Split Lip Rayfield

On the surface, bluegrass seems to have little in common with punk. After all, the former is traditionally acoustic, not electric, and many lineups don't even include a drummer. Yet because both styles are built for speed, former Wichita rockers Jeff Eaton, Wayne Gottstine, Kirk Rundstrom and Eric Mardis sound...

By Michael Roberts

February 3, 2005

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On the surface, bluegrass seems to have little in common with punk. After all, the former is traditionally acoustic, not electric, and many lineups don't even include a drummer. Yet because both styles are built for speed, former Wichita rockers Jeff Eaton, Wayne Gottstine, Kirk Rundstrom and Eric Mardis sound extremely comfortable within the context of Split Lip Rayfield, which joins Drag the River and Buckskin Stallion at the Fox. Take "Redneck Tailgate Dream," a track from Should Have Seen It Coming, the band's latest Bloodshot Records release. The ditty races along like a Ford pickup on jet fuel, spewing sassy lyrics ("Susie Lynn, she's just thirteen/Lookin' trashy and wearin' my high school ring") like plumes of exhaust. Granted, even wisecracks as amusing as those that pepper "A Little More Cocaine, Please" can wear thin after a while. But the music as a whole is tart and twangy enough to please just about any fan of countrified Americana -- and as a bonus, numbers such as "Just Like a Gillian Welch Song" manage to be wry and affecting at the same time. Thanks to Split Lip Rayfield, bluegrass has been punk'd.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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