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)

Tonight's Setlist: 4/1/16, Hambone's, Pgh., Pa.

'Whiskey river, don't run dry...'

Hambone's was jumpin' tonight. I played both sets with my acoustic instead of my electric because of the smaller room, but it also gave us the chance to break out some oddities, like a quick little "Blackberry Blossom" jam coming out of a nice uptempo "Friend of the Devil."

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

Early set:

Friend of the Devil (Dead) >

Blackberry Blossom (A. Smith) >

Whiskey River (W. Nelson)

Blackjack Molly

Quite a Night >

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Rain Song No. 3

Mother's Meth Head Blues

Slow Train (T. Bruno)

Northern Muse (V. Morrison)

Cumberland Blues (Dead)

Late set:

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

I Like It

Dauphine

Good Morning Lil' Schoolgirl (J. Williamson) >

Stone Soup >

Kiss and Tell (G. Love)

The Piano Has Been Drinking (T. Waits) >

Rain (Lennon/McCartney) >

Drumz >

Hush Pretty Mama >

Back on the Train (Phish)

E: Viola Lee Blues

E2: Deep Elem Blues

Oh yeah, we also opened for a really cool Oklahoma band, the NicNos, last week at Howler's Coyote Café! Click here to stream/download the set, courtesy of Archive.org!

One set:

That's It >

Queen Cobra >

That's It

Mother's Meth Head Blues

Dauphine

Blackjack Molly >
Jam >
Rain Song No. 3*

Hush Pretty Mama* >

Back on the Train (Phish)

*First time played

Last Month's Setlist: 1/23/16, The Oaks Theater, Oakmont, Pa.

'F*ck you, snowstorm, how 'bout that?'

Despite snowfall ranging from four inches to a motherf*ckin' foot-and-a-half in the general area, we still got a decent crowd at the historic Oaks Theater for a rockin' triple-bill with Miss Freddye's Homecookin' Trio and members of theCAUSE, several of whom sat in during our set.

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

One set:

Blackjack Molly

I Like It

Whiskey River (W. Nelson)

Strange Moon

Viola Lee Blues (Trad., Dead arr.) >

Dauphine >

Viola Lee Reprise

That's It

Floating Bridge (J. Estes) >

Les Brers in A Minor (D. Betts) >

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Lil' Red Rooster* (C. Burnett)

Don't Let Go** (J. Stone) >

Back on the Train** (Phish) >

Don't Let Go Reprise

*with Miss Freddye

**with Pappy from theCAUSE

Tonight's Setlist: Charlie Hustle & the Grifters, 6/28/15, Railroad Park, Verona, Pa.

'It's a strange moon, rising on the bayou tonight...'

It's been two straight weeks of rain. Shitty weather. Bad forecasts. It rained four different times yesterday. But the apparent voodoo that Charlie Hustle & the Grifters make with Railroad Park kept the rain blowing away all night for two great sets. We got some more rounds with our new originals, and finally got Dave to do a drum solo! The winds and rains bow to the power of The Hustle—I see your weather-on-the-8's, TV station, AND I JAM MY THUMB IN ITS EYE.

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

Early set: 

Queen Cobra* >
That's It*

Quite a Night*

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Blackjack Molly*

The Piano Has Been Drinking (T. Waits) >

China Cat Sunflower (Dead) >

Feelin' Blue (CCR) >

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

Saturday Night*

Late set:

Strange Moon* >
Fire on the Mountain (Dead)

Ophelia (The Band) >
Half-Steppin' Jam >

Feelin' Alright (S. Winwood)

The One That Got Away (T. Waits) >

Big Bad Blues (Furthur) >

Stone Soup* >

St. Mary Jail* >

Who Do You Love (B. Diddley) >
Drumz > Jam >
Viola Lee Blues (Trad., Dead arr.)

*Original

New Year's Eve Setlist: 12/31/14 Park House, Pgh., Pa.

'He got a snakeskin sportshirt,

and he looks like Vincent Price...'

A little Dead. A dash of Tom Waits. Sprinkle in some bluegrass and a few completely unrehearsed tunes and you got our acoustic New Year's Eve at the Park House on the North Side. Free peanuts, shells on the floor, delicious falafel and pitas and plenty of booze. 

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

Set I (Pat):

Third Street Woman

Rain Song No. 3*

Garbage Man

Drag the Lake, Charlie

Jitterbug Boy

Peggy-O >

Leaving Louisiana

Pride of Cucamonga (inst.) >

Breadbox

Mother's Meth Head Blues*

I Can't Wait to Get Off Work

Set II (Pete):

Key to the Highway

Stagger Lee

Black Mountain Blues

Whinin' Boy

Love in Vain

It Hurts Me Too

You've Been a Good Old Wagon

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out

In the Pines

???

