The Susto Stringband, fronted by Justin Osborne of the acclaimed alt-country group SO, has just dropped their new single “E-350” featuring Joshua Hedley. Inspired by life on the road, Osborne penned the track as a tribute to the trusty van that’s carried him and his bandmates across the country. It’s part of the upcoming Susto Stringband (Volume 2), out May 29 via Missing Piece Records, and is one of the few unreleased tracks on the album, which also features bluegrass and old-time takes on SUSTO classics. Alongside the release, the band unveiled the official music video—a heartfelt ode to the beloved E-350 XLT Super Duty.
“I’m so excited to be releasing E-350 today, because it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve written, and having Joshua Hedley (one of my heroes) feature on the track was surreal,” shares Osborne. “Over the last 20 years, I’ve spent a lot of time on the road, in vans. Sometimes they break down, sometimes they keep on going.”
He continues: “Last year my beloved E-350 (my second one) was totaled in an accident. Luckily everyone was OK, but the van unfortunately wasn’t. This happened in South Carolina, and I was many miles away in Texas. I was sad to not be able to say goodbye to the van before insurance took it away, so I wrote this song as an homage to the van and all the memories held within it.”
“The other piece of this story is that after the old van was totaled, we were able to raise enough money to buy another E-350, thanks to the generosity of our fans and supporters. During that fundraiser, I promised that if we met our goal, I’d record and release this song. So this one is dedicated not only to all those beautiful E-350s out on the road, but also to the wonderful folks who helped us purchase another van, and get back on the road ourselves!”
To preview this project, the group has already shared the first two singles: “Hard Drugs (featuring Morgan Wade)”, a heartwrenching reimagining of the classic SUSTO track, and “Hands In The Dirt”, a previously unreleased song about the importance of getting to work in times of turmoil and despair. The upcoming LP follows last year’s Susto Stringband (Volume 1), which was praised as “a fantastic experiment and evolution of [Osborne’s] work” by Glide Magazine and earned further acclaim from American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation and many more.
The Susto Stringband was born in 2022 when Osborne relocated to Asheville, NC and met some of the key players of the Asheville bluegrass scene at an open mic night. The solidified lineup includes Clint Roberts and Jackson Grimm of Holler Choir, Nat Copeland, Helena Rose and Joey Brown, and on this volume, they’ve added the help of friends like Morgan Wade, Joshua Hedley and Madeline Dierauf.
Still steeped in the emotive punch of the traditional string band sound, Susto Stringband presents an Arcadia like vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature, but with Osborne’s lyrics, there are landmines to dodge and mountains to climb.
Loosely translated from Spanish, “susto” means “an intense fear understood as a condition of the soul.” This defines Osborne’s creative output since the beginning, when he founded the band in 2013 while living in Havana, Cuba. Steeped in Southern Gothic and psychedelia, SUSTO has released five studio albums along with a collection of live, supplemental and special releases. SUSTO’s catalogue features a revolving cast of Osborne’s friends and creative partners, including Wolfgang Zimmerman, Johnny Delaware, Ben Bridwell, Madi Diaz, Babe Club, Rose Hotel, dkyama, Persona La Ave, She Returns From War and others. As an artist from the rural community of Puddin’ Swamp, South Carolina, inspired at an early age by gospel, bluegrass and folk, Osborne has come full circle with Susto Stringband.
Susto Stringband (Volume 2) Tracklist
1. Gloryland
2. Diamond’s Icaro
3. E-350 featuring Joshua Hedley
4. Hard Drugs featuring Morgan Wade
5. Hands In The Dirt
6. County Line
7. Work Away featuring Madeline Dierauf
8. Black River Gospel
9. Last Chance Linda
10. Don’t Feel Right
11. Tell My Blues
SUSTO Tour Dates
May 28 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis *~ (Album Release Show)
May 29 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall * (Album Release Show)
May 30 – Columbia, SC – Songbird Festival *
May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic * (Album Release Show – Early)
May 31 – Atlanta, GA – Eddie’s Attic * (Album Release Show – Late)
June 4 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater ^+
June 5 – Austin, TX – Continental Club ^
June 7 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler ^+
June 10 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo’s Wednesday Campground Kick Off Party ^
June 12 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre ^
August 21 – Falkenberg, Sweden – Rootsy Summer Fest *
August 26 – Tønder, Denmark – Tønder Festival *
September 11 – Silverbay, NY – Silver Bay’s Mountain Music Festival *
* – Susto Stringband
^ – SUSTO & Friends
~ – w/Joelton Mayfield
+ – w/Katie Pruitt
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