The Poosta Ramblers, in what could be their last show, at least in this formation, lit up the stage last Thursday. With a little creative lighting, the place looked great - I have to work on that...It was a full house for Sugar Rae Hammond's Alamo, with lots of new faces. Jerome was out of town, and we missed him, but the Poostas are just so good, I was afraid the audience would never let them leave. A clarinetist, David, that the band met at a Red Velour Open-Mike Night joined in for a couple tunes. The opening act, Justin Lavash, got on the wrong bus from Prague and missed the night, but we hope to still get him back because his stuff sounds great.
As is usual for the Poostas, they again had a mostly new and eclectic set list. Some of the stand-out songs included Donnie and Marie's "I'm a Little Bit Country," Rev Horton Heat's hysterical "Where in the World Did You Go With My Toothbrush," "Mr Jones" by the Counting Crows, "Gone till November" by Wyclef Jean, "Shine" by Collective Soul, and Woodie Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" (You have to check out Odetta's version with Arlo Guthrie and Will Geer, amazing! 1968 A Tribute To Woodie Guthrie Vol. 1 ** Track:"This Land Is Your Land/Narration" with Arlo Guthrie & co. and Will Geer). I also met a couple guys that are starting another free magazine in Hungary called Think. They had heard about Treehuggers because one of them was a journalist in the American northwest and covered the story of Julia Butterfly Hill, "best known for living in a 180-foot (55 m)-tall, roughly 1500-year-old California Redwood tree for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999. Hill lived in the tree, affectionately known as "Luna," to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. She had in her possession a book with the Treehugger Dan's stamp in it, and told these guys that they should visit my shop when they get to Budapest. Its like when we used to release balloons with return postcards at school and get them back from people all over the world. Pretty cool, and less dangerous to whales.
Sugar Rae Hammond's first solo gig, and last gig in Budapest, at least for the forseeable future, is next monday. Come on and give her a grand send-off! 7:30pm, August 30th at Treehugger Dan's Bookstore & Lounge, Lazar u. 16).
Event info on facebook here

Set List:

1. I'm a Little Bit Country - Donnie and Marie
2. Gulf Coast Highway - Nanci Griffith
3. Sixteen Tons - Merle Travis -
4. Ridin Down the Canyon - Gene Autry
5. Crazy - Willie Nelson
6. Get Rhythm - Johnny Cash
7. Four Strong Winds - Ian and Sylvia Tyson
8. The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
9. Hey Good Lookin' - Hank Williams
10. Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
11. Twenty Flight Rock - Eddie Cochran
12. Killing the Blues - Rory Sally
13. Delia's Gone - Johnny Cash
14. Old Old House - George Jones
15. Where in the World Did You Go With My Toothbrush - Rev Horton Heat
16. Picture - Kid Rock
17. There's a Hole in My Bucket - trad
18. This Land is Your Land - Woodie Guthrie
19. My Dandelion - Greg Zeigler
20. Try - Blue Rodeo
21. If You Were the Woman - Cowboy Junkies
22. Song to Woody - Bob Dylan
23. Mr Jones - Counting Crows
24. Gone till November - Wyclef Jean
25. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
26. Shine - Collective Soul
27. Goodbye - Steve Earle