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I have had the
privilege to see
Split Lip Rayfield
live twice, both
times opening up for
The Reverend Horton
Heat. Up on stage I
witnessed four dudes
I could relate to,
jamming out on some
of the most
interesting music
that has ever graced
my ears! Four
instruments and NO
PERCUSSION! I
couldn’t believe it!
A guitar, mandolin,
banjo and something
that resembled a
stand up bass? You
never know what to
expect when you
attend a Reverend
show. Playing a
thousand miles an
hour and then doing
a complete 180
degree shift and
producing astounding
harmonies & rhythms
with all 4 members
lending their vocal
cords. At first I
was skeptical, but
after about the 3rd
song I could tell
this was something
special. I always
like to experience
something out of the
ordinary, especially
when it works the
way this does. Typically, a crowd is always skeptical when it comes to opening acts, but I watched as the bonding began! I remember quickly purchasing one of 3 CD’s (“Never Make It Home”) they had for sale. I played it for everyone I could find and listened to it religiously for months (Still do til this day over 2 ˝ years later!). The best part is my father who is a bluegrass fan, really took a liking to it. Playing in a band and surrounding himself with music his whole life; finding something we both can enjoy is a great feeling. I quickly ordered their other 2 albums and have considered myself a DIEHARD fan since. In fact, it has opened my eyes to a whole new world of music I never even knew existed! I am forever a metalhead, but I don’t discriminate against anything. Having an open mind, not only in music but in other aspects of your life, can open you up to so many new & exciting things. I hope you get a chance to check out Split Lip Rayfield; live if you can! To experience first hand the raw energy and talent they infuse. I would like to thank Jeff for taking the time out of his busy schedule and Split Lip Rayfield for such awesome music! Metalheads & music fans of any genre - do yourself a favor and check them out! They have a new album coming out in September called “Should Have Seen It Coming”. Check out www.bloodshotrecords.com & www.splitliprayfield.com for more Split Lip Info! And now...It is my privilege to present to you this EXCLUSIVE interview! Enjoy everyone! |
1) Please give our
readers a brief
introduction on what
Split Lip Rayfield
is all about?
plan" to create some crazy bluegrass/rock band, whatever comes out just comes out, and people seem to dig it, so I think that is what is cool about it.
2) What kind of music did you listen to throughout your youth?
Speaking for myself, I was kind of a late bloomer on the whole rock thing. I didn't even listen to the radio until I was about 13. Then shortly after that a friend of mine turned me
on to DRI
and Dead Kennedys
and stuff like that,
and I turned into
your standard issue,
guy in small town
who is the one that
listens to all that
weird shit. Caught a
lot of cool hardcore
shows in the late
eighties, then
started exploring
all sorts of other
stuff in the 90's
and have somehowlanded here.
3) At what point in your lifetime did you realize music was going to be your chosen career?
I don't think I ever realized that. I’ve been playing in bands for years now, and this one has sort of taken off a bit. So, consider myself really lucky to get a chance to travel around and play some shows.
4) Inspiration, where do you get it?
I don't think you really know for sure, it just sort of happens, you know. That’s what is cool and mysterious about it. If you try and seek it out, it just doesn't seem to work that well.
5) Your instrument of choice is a one string "gas tank" bass, please elaborate on that? Did you come up with the idea yourself?
I was living up in Kansas City with an artist friend of mine about 9 years ago, and we thought it would be cool and funny to build a washtub bass. He had all sort of junk and shit laying around his house and yard, but he had no washtub. However, he did have an old gas tank and we figured it would work just as well and slapped one together. Well, it worked
alright, just good enough that I thought it was worth a shot at making another, so I went down to the junkyard and bought a gas tank for $5 and put together another. I still play that one today. The tank is out of a late 70's Mercury Grand Marquis or Ford LTD, got a walnutneck I carved on it, scavenged a tuning machine from a broken upright bass, .095" diameter weed eater line for string (and old washtub bass string trick), and a spliced K&K/Underwood upright bass pickup system for getting it nice and loud.
6) Did you find it challenging in the recording studio?
No too bad really...we have been fortunate, in that everyone who has recorded us has been really experienced, and were really into the challenge of recording us. We can be kind of a unyielding beast sometimes. As long as we can get good performances laid down, that is really the challenging part as far as playing in the studio, it is the job of the engineer to capture that the best they can. Usually, as far as my bass, we run a direct line, and a couple'a'three mics around and mix it all together.
7) Have you ever entertained the idea of bringing in any percussion?
Not permanently, but we do have guys play a snare, or washboard now and then. We had a dude here in town years ago that played a lot of shows on the snare with us, but it kinda went by the wayside.
