The Samantha Fish Cigar Box Guitar Festival returns this year from January 15 to 18.
The festival began in 2016 and partnered with guitarist and singer Samantha Fish the next year. The New Orleans-based artist likes using the instrument that gives the festival its name, a classic blues guitar that is traditionally built using a cigar box for a resonator.
Resourceful artists have been making these instruments at least since the late 1800's, along with other acoustic guitars made from found objects. Contemporary artists like Samantha Fish are keeping the tradition alive.
In a statement on the festival's website, Samantha Fish said that she hopes to make this festival one of the biggest events that celebrates the cigar box guitar, which she loves because, "the instrument may look limited, but there are so many sounds and styles that we haven't discovered yet."
The festival will feature a line-up of performances from local favorites Sugarcane Jane and Johnathon Long on Wednesday night, John Nickel and April Mae & the June Bugs on Thursday, Damon Fowler and John Mooney Saturday, and Marc Stone Sunday, along with several more artists including Samantha Fish herself.
Chickie Wah Wah will host the concerts on the night of Jan 15 and 16, while the Jan 17 and 18 shows are hosted by Howlin' Wolf. Tickets are on sale for $25 each day at Howlin' Wolf and $20 at Chickie Wah Wah, or $90 for a four-day pass. To learn more about the Cigar Box Festival, click here.