Fare Thee Well, Titanic

He Was a Friend of Mine

Hesitation Blues

Set III (Pat & Pete):

Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms

Spooky (inst./false start)

New Year's Countdown/Auld Lang Syne

Dauphine*

Ramble On Rose

Jimmy Olsen's Blues

Althea

Cocaine Blues

Big River

The One That Got Away >

Back on the Train

*Original

Tonight's (Acoustic!) Setlist: 9/5/15 Park House, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Poppin' peanuts and pickin' at the Park House...

It was our second acoustic show in a row tonight, although this one wasn't really planned as a Charlie Hustle show. I played a quick solo set, The Grifters did their thang, and then we formed like Voltron for the late set, which is what will be posted to stream/download.

On a reminiscent sidenote, my uncle used to bring me to the Park House — one of those great old-school all-wood joints where you get free peanuts and you can toss the empties right on the floor — before Pirate games when I was a kid. So it was pretty cool to play there two decades later.

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

Late set:

Come On Into My Kitchen (R. Johnson)

I Like It*

Mother's Meth Head Blues*

Love Please Come Home (B. Monroe)

Quite a Night*

Black Peter (Dead)

Berta Berta (Trad., Varine arr.)

Back On The Train (Phish)

Ophelia (The Band)

I Know You Rider (Dead)

*Original

Tonight's (Solo) Setlist: 6/20/14, Peet's, Fox Chapel, Pa.

'The music turned electric and it zapped our dancing legs...'

Tried out a brand-new tune tonight, "That's It." It was really written as a Charlie Hustle & the Grifters tune, and it kicks a lot harder with the full band, but it turned out alright.

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

Early set:

New Mexican Shuffle*

Magnolia (J.J. Cale) >

Midnight Special (H. Ledbetter)

Factory*

Dire Wolf (Dead)

Althea (Dead)

Quite a Night* >

Floating Bridge (J. Estes)

Dark as a Dungeon (M. Travis)

Rain Song No. 3*

Third Street Woman (J. Reynolds)

The Captain* >

Spanish Ladies (Trad. sea chantey) >

The Captain

Late set:

Rain Song No. 2*

Black Peter (Dead)

Alligator (Dead) >

Gris Gris Gumbo Ya-Ya (M. Rebennack)

Strange Moon*

Henry (New Riders of the Purple Sage)

Ain't No More Cane (The Band) > 

Guinnevere tease (Crosby, Stills & Nash) >

Stone Soup* >

Berta Berta (Trad.) >

That's It*#

*Original

#First time played

Last Night's Setlist (Solo): 11/6/13, Penn Hills Coffeehouse, Penn Hills, Pa.

"When you go down to Deep Elem,

keep your money in your shoes..."

The Penn Hills Coffeehouse is always a good time, a chance to try out original tunes we haven't learned for Charlie Hustle and, of course, do some publicity-whoring for the upcoming show...

GET YOUR HUSTLE ON!! TOMORROW NIGHT! FRIDAY, NOV. 8, 10:30 P.M., CLUB CAFE, 56 S. 12TH ST., PITTSBURGH, PA! TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CLUB CAFE'S WEBSITE! $7/21+

...okay, now we got that out of the way... Archive link will be up soon.

One set:

Cyprus Avenue (V. Morrison)

New Mexican Shuffle*

Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya (M. Rebennack)

Penthouse Pauper (CCR)

Factory*

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.) >

Berta Berta (Trad., Varine arr.) >

Stone Soup*

*Original

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

FREE SHOW! — Charlie Hustle & the Grifters, June 2, Verona Park!

We're heading back to the park! We had such a blast last time — and so did the organizers — that we're goin' back down to Verona to boogie in the sunshine at the Verona Creative Arts Marketplace, an afternoon of art, food and live music. It's an all-ages show, so bring the kids and make they sure have their dancin' shoes on!

Tonight's Setlist: 5/17/13, Penn Hebron Garden Club, Penn Hills, Pa.

"You keep foolin' around on me,

You're gonna walk on down that gravel road..." — Magic Slim

It was a bumpy evening, what with us having to go head-to-head against Pens-Sens Game 2 in the NHL's best media market (thanks, Gary Bettman and the GD-mother-f'n NHL Scheduling Committee). But the folks who turned out got a real treat. We were in high form tonight, kicking things off with a tune we'd never even rehearsed (G. Love's "Kiss and Tell"), adding a brand new improvised verse to the ever-evolving "Stone Soup," and generally speaking, shaking the walls at the 180-year old National Historic Landmark that is the Morrow Barn, home of the Penn Hebron Garden Club. Hopefully we gave Miss Emma Morrow a good night of music.

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

Early set:

Kiss and Tell (G. Love)

Not Fade Away (B. Holly)

Meet Me in the Morning (Dylan)

Gravel Road (Magic Slim)

Dock of the Bay (O. Redding)

Big River (J. Cash)

Stealin' (Trad.)

