Tonight's Setlist: 9/26/14, PGH Abides, Bayardstown Social Club, Pgh., Pa.

"How many of you know the origin 
of the phrase 'Stranger in the Alps'?"

It was a night of ladies with missing toes and Viking helmets, men in bathrobes and hunting eyewear, ziplining blowup dolls with paintbrushes and one guy who was actually wearing the rug that really tied the room together. If you don't understand any of that, you need to go watch "The Big Lebowski" ASA-MF-P.

Thanks to Pandemic and Weather Permitting for having us back, and big thanks to special guest drummer Bobby D^ for sitting in. Click here to stream/download the set courtesy of Archive.org.

Early set:

The Man in Me (Dylan)

New Mexican Shuffle*

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Mother's Meth Head Blues*

China Cat Sunflower (Dead) >

Feelin' Blue (CCR)

Lookin' Out My Backdoor (CCR)

Good Mornin' Lil Schoolgirl (J. Lee Williamson) >

Jam > Schoolgirl Reprise

Late set:

Back on the Train (Phish)

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

Friend of the Devil (Dead) >

Run Through the Jungle (CCR) >

Friend of the Devil

Nine-Toed Blues*#

Junco Partner (J. Waynes)

Slow Train (T. Bruno) >

Stone Soup* >

Cold Rain and Snow (Trad., Dead arr.)

*Original

#First time played; written especially for PGH Abides 2014
^Both sets with Bob DiCola, drums

VIDEO: "Rain > Friend of the Devil > Whiskey River"

Check out the suite that closed the first set at Charlie Hustle & the Grifters' 8/31/13 show at Rosedale Beach Club, "Rain > Friend of the Devil > Whiskey River."

And be sure to check us out Nov. 8, 10 p.m. at Club Cafe, 56 S. 12th St., on Pittsburgh's South Side! Click here for tickets!

Tonight's Setlist: 9/13/13, Pittsburgh Abides (Lebowski-Fest), Artist Image Resources, Pittsburgh, Pa.

"I'm the penthouse pauper, baby, I got nothin' to my name..."

What a fantastic night. Scores of folks dressed up as 'Big Lebowski' characters including a very convincing Viking Maude Lebowski, Yinz'N'Out Burgers from the Lomito food truck, maybe the best print I ever bought for $10 of the event logo, and us laying down an all-Creedence set in honor of their prominent place in the film of the evening.

On a side note, that John Fogerty is one high-tenor-yellin'-sumummabitch. There are a couple points where my voice just won't do it anymore, on "Graveyard Train" and "Born on the Bayou." He gets waaaaaaaaay up there.

Best sights of the night:

• The guy who took second place in the costume contest dressed as Jackie Treehorn's notepad with the giant dick drawing.

• Me finding two bottles of Sioux City Sasparilla at, of all places, Stanford Home Center.

• White Russian popsicles!

• The best lightshow we'll ever get as a band, a running loop of naked-women-on-trampolines at Jackie Treehorn's house.

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

One set:

Run Through the Jungle

Lodi

Bad Moon Rising

Cotton Fields

Fortunate Son

Penthouse Pauper

Feelin' Blue

Graveyard Train

Travelin' Band

Born on the Bayou

Lookin' Out My Backdoor

Today's Setlist: 2013/06/02 Verona Park, Verona, Pa.

'When it rains and shines/It's just a state of mind..."

We have some sort of mystical effect on the weather forecast. Twice we've played Verona Park, and it was supposed to rain both times. Does it have anything to do with the fact that we played the Beatles' "Rain" both times? I'd like to think so. 

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

Early set:

Lil' Red Rooster (C. Burnett)

New Mexican Shuffle*

Althea (Dead)

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Feelin' Alright (S. Winwood)

Floating Bridge (J. Estes)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney) >

Stealin' (Trad.)

Dock of the Bay (O. Redding)

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Dylan)

Late set:

Soul Serenade (C. Ousley)

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

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

Kiss and Tell (G. Love)

Big River (J. Cash)

China Cat Sunflower (Dead) >

I Know You Rider (Dead)

*Original

Come check out the debut of a band soon-to-not-be-called The Varine/Lawson Project!

Soooo the club owner was pressing us for a band name so he could get his fliers together, aaaaand the best that we could come up with was The Varine/Lawson Project. Rest assured, it won't be that for long. HOWEVA, you should still come check out our debut gig, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. at The Hideout, 45 Bates St., in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood (it's right off the Bates Street exit on the Parkway West).

Right now we're working on originals and covering everything from Bill Withers to Howlin' Wolf to the Dead, Dylan, Traffic and more!