The guys of Renegade Rail have seen things move into full swing lately. Between finishing a third album, Ragged, shooting a video for the CMT Madness Competition, and touring, they have been showing the rest of the TX/RD family and friends just what four Missouri guys are really made of. Of course, they can’t do this without some new threads, so Nathan Cross of Southern Thread has generously hooked the band up with new clothes.

“The ink hasn’t been signed yet, but Nathan Cross felt sorry for us the last time he saw us dressed in rags, so he hooked us up with some great clothes,” lead vocalist, Mike Munsterman said.

Perhaps, the biggest news for Renegade Rail is the release of their third album, Ragged. Munsterman said the guys all thought it’d be fitting, since that’s how they feel after a live performance. Although this is their third album, it’s the first one the band is completely satisfied with because they took the time to hire a real producer. The producer of Ragged is none other than Mike McClure.

McClure is not only known for his own music and live performances. He has also gained recognition as a successful and popular producer among Red Dirt bands. He has produced his own albums, which include Camelot Falling, and the recent release Foam, as well as albums for Cross Canadian Ragweed and many other TX/RD favorites.

“The atmosphere at the Dirty Bird Recording Studio [located outside of Norman, OK] is set around making the artist feel comfortable. Not to mention, he [McClure] was a blast to work with,” Munsterman said.

Fans can buy the new album at CDBaby.com, Lonestarmusic.com, or at one of the Renegade Rail shows. Fans can also request the CD on Reddirtradio.com, where their first release, "Cardboard," received an impressive rating of 9.8 out of 10. Munsterman said Skydog, the Red Dirt Radio DJ, has listed this song as the highest-ranking song ever on that station.

Renegade Rail has been performing for several years now and recorded two other CDs, Derailed and It’s Not Us. While it seems that most Red Dirt artists hail from Oklahoma and Texas, the guys of Renegade Rail are from a little farther to the northeast, specifically the Sedalia, Missouri area.

“We all hit it off at a late night Tupperware party and we’ve been playing together ever since,” Munsterman joked about how the band started. “Really, we all were playing the same old, tired cover songs in other bands and decided to get together and create our own sound instead of someone else’s.”

The band members truly believe in writing their own songs and Munsterman and drummer Eric Kullman both agreed that their biggest influences are real life experiences. They’ve been writing songs for three years, but they believe they’ve really kicked it up a notch in the past year.

Long time fans may have noticed some changes in the band recently, as former member Leslie Kullman has left the band. Kullman played keyboard, rhythm guitar, banjo, and backup vocals. Munsterman said there was no bad blood from the split, but rather that Kullman is planning a wedding and also going to college. She even recorded keys with them on Ragged. Other members of the band include newest member, Luke Hayworth on lead guitar and vocals, and long time member, Rocky Vincent on bass and backup vocals.

The band just finished shooting a video for the CMT Madness Competition, where the winner will be on the Studio 330 Sessions. Renegade Rail is also working on booking more shows in the TX/OK area. Fans can find a list of concert dates and other information on the band by logging onto renegaderail.com, or myspace.com/railthis.

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