Setlist: 12/9/17 American Legion Post No. 980, Plum, Pa.

Above: 'Fess, a.k.a. Professor Longhair. Our set had

a decidedly N'awlins flavor to the selections..

Man, it's been a helluva long time since I posted on here. Well, that's partially because I just haven't been on my home computer as often, and because since we started what has become the Sweaty Already String Band — the rechristened moniker for Charlie Hustle & the Pickers — we've been hella busy!

But as much fun as I have playing bluegrass and singing high, lonesome harmonies, it's just as much of a blast to send things into rock'n'roll outer-space with the electric band. There's a very strong structure to bluegrass music that I have a deep appreciation for, but I'm also equally attracted to the seemingly limitless improvisational opportunities that come with electrified music and sonic effects.

So here we are. Me playing in two vastly different bands, yet with the same people. Okay, enough rambling. Let's git to the show.

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

Early set:

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

That's It

Step Aside*

Ophelia (The Band) >

Feelin' Blue (CCR)

Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning (D. Van Ronk)

Streetlight Mama*

Lou-Easy-Ann (J.J. Cale)

On the Run*^

Let It Rock (C. Berry)

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

Late set:

Big Bad Blues (Furthur)

Feelin' Alright (D. Mason)

Big River (J. Cash)

Old Home Place Blues (Webb/Jayne, Flynn arr.)

Iko Iko (J. Crawford) >

I Know You Rider (Trad.) >

Back on the Train (Phish)>

Drumz >

Space >

Don't Let Go (J. Stone) >

Mountain Jam (Allman Bros.) >

Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (Trad., Dead arr.) >

Mountain Jam Reprise#

*First time played
^with 'Tipitina' tease
#with 'Ode to Joy' tease

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

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 Month's Setlist: 8/27/16, Oaks Theater, Oakmont, Pa.

'Bayou moonlight, got me wanderin'

Off Dauphine Street again...'

We found some awesome kindred spirits in Greensburg-based rock/funk band Habatat, who joined us for a double-bill at the beautiful Oaks Theater. Unfortunately, the crowd was kinda small, but we still had a great time. 

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

One set:

Big Bad Blues* (Furthur)

Blackjack Molly*

Strange Moon

Casey Jones** (T.L. Seibert)

Ophelia (The Band) >

Dauphine

Gravel Road* (M. Slim)

Cumberland Blues (Dead)

Somebody Changed the Lock*** (C. Weldon/M. Rebennack arr.)

Les Brers in A Minor (D. Betts)

Funky Werewolf >

Drumz > Space >

Stone Soup >

Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (Dead) >

Don't Let Go (J. Stone)

*Not recorded

**Not that one

***feat. Josh Covert of Habatat, trumpet

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

Last Week's Setlist: 7/16/16 Arsenal Cider House, Pgh., Pa.

"They call it the 'Babywaker'... I thought it was called the 'Babymaker'..."

We had a tremendous time at Arsenal Cider House, a place I will be visiting in the future regardless of whether or not we have a gig there. Blackberry cider — "The Babywaker" — was out-of-control good.

After a short acoustic set where we opened for ourselves — Trish and I tossed off a few tunes while our drummer and lead guitarist were getting set up — I also got to try out my new Zoom G5n multi-effects processor, which proved itself well worth the purchase. I'll have to use it judiciously, but the nearly 70 different effects are going to come in awful handy at future shows.

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

Set I:

Lou-Easy-Ann (J.J. Cale)

Junko Partner (J. Waynes)

New Mexican Shuffle

Gravel Road (M. Slim)

Friend of the Devil (Dead)

Set II:

Jam > Queen Cobra

Dauphine >
Feelin' Blue (CCR) >

Funky Werewolf

Strange Moon

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

Meet Me in the Morning (Dylan)

Blackjack Molly

That's It

Set III:

Viola Lee Blues (N. Cannon, Dead. arr) >

China Cat Sunflower (Dead) > Jam >
After Midnight (J.J. Cale)

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

Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning (D. Van Ronk)

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

Midnight Rambler (Stones) >
Drumz >

Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (Trad., Dead arr.) >

Cold Rain and Snow (P. Rowan)

7/8/16 Live at the Deutschtown Music Festival!

Huszár, a Hungarian bar on Pittsburgh's North Side, might be the smallest bar we've ever packed ourselves into to play.

It was the site of the AcoustiCafé segment of the 4th Annual Deutschtown Music Festival, and we were the full-band headliners for the night. But we were set up in the middle of the bar, which is essentially a long hallway, so we were kind of blocking the way to the bathroom. Then Pete broke a string during "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad," and I was left to my own guitar-related devices for "Don't Let Go."

But we debuted a new tune, "Funky Werewolf," and had a good time.

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

One set:

That's It

Queen Cobra

Strange Moon

Blackjack Molly >

Jam >

Feelin' Blue (CCR) >

Funky Werewolf

Mother's Meth Head Blues

Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (Trad., Dead arr.) >

Don't Let Go (J. Stone)

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