Hubcap Stan strikes a chord with blues fans

Stan Ceglinksi was 17 years old when he began making musical instruments out of junk scrounged from the local tip.

Over the years he gave up the hobby, but when he turned 60, he joked with his wife that if he ever got old, he’d like to take it up again.

In the decade since, he’s made more than 200 instruments, including ‘ukuleles, cigar box guitars and electric guitars, at his Possum Creek workshop – earning himself the nickname ‘Hubcap’ Stan after one of the key vintage items he incorporates.

Ceglinski also plays the instruments he makes, and can often be seen performing at venues such as the Eltham Hotel and Billinudgel Hotel and at events such as the Nimbin Roots Festival and Blues on Broadbeach.

“There’s something very special about designing and making your own instrument, especially when you have salvaged the tree and milled the timber yourself,” he said.

Ceglinksi moved to Mullumbimby with his wife in 1976 in the wake of Nimbin’s Aquarius Festival and has spent most of his life as a roofing shingles splitter, working on buildings such as The Beach Hotel in Byron Bay and its then owner John Cornell’s home.

He began busking with his band the Sidewalk Stompers outside Mullumbimby IGA around six years ago to see how a modern audience would react to their old-style “Americana” songs.

“I absolutely love fingerpicking country blues — chants from slaves in the fields releasing pain and frustration with simple but moving lyrics, through to electrified Chicago-style blues,” he said.

While the line-up has changed over the years, today the band includes Slim Dusty’s former producer and bass player Rod Coe, Warren Earl, Azo Bell and Jason Caspen.

Ceglinski, who now lives at Ocean Shores, is looking forward to performing with the group in front of a hometown crowd at the Mullum Roots Festival, being held on July 12 and July 13.

“In my humble opinion, smaller intimate festivals incorporating community venues are the way of the future,” he said.

For more information and tickets, head to mullumrootsfest.com