TWICKENHAM: Twickfolk @ The Cabbage Patch Pub

Sunday 14th October, 2012

1:00pm

Event information

£20 includes all parts including the box, neck, machine heads, bridge, strings, pick-up and socket....all the tools you need will be supplied by John (and he also brings the workbenches, cordless drills etc)

The modern revival of these instruments (also known as the Cigar Box Guitar Revolution) has been gathering momentum with an increase in cigar box guitar builders and performers. Notable players at the forefront of the movement include Seasick Steve, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Ed King (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Harry Manx and PJ Harvey. Even Tom Waits has played a cigarbox banjo on a recent album.

Chickenbone John explains....

"Finding myself intrigued by the old-time approach, and pretty well having turned my back on the world of conventional expensive commercially available guitars, it was a natural progression for me to delve even further back.

I'd heard the stories that people like Lightnin' Hopkins had made their first guitars from a broom handle, a cigar box and some wire, but thought it fanciful nonsense. However, after considering it for a while, and doing a bit more research, the idea of using only 3 strings (to get a chord) and playing with a slide (which I do) seemed to make sense.

So I had a go, made a 3 string cigar box guitar, and to my delight it was playable and worked well. And I started making more, then selling them..and so it went on.

I'd latched onto a few cigar box guitar articles and sites on the web, but the real revelation came when I found cigarboxnation.com . Here was a whole bunch of people who were doing the same sort of thing, each with their own different take on things. After a while of hanging around on there, posting my own stuff, someone suggested the idea of a UK Cigar Box Guitar event. I proffered our club as a possible venue, and this seemed to a act as a catalyst - I settled on a date, booked the venue, booked a headline act and it all actually happened. Since then the UK CBG scene has seemed to grow...so that's why I'm here to spread the word in my own little way

John has done a little trailer for his workshops which explains everything you need to know to play like Seasick Steve....it ain't that difficult, folks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EK6Uo40HWU

67 London Road
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 3SZ

www.twickfolk.co.uk