It’s brave for any musician to rethink their own songs in a different style than originally created. But Justin Osborne’s already proved that he’s built differently.
The leader of the indie rock band known as Susto is respected for his bold songwriting, so little surprise would come then from his decision to imagine many of his favorite Susto tracks to be performed by a stringband.
Susto Stringband came to be in its official recording and touring form just last year but given the passion with which Osborne’s fans embrace him and his music, the South Carolina native already has the ears of anyone who’s enjoyed his albums up to this point.
Listen to Susto Stringband Vol. 1, released in March of 2025:
Now residing in Austin, Osborne brought the Susto Stringband to the nation’s capital this past Sunday night, where the group played a set of tunes pulled from both the Susto songbook but also from the catalogue of his supporting posse, Holler Choir out of Asheville, North Carolina.
A room full of ticketholders enjoyed a set packed full of colorful tunes, many of them reenvisioning the Susto sound to give a new ring to what are already considered lasting tunes, including favorites like “Acid Boys” and “County Line” from Osborne’s earlier days to more recent favorites, like “Mt. Caroline” and “Rooster” — both of which appear on the first record from the group, titled Susto Stringband Vol. 1.
There’s a second volume in the works, and those on hand at the Hamilton the evening of Feb. 1 got a preview in the form of unreleased songs and a look into the personality of the group on an all-boys night out. While Holler Choir is typically five folks strong, in D.C. it was a crew of just four, featuring: multi-instrumentalists Clint Roberts and Jackson Grimm, Joey Brown on upright bass and fiddler Nat Copeland.
Parklife DC was there to take it all in.
Susto Stringband Setlist
Diamonds
Get Down
Acid Boys
Work Away
E-350
County Line
Never Losing Me
Mt. Caroline
Taller
Bear Creak
Double Crown
God of Death
Life’s Suffering
Wishing Well
Rooster
Tell My Blues
Beacon Hill
Homeboy
Friends, Lovers, Ex-Lovers, Whatever
Hands in the Dirt
Encore
Justin solo
Freddie M goes old-time
Hard Drugs
PLUS (mixed into set) Chilling On the Beach w/ My Best Friend Jesus Christ
Below are digital shots of the Susto Stringband along with the night’s opening act, Freddie McClendon, performing at the Hamilton Live in Washington D.C. the night of Feb. 1, 2026. All images copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Susto Stringband
Freddie McClendon
