How did Rural Grit get started?

Rural Grit started from the musical/artistic homesteading of a band called Trouble In Mind (Mark Smeltzer, Patrick Frazier, Mike Murphy & Don Carrick) and a sound engineer (Randy Wolf). Formed in 1990 in Maryville, Missouri, Trouble In Mind and their sound freak friend stuck together--creating and recording music. In 1994, they self-released 'Trouble In Mind' on the Rural Grit Label. The name 'Rural Grit' was chosen to describe the kind of music that Trouble In Mind created--they never could be pigeonholed into one genre and the idea of grit use on the farm appealed to them. After the release, they continued to record--in their attics, basements, and out at the Tick Ranch in the original farm house.

When Trouble In Mind started, the music world looked a lot different in Kansas City than it does today. For example: there was a single booking agency that was extremely powerful and if you didn't belong to their stable of performers, then you didn't get booked. Of course there were underground shows or underage shows, but they were often shut down by the city after the first show. Acoustic shows were unheard of, you couldn't find one anywhere. At that time, coffee shops had just started to exist and were beginning to host more diverse/eclectic shows but the public wasn't that accepting, yet. Groups like Uncle Tupelo and movements like No Depression were regional at best. Everything in KC was very much a formula and the thing that you could really rely on from audiences was a big round of indifference. It seemed like gigs at that time were based not on good music, but wether the band could play something that was known and popular, and in a style that was known and popular. Bands, just by the nature of the music scene, couldn't really be all that creative. Even to this day, the general population of this city doesn't really support local music. People don't know what they like; they like what they know.

Trouble In Mind didn't care if they were popular or not. They soon realized that the kind of music that they wanted to hear, they'd have to be playing it themselves. Maybe they just didn't know any better--none of them grew up here; they all grew up in small towns; met at a small town university (Northwest Missouri State University) and gravitated together to KC. They didn't look for anyone to respect what they did, so when they weren't respected, they didn't care. The main difference between them and any other "punk" band was that they didn't call it quits after six months. Trouble In Mind only played music that they thought people should hear, not what the public wanted to hear. All of this attitude led to a following that was 98% musicians--artists from all different kinds and types of musical expression.

The underground scene that was present at the time enabled them to meet musicians like: Dale Frazier, The Young Johnny Carson Story, The Dhurries, My Childhood Hero, and Blue Museum. None of these artists publicly played the same kind of music, but as they hosted house parties and afters or hung out for an afternoon, a community of musicians emerged. The artists challenged and supported each other. They each shared their American musical roots--by listening to old recordings, playing the traditional or revised versions and revealing their song-writing abilities. This established an outpost that didn't cater to the popular thing at the time. They tried to encourage other artists to go farther back and listen--to try to find the roots. Trouble In Mind and Randy were constantly recording and inviting others to record with them. It wasn't about the next record deal or being a star. It was about playing music, being honest, and following your heart/soul.

!n 1995 The Santa Rosa Tick Fest began. Trouble In Mind, Randy Wolf and Dale Frazier hosted the Santa Rosa Tick Fest--a weekend long playing/recording extravaganza. That year the infamous "Meat Gig" at the American Royal began. They continued to meet, play and socialize with new artists and newly founded bands (Foolish Sad Robot, Daysleeper, The Wilders, Santa Rosa String Band, The Kemps, Sandavol, Secret Liquor Cure).

In 1996 longtime friends, Kc and Kim Stanton, returned to the area and helped Trouble In Mind out with the business end--bookings, publicity and merchandise sells.

The community of musicians continued to musically interact. Randy continued to record, record, record. Other artists wanted to release on the Rural Grit Label--Dale Frazier, Santa Rosa String Band, The Wilders, The Kemps, Clayton Brown and Al Trout. Decisions were made about what did we want Rural Grit to be. We went the full gamut--with a board of directors, monthly meetings, a mission statement, and even procedures. The core group--Mark, Pat, Mike, Don,Dale, Randy, Kc, Kim, Ike, and Betse--agreed on this: Rural Grit was not out to make money. We provided the label name. Each artist that released on the label would do all the work, thus garnering all the money and owning all rights to the record. Rural Grit would produce shows or events and we would recorded it. Rural Grit would release compilations or anthologies from their own recordings. All proceeds from Rural Grit merchandise and shows would go back into the general fund to maintain recording gear and RG merchandise, produce Tick Fest and have some money available for our uninsured artists. There would be no regular paid positions--basically everything done is on a volunteer basis.

That's how Rural Grit started--a lot of work, dedication, love of music and hanging with like-minded folks.