You Got Bluegrass in My Reggae! No, You Got Reggae in My Bluegrass!

What has two thumbs and didn't even make it TWO WEEKS

with 'posting new remixes'? THIS GUY.

• • •

I made a bluegrass/reggae crossover record.

What started out as a one-off goofy project for 4/20/20 eventually blossomed into a full half-hour of old bluegrass tunes recast as reggae, along with three original dub tunes to create Red, Gold, Green & Bluegrass with musical partner-in-crime Joe Dep. We released it July 1 on Bandcamp. ($7, get your copy today!)

I can trace the deepest roots of this project back to a cassette tape of Puerto Rican reggae. That's what was playing — specifically, a band called Gomba Jahbari — when I walked into one of my now-best-friend's dorm rooms, and it was immediately captivating. Partly because it was Spanish-language reggae, which I'd never heard before, but also because they were using a synthesizer that I always referred to as "the Wubbly." It's just a certain way of filtering and tweaking a square-wave synth that gives it this nice, fat, round sound that works great in a reggae context. Gomba Jahbari uses it a lot, as well as my other favorite PR reggae group, Cultura Profética. 

With the banjo originating in Africa, and its use in the Caribbean dating back to the 1700s — and its general percussive nature — Joe and I figured there was no reason it wouldn't fit right in with a reggae soundscape. And I think it does, very well. It works as a sort of melodic substitute for the hand percussion common in rocksteady reggae.

Anyway, it turned into a real labor of love, we had a great time putting it together, and hope that you might think it's worth checking out.

Snag a copy at patrickvarine.bandcamp.com.

Setlist: Oil Country Bluegrass Festival, 2/25/17, Oil City, Pa.

Why is it called the Oil COUNTRY Bluegrass Festival 

if it's in Oil CITY? No one knows. But it's awesome.

Another month, another great time at a regional bluegrass festival. This time it was the Oil Country Bluegrass Festival, where our pal Sam Stuckey from Well Strung filled the mandolin role.

Click here to download/stream the set, courtesy of Archive.org!

One set:

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

Friend of the Devil (Dead)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

In the Pines (Lead Belly)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

Old Train (T. Rice)

St. Patty's Parade Day Setlist: 3/11/17 Rex Theater, Pgh,. Pa.

ERRBODY-PLAYIN'-THE-WRONG-INSTRUMENTS JAM!! UH-OH!!

We had a pretty great time opening for the Town Pants at the free St. Patty's Parade Day show at the Rex, despite the South Side being a complete and utter sh*tshow. Special thanks to our buddy Sam Stuckey from Well Strung for sitting in on mandolin with me and Pete, and for introducing us to a new tune, "Railroad Bill."

Click here to download/stream the set, courtesy of Archive.org!

One set:

Old Train (T. Rice)

Shady Grove (Trad.)

Railroad Bill (J. Elliott)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.) >

Friend of the Devil (Dead) >

Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go? (Clancy Bros.)

I Know You Rider (Trad., Dead arr.) >
Whiskey Before Breakfast (Trad.)

The Weekend's Setlist: 2/10/17 Club Café, Pgh., Pa. (Bluegrass show)

'Old train each time you pass you're older than the last,

And it seems I'm too old for runnin'...'

When we started doing our bluegrass thang, Trish was a little hesitant about jumping in with an additional harmony part. But she found her groove, and it makes all the difference. When you're singing bluegrass, that third, high part is what gives things the "high, lonesome sound" that characterizes the best of the genre.

Judging by the whoop and holler that follow the first burst of harmony in "Roving Gambler," I'd say we're gettin' there pretty quickly!

Thanks to Corey Kurtz & Dave Marley, and Hollow Oaks for sharing the bill with us. We had a great time!

Click here to download/stream the set courtesy of Archive.org!

One set:

Old Train (T. Rice)

Dark Hollow (B. Browning)

Streetlight Mama

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

My Sisters and Brothers (J. Garcia)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome Too (B. Monroe)

No Expectation (Stones) >

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

Junko Partner (J. Waynes)

Mother's Meth Head Blues

Loser (Dead)

Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.) >

You Better Get Right (Stanley Bros.)

Ice Jammin': This Weekend's Setlists

'In the moonlight, in the midnight...'

It was 36 straight hours of bluegrass from Saturday afternoon onward — we took the stage as the closing full band at the January Ice Jam in Butler on Saturday night, then it was time to head a few miles south on Sunday for a private party.

