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The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle by Billy Brandt

From the album

Album Title: The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle
Sun Goose Records
Released: 2025

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About the Album

Born from basement echoes and carnival ghosts, Billy Brandt’s The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle spins post-pandemic strangeness into gritty jazz folk-noir. With a rusty pump organ, second-line grooves, R&B, and cinematic flair, Brandt leads you through a world of barkers, ballads, and side show saints.

Recorded with an ear toward the analog warmth of vinyl at Seattle’s vaunted Studio X (home to sessions from the likes of Soundgarden, R.E.M, Van Morrison, and countless others), the records aesthetic was informed by the discovery of a long-forgotten pump organ hidden away in the basement. Swirling with carnival clickety-clack tones, the world of The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle took on the energy of a strange, darkly surrealist amusement park.

To Brandt life, it seems, has always been a carnival ride, a hustle spun on chance, a hip-sway lounge side show ride that never truly ends. And now, The Barker extends to you a golden ticket to the greatest of shows.

Bring your turntable to the fair grounds. Perfect for vinyl listening, this is a soundtrack for the hustlers, dreamers, and anyone still dancing at the end of the ride.

“When I first heard The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle, it felt like stepping into a smoky after-hours bar where the ghosts of old carnivals still hum along with the band. Billy’s songs have this raw honesty and cinematic grit that grab you by the heart—equal parts swagger, soul, and story. It’s the kind of record that reminds me why I started Sun Goose Records in the first place—to give a home to music that’s alive, human, and unafraid to get a little dirty.”
— Jason Goessl, Founder, Sun Goose Records

Tracks

Carnival Souls; Hello September; The Boulevardier; Randall LO'Dowd; Bad News; Guns; The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle; April's Curves; The Bitterend; In The Shadows of a Film Noir; Aviana; Smile;

Personnel

Billy Brandt

guitar and vocals

Brian Monroney

guitar, electric

Dan Kramlich

piano

Mark Ivester

drums

Alexey Nikolaev

saxophone

Emmanuel del Casal

bass

Additional Personnel

The Lucky Hustle & The Side Show Shuffle Billy Brandt Snow Goose Records Produced & Mixed: Billy Brandt & Brian Monroney Billy Brandt: vocals, toy piano, pump organ, acoustic (11) Brain Monroney: electric and acoustic gtr, organ, toy piano Mark Ivester: drums Alexey Nikolaev: saxophone Emmanuel del Casal: bass Dan Kramlich: piano Brad Boal: drums (3, 11) Eugene Bien: piano (3) Hans Brehmer: organ (5) Strings (6, 10): arranged by Brian Monroney, conducted by Bradley Hawkins Lauren McShane: cello, Elizabeth Phelps: violin, Rachel Nesvig: violin, Rick Neff: viola, Backing Vocals: Kelly Ash, Darelle Holden, Tina Hart

Date featured

May 24, 2026

This song appears by permission of the contributing artist and/or record company. It is for personal use only; no other rights are granted or implied.