Split Lip Rayfield

Can’t decide between spending this Saturday night at the Highdive or the Courtyard Café? Let Amanda and Emily try to convince you to join them at the show they think will be the best choice for the evening.

Split Lip Rayfield and The Resinators at the Highdive

While the Courtyard Café has a strong bill lined up for the night, the genre-defying trio Split Lip Rayfield should be reason enough to convince anyone to spend the night at the Highdive.

On one hand, the group is traditional bluegrass — acoustic stringed instruments that split time between playing the melody and improvising around one another. Keeping with this acoustic tradition, the men play everything from mandolin to bass unplugged and have a past repertoire of instruments that includes an original one-stringed bass built from a gas tank, hickory wood and a weed whacker line.

On the other hand, Split Lip Rayfield stray from the historical foundations of bluegrass by adding elements of punk and metal to their original sound. Often dubbed “thrash-grass,” the ability to sound heavier without the addition of electric instruments is a skill that has been honed over the course of 13 years as a band.

Expand your musical horizons and check out the “thrash-grass” of Wichita’s own when Split Lip Rayfield brings the promotion of their latest effort, I’ll Be Around, to the Highdive on Saturday, Dec. 6. Flanked by Bloomington rockers The Resinators and resident DJ Tim Williams, there really is something for every musical ear at the Highdive. —AS

Casados, Starflyer 59 and David Bazan at the Courtyard Café

When it comes down to filling the floor at the Highdive or the tables that scatter the Courtyard Café, the choice comes down to the entertainment.

Casados, who will be taking the Courtyard stage Dec. 6, will be offering a much different show than Split Lip Rayfield will when they take over the Highdive that same night.

The husband and wife duo combine acoustic guitar and lush harmonies with the unique sound of a harmonium to create their indie sound.

The music of Casados has changed a lot stylistically since their first EP that was released in April of last year.

“It’s like we’ve taken more of the storytelling elements of folk and combined it with the musical concepts from electric instruments,” said Nic Dillon, guitarist and vocalist for the duo.

They described their recent work as less folksy and orchestrated, as they leave the “in-between” stage they were in when their EP was released.

Since their EP release, the couple has decided to make music exclusively as a duet instead of working with a band, they said. Doing so has allowed them to focus on as much dynamics as they can with two artists.

“It’s actually been a really good challenge,” said Dillon. “That’s what’s brought us in a new ... direction.” — EC