First off, if you're not familiar with the Ice Jam, about 800 bluegrass fans and players basically take over the Days Inn Conference Center in Butler and play music for two-and-a-half days straight. I'm talking every hotel door open and every room (and most of the hallways) filled with people playing bluegrass until about 5 a.m. I'm talking about GYM JAM 2017, where pickers hit the Days Inn fitness room and played mandolin while treadmilling and Stair-Mastering. It was a beautiful time.

Our pal Danny Rectenwald joined us at Ice Jam for our set as Covered in Grass, and then Charlie Hustle & the Pickers played a party for some great folks at the North Park Lodge.

Click the links below to check out the shows courtesy of Archive.org!

11/14/17 January Ice Jam, Butler, Pa.

(click here to download/stream)

One set:

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

Blackjack County Chains (R. Lane) >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

I Know You Rider (Trad.) >

Whiskey Before Breakfast (Trad.)

11/15/17 Private event, North Park Lodge, McCandless, Pa.

(click here to download/stream)

Early set:

Have Someone Play Dixie For Me (P. Roy)

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

Ophelia (The Band)

Honey Babe (E. Bishop)

Big River (J. Cash)

A Lonesome Night (Stanley Bros.)

You Better Get Right (Stanley Bros.) >

Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.)

Friend of the Devil (Dead)

Bury Me Beneath the Willow (Trad.)

Banks of the Ohio (Trad.)

Althea (Dead)

Streetlight Mama

No Expectation (Stones)

Angel From Montgomery (J. Prine)

Long Black Veil (Dill/Wilkins)

Ol' Slew Foot (J. Horton)

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

I Know You Rider (Trad.) >

Whiskey Before Breakfast (Trad.)

Late set:

Old Train (T. Rice)

Deep River Blues (D. Watson)

Midnight Flyer (P. Craft)

Dark Hollow (B. Browning)

Glendale Train (J. Dawson)

Tumbling Tumbleweeds (R. Rogers)

New Mexican Shuffle

Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms (Trad.)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard) >

Salt Creek (Trad.)

Saturday's Bluegrass Setlist: 1/7/17, Nied's Hotel, Pgh., Pa.

'On the banks of the Ohio...'

So we had to designate our bass player to injured-reserve status after a late-afternoon mishap... luckily, five head-staples later, she's good as new! In the meantime, we had our homie Danny Rectenwald join us for a night of hot pickin' at Nied's Hotel.

Click here to download/stream the show courtesy of Archive.org!

Early set:

Jam/Intro

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

Streetlight Mama

New Mexican Shuffle

In the Pines (Leadbelly)

Let Me Love You One More Time (Stanley Bros.)

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Dylan)

Blackjack Molly

No Expectation (Stones)

Have Someone Play Dixie For Me (Dry Branch Fire Squad)

You'll Never Miss the Water 'Til the Well Runs Dry (H. Linn, Varine arr.)

Peggy-O (Dead) >

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

I Know You Rider (Trad.) >

Whiskey Before Breakfast (Trad.)

Casey Jones (Dead)

Late set:

This Little Jar

Hold Me Back

A Lonesome Night (Stanley Bros.)

Feelin' Alright (D. Mason)

Hang Me Oh Hang Me (Trad.)

Friend of the Devil (Dead)

Dark Hollow (B. Browning)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

Dead Flowers (Stones)

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

Me and My Uncle (J. Phillips) >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

Loser (Dead)

Banks of the Ohio (Trad.)

Nine Pound Hammer (M. Travis) >

Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.)

Powderfinger (N. Young) >

Rain (Lennon-McCartney) >

Ol' Slew Foot (J. Horton)

E: How Mountain Girls Can Love (Stanley Bros.)

Mo' Grass! Fall/Winter Setlists

'Shelter me from the powder and the finger...'

Fall into winter has been a pretty awesome run for Charlie Hustle & the Pickers, our bluegrass offshoot of Charlie Hustle & the Grifters. We got put on for two bluegrass festivals, the Butler Ice Jam in January and the Oil Country Bluegrass Festival in February, and we've kept plenty busy in the months leading up to Christmas. As much as I'm itching to get back together with our drummer to bang out some serious electric mayhem, this has been a ton of fun and we're looking forward to more bluegrass gigs as well!

Click the links to download/stream any of the shows below, courtesy of Archive.org!

