Words and photos by Leroy Pristach

The venerable Split lip Rayfield played to a packed house at the Bottleneck Saturday night, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for a band that is arguably the king of the hill of Lawrence’s hometown heroes. Playing a mix of older tunes and, yes, even some brand new ones, the band hasn’t lost any of their charm or any of their command over the audience.

With emphatic yips, whistles, and yeehaws from the crowd– and support from bluegrass trio Julian Davis and the Hay-Burners and Illinois based folk singer Chicago Farmer– the night was definitely a success, and turned out to be one of the most fun-loving bluegrass/country shows I’ve seen in a while. 

Words and photos by Leroy Pristach