Third Street Woman (J. Reynolds, Varine arr.)

Magnolia (J.J. Cale) >

All Along the Watchtower (Dylan)

Late set:

Cumberland Blues (Dead)

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

Feelin' Alright (S. Winwood)

Mother's Meth Head Blues*

I Like It* >

Soul Serenade (King Curtis) >

Good Morning Lil' Schoolgirl (J. Williamson) >

Jam >

Stone Soup* > Jam >

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

*Original

Tonight's Setlist: Charlie Hustle & the Grifters, 5/9/13, Verona Park, Verona, Pa.

Photo by Patch.com

Our third guitarist got sucked into the madness of municipal politics, so we were man down on short notice, but it worked out alright. 

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

One set:

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

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

Feelin' Alright (S. Winwood)

Rain (Lennon-McCartney)

Big River (J. Cash) >

New Mexican Shuffle*

Lil' Red Rooster (C. Burnett)

Gravel Road (Magic Slim)

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

Magnolia (J.J. Cale) >

Jam >

Stone Soup* >

Not Fade Away (B. Holly)

*Original

Tonight's Setlist: 5/8/13, Penn Hebron Garden Club, Penn Hills, Pa.

"Come on in my kitchen..."

Had a nice warm-up gig for tomorrow's Verona Park show at the Penn Hills Coffeehouse Songwriter's Showcase tonight, playing a half-hour set between Tom & Carolyn and tremendous British singer-songwriter Rupert Wates. I think I have "Factory" to a place now where we could potentially try it out in Charlie Hustle. "St. Mary's Jail," on the other hand, needs some work.... something better to move from line to line and definitely something more cogent leading into the chorus.

The Archive.org link will be up ASAP.

Strange Moon*

Rubber Bullets (10cc)

Factory*

Come On In My Kitchen (R. Johnson)

Mother's Meth Head Blues*

I Like It*

St. Mary's Jail*

*Original

CHARLIE HUSTLE LIVE DATES! May 9 (FREE!) and May 17

Charlie Hustle & the Grifters have two gigs coming up, for those of you down with the Hustlin'. We're playing a free all-ages show in Verona Park on May 9. But the humdinger is coming the following Friday, when we shake the walls at the historic Penn Hebron Garden Club in Penn Hills. Built in 1834, the club is actually an old barn, outfitted with an old-school wooden dance floor and an open ceiling that shows off the gigantic oak beams that run the full length of the building. It's a $10/BYOB/21+ show, so leave the kiddies at home and bring yer dancin' shoes!

Last Night's Setlist: 3/22/13, Blind Pig Saloon, New Kensington, Pa.

The view from up top at the Blind Pig...

Tried out plenty of new tunes tonight, and they all went well. Thanks to everyone who came out. "Mother, apple pie and methamphetamine... I think that's gonna replace 'Show Me' as the Missouri state motto" ... line of the night, courtesy of Pete.

Click here to stream/download both sets, courtesy of Archive.org:

Early set:

Feelin' Alright (S. Winwood)

Gentleman of Leisure (J. Winchester)

Dock of the Bay (O. Redding)

Gravel Road (M. Slim)

I Like It* >

Soul Serenade (C. Ousley) >

Good Morning Lil' Schoolgirl (J. Lee Williamson)

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

Althea (Dead)

Cumberland Blues (Dead)

Cold Rain and Snow (Dead)

Late set:

Mystery Train (J. Parker)

New Mexican Shuffle*

Garden of Eden (New Riders of the Purple Sage)

Stealin' (W. Shade)

Deep Elem Blues (Trad.)

Mother's Meth-Head Blues*

Magnolia (J.J. Cale) >

All Along the Watchtower (Dylan) >

Jam > Stone Soup* >

Craney Crow (M. Rebennack) >

Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning (L. Armstrong) >

Big Bad Blues (Further)

*Original

Tonight's Setlist: 3/13/13, Penn Hebron Garden Club, Penn Hills, Pa.

'Down in the St. Mary's Jail...'

Played a short set at the Penn Hills Coffeehouse music series, now being held at the historic Penn Hebron Garden Club. It's a pretty awesome spot, an 1800s-era building with open, big, wooden beamwork and an old-school wooden dance floor. I think we're probably gonna try and get Charlie Hustle & the Grifters in there if possible.

Didn't record the set, much to my wife's chagrin, especially since I debuted a brand-new tune, "St. Mary's Jail." It went alright, but probably still needs a little work:

Dauphine*

Factory*

St. Mary's Jail*#

Dark as a Dungeon (M. Travis)

Gravel Road (M. Slim)

Junco Partner (Professor Longhair)

Deep Elem Blues (Dead)

*Original

#First time played