11/18/16, Stand Up for Standing Rock Benefit, Hambone's, Pgh., Pa. 

(performed as Covered in Grass)

Powderfinger (N. Young)

Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover (P. Simon)

Hotel California (D. Henley)

Laid (James)

Loser (Dead)

Riders on the Storm (Morrison/Manzarek/Krieger)

Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Dylan)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

Blackjack County Chains (D. McCoury) >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.)

11/26/16 American Legion Post. No. 980, Plum, Pa.

Deep River Blues (D. Watson)

Honey Babe (E. Bishop)

Blackjack Molly

Hang Me Oh Hang Me (D. Van Ronk)

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

Dark Hollow (B. Browning)

Come On In My Kitchen (R. Johnson)

Big River (J. Cash) >

New Mexican Shuffle

That's It

Angel Band (Stanley Bros.)

Powderfinger (N. Young)

Ophelia (The Band)

Junko Partner (M. Rebennack)

You Better Get Right (Stanley Bros.)

Friend of the Devil (Dead) >

Ol' Slew Foot (J. Horton)

Midnight Flyer (P. Craft)

In the Pines (Leadbelly)

Mean Ol' Bedbug Blues (B. Smith)

Foggy Mountain Top (L. Flatt)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

Blackjack County Chains (D. McCoury) >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

Casey Jones (Dead)

Gravel Road (M. Slim)

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)

Maggie's Farm (Dylan) >

Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.)

Streetlight Mama

Feelin' Alright (D. Mason)

Loser (Dead) >

St. James Infirmary (Trad.)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

12/9/16 Club Café, Pgh., Pa.*

Blackjack Molly

I Know You Rider (Trad.) >

Whiskey For Breakfast (Trad.)

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Dylan)

Dark Hollow (B. Browning)

Big River (J. Cash)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney) >

Powderfinger (N. Young) >

Casey Jones (Dead)

*Opened for the Rusty Haywhackers; performed without Trish; full set feat. Danny Rectenwald, mandolin

Bluegrass Fer Dat Ass! — 10/22 & 10/28/16 Setlists

'I'd rather be in some dark hollow,

Where the sun don't ever shine...'

We've been bluegrassing it up while our drummer and his wife welcome their little baby girl into the world, and it's been a blast. Part of how I got to be friends with our bass player and lead guitarist is we all brought instruments to a friend's birthday party and quickly found out that we knew all the same songs:

ME OR PETE OR TRISH: "Hey, let's do [this old Grateful Dead/random blues/semi-obscure folk song]."

TRISH OR PETE OR ME: "Sweet, we know that one!"

With this bluegrass group, we've discovered a bunch more of those songs, plus with a new project going, Covered in Grass (where we play bluegrass versions of well-known pop songs), we're adding more to the repertoire all the time.

At the first October show, we were joined by music professor and tremendous picker Danny Rectenwald on mandolin:

10/22/16, Hambone's, Pgh., Pa. (click here to stream/download)

Early set:
Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)
Jack-a-Roe (Trad.)
Friend of the Devil (Dead)
Shady Grove (Trad.)
In the Pines (Leadbelly)
Take On Me (M. Harket)
Hold Me Back
Me and My Uncle (J. Phillips) >
I Know What I Know (P. Simon)
John Hardy (Trad.) >
Laid (James) 
Foggy Mountain Top (L. Flatt)
Sweet Child O'Mine (G'n'F'n'R)

Late set:
Deep River Blues (D. Watson)
Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)
I Know You Rider (Trad.) >
Whiskey Before Breakfast (Trad.)
What Does the Deep Sea Say? (D. Watson)
Honey Babe (E. Bishop)
Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.)
Canyonero (M. Groening) >
Eat My Dust (D. Grisman) >
Riders on the Storm (Morrison/Manzarek/Krieger)
Nine Pound Hammer (M. Travis) >
Salt Creek (Trad.)
More Pretty Girls Than One (T. O'Brien)
This Little Jar* >
How Mountain Girls Can Love (Stanley Bros.)

*First time played

The second show was a Halloween-themed set at Elwood's Pub. Bluegrass-wise, that means a whole lotta shootin', stabbin', killin' and jailin'...