8) Tell us about touring with the Reverend Horton Heat?
The Rev and the Boys are great guys. We can't thank them enough for allowing us the opportunity to expose ourselves to their crowd. It has been huge for us, he
has a really diverse crowd, as do we, and it is great to have a chance to tap into it.
9) What kind of response did you get when playing live to a new audience?
It has been going really well. We seem to be able to rope in a lot of new fans with just a quick 30 minute set opening for the Rev. It think it takes a lot of folks by surprise, 4 guys with acoustic instruments, cranking out that much noise, and they seem to eat it
up so far.
10) Does Split Lip Rayfield love to party it up?
Not as much as people want to think. Sure you're gonna have some beers on the road, but you gotta keep your shit together at the same time.
11) How has the road been treating you?
It has been good lately. A lot of towns we have been struggling in are starting to come around. We have been hitting it pretty hard this year and it is beginning to take off somewhat. Everything has been going pretty smoothly, no great disasters or anything,
just some crazy long drives now and then.
12) You call the great state of Kansas home. What is that like? What kind of music scene does it contain?
It's no bad really, I quite enjoy living here. We catch a lot of flack on the road about how Kansas sucks, but that is bullshit. There's a ton of great folks out here and a ton of great places to live for dirt cheap. So it may be a little more slow paced than some other places, but I like that. It affords me lots of time to do what I want. And it's not that fucking flat! Sure, out in Western Kansas it can get pretty desolate, and there's not much out there, but
that's what can be great about it.
As far as the music scene goes, Wichita can kind of struggle sometime in that department, but no more than any other city of 400,000 does. And Lawrence is one of the greatest college towns in the country.
13) Do you find a particular area of the country takes to your music better than others?
Not too much. I really depends on how much we have been through. We do great down in Austin, up in Chicago, out in Seattle & Portland, but we have played those places a ton of times. As far a particular region latching on more that another, such as "they love us down in the south", that hasn't happened really. I think we are too broadband for that, old men
and metalheads, punks and hippies, rednecks and college boys, all seem to like us all the same.
14) Are you able to keep the band as your full-time job?
As of just recently.
We did a ton of
touring over the
years, only to
return home and go
back to work on
Monday, and that
shit is tiring. But
it has paid off in
the long run.15) Care to share any comments on the current state of the music industry?
Not really...I'm really out of touch I guess. I do think that the mainstream rock is as watered down and soulless as ever. But I'm getting old, and that seem to go with the territory.
16) Do you have an opinion on file sharing over the internet?
I don't have a problem with it, but we are still very small time. I wish it could help us get out there to the people more. I can't really bitch though, I'm guilty of a few gratuitous downloads myself. But I have gotten turned onto some cool bands that I would have never hooked up with otherwise, and if they come to my town, I will go and see them and they can get my buck then.
17) What is the greatest thing about playing music?
Going out there and playing shows. It's cool to go play it out there and get direct human response from folks.
18) What are some of your other hobbies?
I dabble in the car fix 'em up department. I got a '62 Econoline Pickup I've been trying to get ready for paint for a few of months now, but touring has really put a damper on that. Plus I've been too busy fishing this spring. I've been getting into the Carp fishing the last couple of years. My wife is from Minnesota, and I fish my ass off for Walleye when we go up there for a visit.
19) What kind of car do you drive?
I got my '62 Econoline, but it is up on jack stands at the moment. My other rig is a '66 Chevy Pickup, an old beater I got for free.
20) Please tell us what is in your CD player right now?
Funny you should ask...Peter & The Test Tube Babies compile I made from D/L files. It's been taking me back to my younger days. I already bought all that stuff back when I was a kid and have long lost those tapes, so I don't feel like I'm really stealing it.
21) I have heard Split Lip being described as "Jamgrass", what adjectives would you use to describe your music?
One thing it is not "Jamgrass", all of our songs are formatted, except for a couple. I don't
really know how to describe it. We just kinda do our thing and see what happens.
22) Please tell us about your new album?
I think it is our best yet. We kind of went further into the direction we went with "Never Make It Home", in that the songs are more finely crafted and it is not just a bunch of super fast songs sprinkled with a slow one here and there. We recorded it down in New Orleans with a guy Mike West, it is called "Should Have Seen It Coming", and will be out in September.
23) What is next for Split Lip Rayfield?
We got a fairly good schedule lined up through July, then we are taking all of August off. Once the new record comes out we are slated to get back into it pretty hard and heavy.
24) How can one get a hold of your music?
Through your local indie record store (if there are any of those left), the label
www.bloodshotrecords.com, www.amazon.com, and most any chain store but you will probably have to order it.
25) Any last words?
Damn! My typing is slow!
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