From Bakersfield came the Smokin' Armadillos, an exuberant country-rock sextet whose independent EP moved an astonishing 150,000 units long before any label contract materialized. The lineup featured Scott Meeks on guitar and vocals, Rick Russell handling lead vocals, Darrin Kirkindoll on drums, Arron Casida on bass and vocals, and fiddle champion Jason Theiste, with four of the six members having first crossed paths in high school when the group assembled in the summer of 1992. Regional audiences quickly embraced them, prompting the musicians, at the urging of a friend employed by a major label, to press singles and dispatch them to stations. Despite crowded playlists, several reporting outlets added the tracks, generating unexpected demand. The band pressed a five-song EP, distributing copies from a Bakersfield office and moving additional stock at its well-attended concerts. Three singles—“My Girlfriend Might,” “I'm a Cowboy,” and “Red Rock”—reached the summit of the independent charts, leading to a 1994 deal with MCG/Curb. The label issued the group’s debut album the following year and paired it with a reissued edition of the earlier EP.
