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The world's foremost master of the Cigar Box Guitar, Speal performs a gritty blues/rock show with handmade and hackwired instruments made from recycled junk. His repertoire is a mix of crankin' originals and songs from blues masters who started on cigar box guitars. It's a wild ride of loud roots-rock and history.
Shane Speal, King of the Cigar Box Guitar Shane Speal Music and Marketing LLC 717-781-6463 (concert booking calls only) shanespeal@yahoo.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/cigarboxguitar Official Website: www.ShaneSpeal.com Speal's 5000 member social network: www.CigarBoxNation.com Shane Speal's Cigar Box Guitar Museum: www.SpealsTavern.com Blog: www.CigarBoxGuitar.com CONTENTS OF PRESS KIT: 1. Bio for Shane Speal, the "King of the Cigar Box Guitar" 2. Hi Resolution Photos of Shane Speal for press use 3. Previous news articles for reference BIO FOR SHANE SPEAL, THE "KING OF THE CIGAR BOX GUITAR"  It all started with an empty cigar box, a plank of wood from the family barn and three used guitar strings. That was back in 1993 when Shane Speal build his first cigar box guitar. Music hasn't been the same since.Shane Speal is a performing blues rock songwriter who plays a primitive guitar made from an empty cigar box and a stick. He is also the leader of the modern Cigar Box Guitar Revolution, a growing fanbase of cigar box guitar builders and players who congregate at Speal's website, CigarBoxNation.com. Speal has performed concerts throughout the country and has been featured in many TV, newspaper and national magazine features. He is also the central figure in the Max Shores' documentary on cigar box guitars, Songs Inside the Box. Speal has recorded and released more than 10 cigar box guitar albums, including his latest, the self-titled "Shane Speal" cd. Speal's music is a loud, gritty blues-rock style, performed live with the sole accompanymant of his right foot stomping on an electrified floorboard. Mike Argento of the York Daily Record newspaper states, "The best way to describe [Speal's music] is to take blues and gospel and country and Hawaiian and ragtime and put it through a meat grinder that's missing some teeth." Bill Jehle, curator of the Cigar Box Guitar museum says, “Shane sounds like Motörhead in a jug band!” In addition to his own recordings, Speal has also appeared on releases by Crow Tongue, By The Way and The Presidents of the United States of America's frontman, Chris Ballew. Few artists are as committed to expanding the boundaries of such a primitive instrument as Speal does. Speal says, “a Cigar Box Guitar is quirky and appears ‘broken’ from the start. They just don’t look like they should play any music. I love to see jaws hit the floor when I shove a socket on my finger and wail away.” When questioned why he named himself the “King of the Cigar Box Guitar,” Shane replies, “It’s a celebration of absurdity. Who would ever want to call himself the king of such a sh*tty instrument?” (from Premier Guitar Magazine, August 2009) Somewhere, today, Shane Speal is engrossed in a cigar box guitar project, whether performing a concert, recording a new album, expanding the reach of Cigar Box Nation or just out in his woodshop, building a new guitar from a box and a stick. HI-RES PHOTOS FOR PRESS: Live in Concert Photo credit: John McElligott/KM Photography, York, PA  DOWNLOAD "LIVE IN CONCERT" PHOTO 19th Century Photo Photo credit: RJ Gibson Photography, Gettysburg, PA  DOWNLOAD "19TH CENTURY" PHOTO CIGAR BOX GUITAR PHOTOS FOR PRESS ARTICLES These instruments are part of Shane Speal's Cigar Box Guitar Museum located at Speal's Tavern in New Alexandria, PA.    Photo credits: Shane Speal Photo downloads: cigar box guitar 1.jpg - Shane Speal's radical double neck electric cigar box guitar built by Tomi-O Hartwell of Hinton WV cigar box guitar 2.jpg - Folk art electric cigar box guitar by Kirk Withrow of Birmingham, AL cigar box guitar 3.jpg - 100 year old one-string cigar box guitar. Oldest piece in the museum collection PREVIOUS PRESS ARTICLES FOR REFERENCE MAGAZINE Cigar Box Nation, The Cult of the Cigar Box Guitar Premier Guitar Magazine, August 2009 Excerpt: "[Shane Speal] is universally recognized as the prime mover of the CBG cult, a man who has made it his life’s crusade to spread the word and promote the popularity of CBGs." DOWNLOAD PDF OF COMPLETE ARTICLE TV NEWS FEATURE WITH VIDEO Cigar Box Guitar, A Musician's Pick ABC 27 NEWS (Harrisburg, PA) Excerpt: "Speal's guitar career started in heavy metal, then on to blues, and eventually to this sound that he says pre-dates the blues. And he loves showing it off. "When I play for them it's the same reaction every time. I see cell phone cameras go up and they start taking pictures," he said." CLICK TO FOLLOW LINK FOR FEATURE AND VIDEO BLOG FEATURES King of the Cigar Box Guitar Folktowne.net Excerpt: "That do it yourself attitude has informed every portion of Speal’s artistic life, and become something of a mission for him as well, as a performer, producer, and dedicated supporter of local music in York and its surroundings." CLICK TO FOLLOW LINK BoingBoing.net features on Shane Speal "Cigar Box Guitar Rag" video feature LINK "Blue Raga" video feature LINK "Shane Speal Cigar Box Guitar Lessons" video feature LINK |
