For a band with no electric guitars or drums, playing on a late-Winter weeknight in a very rock-oriented venue, Split Lip Rayfield had a pretty good turnout of very enthusiastic fans at Cleveland’s Grog Shop. The band almost seemed bewildered at times by the level of enthusiasm as fans shouted along with choruses, hoisted their drinks in approval and blurted out requests. That’s the thing, SLR has so many memorable songs, if you’ve listened to them at all, I’ll wager that you have your favorites.

Using a slightly modified take on the traditional string band model -- mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and a very unique homemade stand-up bass named “The Stitchgiver,” which is constructed from an old automotive gas tank – Split Lip Rayfield spin countrified tales of hard drinking and drugging, love gone wrong (and sometimes right), working-class hard knocks and life on the wrong side of the law. They also have a tendency to play at speed-metal tempos with mandolin and banjo solos that can only be described as “shredding.” In light of all this, one might be tempted to consider Split Lip Rayfield a clever, well-executed novelty act. But listen for a while and you’ll quickly see that these guys are not simply ironic alt-bluegrass yahoos or an unplugged, tornado-bait version of Motorhead. Their repertoire also includes earnest, heart-worn country songs that will instantly stick in your head, along with sophisticated (you heard me) touches of Django-like jazz.

I have to admit that I had mixed emotions about this show, since this would be my first time seeing the band since the death of guitarist and essential songwriter Kirk Rundstrom in 2007. I wondered how they would present themselves without Kirk’s near maniacal human-dynamo stage presence and impossible-to-overstate musical and lyrical contributions. They wisely didn’t perform any of Rundstrom’s songs and didn’t try to recreate his sweat-soaked, string-breaking intensity.

Having taken advantage of opportunities presented by a road stint with Reverend Horton Heat and some work for Adult Swim’s “Squidbillies,” the band seems to be trucking along by playing to their considerable remaining strengths. Wayne Gottstine is like the Eddie Van Halen of the mandolin -- sauntering around and grinning while ripping blur-fast solos, and he also has a knack for writing instantly memorable songs, some tongue-in-cheek (“3.2 Flu”) and some disarmingly gentle (“All The Same”). Eric Mardis, who looks a bit like Coop’s renderings of Lucifer, slays on the banjo and writes some of the band’s funniest (“Kiss of Death”), most disturbing (“Hounds”) and rockingest (“In the Mud”) songs. Then there’s Jeff Eaton on “The Stitchgiver” playing that one orange weed whacker string like a man possessed and slapping the gas tank to provide percussive oomph. He also plays a mean kazoo and when he steps up to holler in the mic, the crowd will surely hoot and holler along.

The set list drew heavily from their latest album, 2008’s “I’ll be Around,” but they played songs going back to their self-titled 1998 debut. I was glad to see that the audience responded well to the newer material, because it really is a strong album with outstanding tracks like the ultra-twangy trucker’s appeal for deliverance from temptation “Rig or Cross,” or the upbeat loser’s ode to love on the road “Hobo Love Song.” They also played crowd pleasers like “Never Make it Home” (complete with kazoo solo), “In the Mud,” “Easy Street,” and “A Little More Cocaine Please.”

Split Lip Rayfield have great songs, sick chops and they’re a genuine, homegrown American curiosity. Even if twang is not your thang (sorry, I had to), just check them out.

www.splitliprayfield.com

Photos courtesy of Rob Musser: