John Bustine will drink like he'll die if he doesn't, till he does.

He is a songwriter by trade, but his record

John has perfected the art of bringing characters to life in 4 minutes or less, and the scalawags, rapscallions, jilted lovers, and carousers that inhabit his world suffer no truncation from the brevity of their exposure. Quite the contrary, they seem to reach right out of the speakers (careful if you're headphoning it), grab you by the ears, and force you to listen to their stories, if only for a few minutes. It is this quality that will have you coming back to John's songs again and again, for one more voyeuristic peek into the gritty, beer whiskey rotgut-soaked dystopia this troupe inhabits. And with each listen, their world will become rounder, clearer.

The essentials:

     This Guitar Says I'm Drunk (

Miss Amputee, West Culver County

Jesus, Jesus Not Again

Unlisted Track