album's release with a nationwide tour.
The band's next album, Never Make It Home (2001), also achieved success, as did the subsequent tour.
Following the Never Make It Home tour, Split Lip Rayfield took a short hiatus so that its members could refocus on family life and side projects. Upon reassembling, the group traveled to New Orleans to make a record with friend and fellow performer Mike West. The resulting disc, Should Have Seen It Coming (2004), won critical praise.
In 2005, Gottstine left the touring group for personal reasons, but the remaining trio continued to tour. Gottstine returned in summer of 2006 after Kirk Rundstrom's cancer diagnosis.
In 2008, the group guest wrote various music pieces for an episode of the Adultswim show Squidbillies entitled Mephistopheles Traveled Below to a Southern State Whose Motto is 'Wisdom, Justice and Moderation'.
In 2008, the group released "I'll Be Around." The album was dedicated to the late Kirk Rundstrom and the title track is a tribute to him.
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