The Grubbs are a duo featuring guitarist and songster Ben Hartlage and harmonica player Stu Braun. More commonly performing as members of the local, acoustic roots quintet, The Turpentiners, Ben and Stu formed The Grubbs to take a deeper dive into a shared love for 1920s/30s country blues, which often puts guitar and harmonica in the feature roles.
Both Ben and Stu are veterans of the Pittsburgh music scene, having performed in numerous ensembles over the past 25+ years.
Stu Braun’s resume includes Pittsburgh bands of various genres including the B-3s, Local Honey, the Johnsons Big Band, and, currently, Truth & Rites, one of Pittsburgh’s top reggae bands.
Ben Hartlage performed for many years with Coal Train, a folk jazz combo that made some waves around Pittsburgh in the late 90s. In recent years, in addition to performing with The Turpentiners, Ben has shared his love of acoustic music as an instructor for Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society.
The Grubbs describe themselves as “pre-beetle”: unearthing a weedy mix of originals, obscurities, standards, and sub-standards.