Have you ever seen someone play a cigar box guitar? And make wonderful music? Well, you are about to...
There were many fine moments during the course of the Hot Press Covers Exhibition, which took place at the National Photographic Archive, in Temple Bar (part of the National Library of Ireland). But one of our favourites was when Colm Skwirbat dropped in to play a few tunes.
Colm is a young bluesman of immense talent. A fine guitar player, he also uses what has been dubbed a cigar-box guitar. These wonderful creations are a testament to both human ingenuity and the unstoppable force of people’s desire to make music.
Originally made with two strings, the primitive instruments were first manufactured in America, early in the 19th Century, and were a cheap way for people to make a musical noise. Played mainly by black musicians, they were used for backing blues and jug band music.
Colm’s rather brilliant instrument has four strings, and was made by his father Juergen, of Skwirbat Guitars.
Aware of his credentials as a bluesman, we invited him down to the covers exhibition to play a few Rory Gallagher tunes. One of the songs he chose was ‘Too Much Alcohol’, which Colm introduces in his own inimitable style…
Over to you, Colm...
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