10/28/16 Elwood's Pub, Rural Ridge, Pa. (click here to stream/download)

Set I: 
Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya (M. Rebennack)
Evil Mind
Send Me to the Electric Chair (D. Bromberg)
Blackjack Molly
Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)
Long Black Veil (Dill/Wilkin)
Maggie's Farm (Dylan)
Tumbling Tumbleweeds (R. Rogers)
Angel From Montgomery (J. Prine)
Honey Babe (E. Bishop) >
Werewolves of London (W. Zevon)

Set II:
Sympathy for the Devil (Stones)
Dark Hollow (B. Browning)
Man of Constant Sorrow (Trad.)
Streetlight Mama
After Midnight (J.J. Cale)
I Know What I Know (P. Simon)
Stack-a-Lee (Trad., M. Rebennack arr.)
Angel Band (W. Bradbury)
New Minglewood Blues (N. Cannon, Dead arr.)

Set III:
Cash on the Barrelhead (C. Louvin/I. Louvin)
Riders on the Storm (Morrison/Manzarek/Krieger)
Banks of the Ohio (Trad.)
Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)
Cherokee Shuffle (Trad.)
Friend of the Devil (Dead)
Hang Me Oh Hang Me (D. Van Ronk)
St. James Infirmary (Trad.)
This Little Jar >
How Mountain Girls Can Love (Stanley Bros.)
An Hour Before Dawn

Tonight's Setlist: 10/8/16, PGH Abides 2016 (Lebowskifest), Spirit, Pgh., Pa.

'Yeah well, that's just, like, your opinion, man...' — The Dude

What a great time at PGH Abides. We always have a great time. Big thanks to Pandemic Pete, Steph Brea and the rest of the amazing folks who organize Pittsburgh's Lebowskifest every year. It just keeps getting better.

Click here to download/stream the set courtesy of Archive.org!

Tumbling Tumbleweeds (R. Rogers)

The Man In Me (Dylan)

Big River (J. Cash)

Riders on the Storm (Morrison/Manzark/Krieger)

Lodi (CCR)

Junko Partner (M. Rebennack)

That's It >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman) >

That's It

Hotel California (Eagles, but we did the Gipsy Kings' version, in Spanish!)

Dead Flowers (Stones)

Salt Creek (Trad.) >

Nine Pound Hammer (M. Travis)

Feelin' Alright (D. Mason)

Theme from Branded (Alch/Frontiere)

Last Weekend's Setlist (No. 2 of 2): 7/30/16 Four Seasons Brewing Co., Latrobe, Pa.

'That nine-pound hammer, it killed John Henry,

but it won't kill me, no it won't kill me...'

After hauling ass down to West Virginny for our noon full-band set, it was more ass-hauling back east for a bluegrass trio gig at the Four Seasons Brewing Co. in Latrobe. My fingers were destroyed by the end of the night, but we had a good time and I debuted my first attempt at writing a full-on bluegrass song, "Streetlight Mama." It hits all the requisite notes for bluegrass: unrequited love, violence and murder.

NOTE: The sound is not great, due to poor mic placement and due to Four Seasons essentially being a giant concrete box, so caveat emptor!

Click here to download/stream the set courtesy of Archive.org! (NOTE No. 2: At least presently, the Archive page says this is a concert by Charlie Hunter, because I was not paying close enough attention when selecting a band from the eTree list. We're right next to one another...)

Early set:

New Mexican Shuffle

Deep River Blues (D. Watson)

Have Someone Play Dixie For Me (P. Roy)

Blackjack Molly

Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.)

Boys in the Barroom (R. Hunter) >

Whiskey Before Breakfast

Althea (Dead)

Cocaine Blues (L. Jordan)

Let Me Love You One More Time (Stanley Bros.)

Strange Moon

Ophelia (The Band)

Junko Partner (J. Waynes)

Streetlight Mama*

Midnight Special (Leadbelly)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan) >

Mighty High (J. Ligon) >

Midnight Moonlight Reprise

Late set:

It's Raining Here This Morning (Stanley Bros.)

Hold Me Back

The Old Home Place (Webb/Jayne)

Nine Pound Hammer (M. Travis)

Me and My Uncle (J. Phillips) >

Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)

Roving Gambler (Stanley Bros.)
Salt Creek (Trad.)

A Lonesome Night (Stanley Bros.)

Stack-a-Lee (Trad., Rebennack arr.)

Honey Babe (E. Bishop)

You Better Get Right (Stanley Bros.) >

Big River (J. Cash)

I Know You Rider (Trad., Dead arr.)

