AC/DC has Angus Young running on stage, dressed as a schoolboy and stealing the limelight from the lead singer.  I have Ronn Benway.

Anyone who has seen Shane Speal's Snake Oil Band in concert knows that Ronn is the washboard-wielding star.  From his clown tights and colored Doc Martins to the insane dancing he does all over the stage, Ronn is everything I could ever want in a bandmate.  He plays the washboard with such ferocity that he wears thru thimbles in just a couple months of playing.  He also dances on the stage, runs thru the crowd and brings every bit of mayhem a rock and roll show needs.

He's the star and I love it.

Even his washboard is a work of art.  Ronn haunts thrift stores for old metal ashtrays, Jello molds and measuring cups that he uses as his bells and clangers.  He also has a deep appreciation for Acme wolf whistles (the same ones used in Bugs Bunny cartoons) and hand cranked sirens.  He's also learned that budget cymbals will only last one single gig on his washboard.

When we added confetti cannons and the Toilet Paper Gun to the stage props, it made Ronn a true maniac. 

When people find out he's almost 50 years old, they stare in disbelief.

I write this appreciation because Ronn is going on hiatus from the Snake Oil Band sometime in Mid-December for a few months.  He's starring in the new film, Find Your Way: A Busker's Documentary and it documents his time spent as a street performer in Seattle.  He also has a new album out, Shine Me Up Pretty.  You see, Ronn is a true Renaissance man...more than a washboard player.  He's an incredible singer/songwriter, all around entertainer and one of the best friends I have. 

BUT HE'S NOT LEAVING YET AND WE HAVE MORE SHOWS TO PLAY!  This Saturday night, we are performing a free concert for the public at IUP, Indiana University of PA.   (Info below.)  The concert will be one of the high points of the current Holler! tour and is not to be missed. 

Let's tear it up these next few shows...
And let's stay primal!

Shane Speal

SHANE SPEAL'S SNAKE OIL BAND
FREE CONCERT SATURDAY NIGHT
NOV 15 @ 8PM:
IUP (Indiana University of PA)
McVitty Auditorium in Sprowls Hall, IUP Campus
470 S 11th St (11th and Grant--enter off 11th)
Indiana, PA 15701

Here is the Facebook event page for this concert.  Please click it and share with your friends!!!
 

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