Shane Speal's Snake Oil Band at Metropolitan Room

Shane Speal’s Snake Oil Band will bring their deep blues medicine show to the acclaimed Metropolitan on Saturday, November 2 at 11:30pm. The concert is an intense mix of old Delta blues, pounding rock and medicine show theatrics…all performed on homemade jug band instruments.

Shane Speal’s Snake Oil Band pays respect to the old Delta blues musicians who were so poor, they had to build their own instruments. However, they’re not content to rehash the same old music, mixing it with pounding foot stomps, breakneck tempos and a stage show inspired by the shyster medicine shows of the American past. “If there is a steampunk genre,” says Speal, “then consider this band JugPunk. It’s a mixture of old world jug band and the fury of old school punk.”...

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Shane Speal’s Snake Oil Band will bring their deep blues medicine show to the acclaimed Metropolitan on Saturday, November 2 at 11:30pm. The concert is an intense mix of old Delta blues, pounding rock and medicine show theatrics…all performed on homemade jug band instruments.

Shane Speal’s Snake Oil Band pays respect to the old Delta blues musicians who were so poor, they had to build their own instruments. However, they’re not content to rehash the same old music, mixing it with pounding foot stomps, breakneck tempos and a stage show inspired by the shyster medicine shows of the American past. “If there is a steampunk genre,” says Speal, “then consider this band JugPunk. It’s a mixture of old world jug band and the fury of old school punk.”

The band is the brainchild of York, PA musician/historian, Shane Speal who is known as the “King of the Cigar Box Guitar.” Speal’s main instrument is a crude, 3-string cigar box guitar that is played with a spark plug socket for a slide. Other band members include Ronn Benway (electric washboard), Aaron Lewis (blues harp) and “Farmer” Jon Sprenkle (electric washtub bass).

The Snake Oil Band emerged from weekly jam sessions in the fertile York, PA music scene to become one of the area's biggest drawing bands. It wasn't unusual to hear Shane and the boys kick out original murder ballads, peppered with insane jug band covers of Purple Rain and Personal Jesus along with songs by Led Zeppelin, Beatles and Hendrix. They also belted out the blues icons, too: Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. No song is ever played the same way and the band rarely uses a set list.

This will be the first NYC appearance of Shane Speal’s Snake Oil Band at the Metropolitan Room. The acclaimed venue is located in the Flatiron/Chelsea districts of Manhattan and is known for jazz and cabaret. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $115 for VIP which includes an open bar, private booth, appetizer and gratuity. Tickets can be purchased at www.metropolitanroom.com The Metropolitan Room is at 34 West 22nd St., New York, NY 10010. Phone: 212.206.0440

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