Friend of the Devil (Dead) >

Blackberry Blossom (A. Smith) >

Friend of the Devil

How Mountain Girls Can Love (Stanley Bros.) >

Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)

*First time played

Tonight's Setlist: 6/21/16, Leechburg Firemen's Carnival, Leechburg, Pa.

'This nine-pound hammer, it killed John Henry,

but it won't kill me, no it won't kill me...'

We were joined tonight by my sister for a handful of songs at the beginning of the second set, and it was pretty awesome. She's a classically-trained opera singer, so we had to countrify her up a little to get the proper twaang for singing bluegrass, but we got there.

Click here to download/stream the show courtesy of Archive.org!

Early set:
New Mexican Shuffle
Nine Pound Hammer (M. Travis)
Let Me Love You One More Time (Stanley Bros.)
In the Pines (Leadbelly)
John Hardy (Trad.)
Mystery Train (J. Parker)
Blackberry Blossom (A. Smith)
Pig in a Pen (Trad.)
Eat My Dust (D. Grisman)
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Dylan)
Glendale Train (J. Dawson) >
I Know You Rider (Trad.) >
Whiskey Before Breakfast

Late set:
Roving Gambler* (Stanley Bros.)
A Lonesome Night* (Stanley Bros.)
Leaning on the Everlasting Arm* (Stanley Bros.)
Friend of the Devil* (Dead)
Where We'll Never Grow Old* (Stanley Bros.)
Dark as a Dungeon* (M. Travis)
I Am Weary, Let Me Rest* (Cox Family)
You Better Get Right (Stanley Bros.) >
Mighty High (J. Ligon)
Honey Babe (E. Bishop) >
Gravel Road (M. Slim)
Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.)
Salt Creek (Trad.)
Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)
Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)
How Mountain Girls Can Love (Stanley Bros.)

*with Rachel Grumet

Last Night's Setlist: 4/22/16, Tree Pittsburgh (private event)

'In the pines, in the pines...'

So, in addition to having one of the coolest logos ever to incorporate Pittsburgh's municipal boundaries, Tree Pittsburgh is a bunch of really cool people. Trish and I got to play a duo show last night at one of the private events marking Earth Day 2016, where we picked a few tunes and chowed down on smoked salmon, pickled jalapeños, like six different kinds of hummus and Vietnamese coffee-flavored ice cream.

And despite about a half-dozen requests, we were unable to give the people a Prince cover. Sorry. 

Early set:

The Captain

Blackjack Molly

Honey Babe (E. Bishop)

Quite a Night

Althea (Dead) >
Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

You Better Get Right (R. Stanley)

Northern Muse (Solid Ground) (V. Morrison)

New Mexican Shuffle

Strange Moon

Gravel Road (M. Slim)

Friend of the Devil (Dead)

Midnight Special (Leadbelly)

Floating Bridge (J. Estes)

Late set:

Have Someone Play Dixie For Me (P. Roy)

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

In the Pines (Leadbelly)

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry (Dylan) >

Slow Train (T. Bruno)

Astral Weeks (V. Morrison) >

Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.)

The One That Got Away (T. Waits)

Big River (J. Cash)

Black Peter (Dead)

Magnolia (J.J. Cale) >

Stone Soup >

Garden of Eden (J. Nelson)

Madame George (V. Morrison)

Midnight Moonlight (P. Rowan)

pUNKapalooza 2016 Setlist: 4/2/16, Moondog's, Blawnox, Pa.

'...the music never stops...'

Well, Pete had to work during the day, so that took us down to just a duo! Charlie Hustle & the Picker, if you will. Trish and I did a quick set at pUNKapalooza 2016 for a small-but-appreciative crowd at Moondog's ('cause let's be honest, not a ton of people are coming out to see live music at 2:30 on a random Saturday afternoon).

Click here to stream/download the set courtesy of Archive.org!

One set:
Strange Moon
Blackjack Molly
Honey Babe (E. Bishop)
Peggy-O (Trad., Dead arr.) >
Dauphine
New Mexican Shuffle
The Captain*
You Better Get Right (R. Stanley) >
Gravel Road (M. Slim)
Dark as a Dungeon (M. Travis)
Mother's Meth Head Blues
Deep Elem Blues (Trad.) >
Don't Let Go (J. Stone)
Fox on the Run (T. Hazzard)
Madame George (V. Morrison)

*First time played