Starting in 1995, Scroat Belly eventually put out a couple of CDs before hanging it up. The band's breakneck pace and head-spinning tempo changes live on in Split Lip's arrangements, but as Rundstrom explains, burnout came fast. After a couple of years of playing to nobody on the road, it kind of fell apart, and everyone needed a break. From there, it was logical for Rundstrom and company to pursue a more acoustic tack, which happened when Split Lip coalesced at the Winfield Music Festival, a bluegrass event conveniently held in the small Kansas town of Winfield. Jeff made that damn bass, and everything fell around it.
Acoustic music is huge in Kansas.
It's pretty damn fun, actually. Despite their traditional instruments and high-lonesome harmonies, Split Lip is far, far outside bluegrass' usual parameters. One reflection of the changing times is how readily they're accepted at festivals. Equidistant to both coasts, Wichita's location puts it within easy driving distance to any number of cities. In fact, Rundstrom loves the van life so much that he's put together the Kirk Rundstrom Band, dragooning Mardis on pedal steel and lead guitar along with a crew of non-Split Lip folks.