Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low 69F. SW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the evening. Low 69F. SW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows off one of his guitars named "Forbidden." Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/27/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead works on a few guitars outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows-off a few guitars he created outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead works on a few guitars outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows off a burlesque-themed box guitar he made. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows off one of his guitars named "Forbidden." Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/27/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead works on a few guitars outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows-off a few guitars he created outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead works on a few guitars outside his house. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

Cigar box guitar maker Michael Whalen of Marblehead shows off a burlesque-themed box guitar he made. Whalen is able to showcase his creations and talent as a road construction along Pleasant Street forces motorists to seek alternate routes, which coincidentally passes by Whalen's house along Rowland Street. 7/28/2022

MARBLEHEAD — A new factory has popped up on Rowland Street, one creating a new musical spirit with cigar boxes and restoring the soul of forgotten instruments entering their twilight years.

But don't get the zoning map out yet. This is a "cigar box guitar factory," and the biggest soul being restored at 7 Rowland St. is the one running the factory out of his driveway.

"This one was Aztec-inspired," said Michael Whalen, a 66-year-old Marblehead resident. "The world was supposed to end in 2012."

Whalen held out his arms, unveiling a worn, ivory-colored "2012" cigar box from Honduran manufacturer Oscar Valladares that previously held a set of 10 barber pole cigars. A neck extended to the right, supporting three acoustic guitar strings that then tied to a trio of anchors on the left side of the box. A small hole was drilled into the lid, creating resonance for the guitar.

He flipped the guitar over, pointing to a "Made in Danli, Honduras" line along the back.

"They're using Honduran wood," he said, flipping the guitar and placing it against his hip as he positioned his fingers on the fret board. "Really, really good stuff."

He then ran his fingers across the strings. The familiar sound of an E string exploded from the box with a reverb characteristic of 1930s-era string instruments and the generations of blues and early rock musicians to homebrew their own gear when the country's economy collapsed with the Great Depression.

"It's healing in a lot of ways," he said, putting the guitar down.

Everybody has a story during COVID-19, and many sound like Whalen's. Entering the pandemic, he was caretaking for his parents, who passed away as society began to shut down and hospitals became overloaded to the then-unknown pandemic.

"I didn't have the heart," he said. "I was burned out on the health care system in general, and to find COVID hitting and see the nonsense going on in the hospitals then with people not being able to see their loved ones... I couldn't take it."

So Whalen, for the first time, picked up a guitar with intent to do something with it. He already knew how to play violin, piano and the jazz trumpet, so learning wasn't hard, he explained.

"It got me into the roots of music and Americana, appreciating bluegrass, and I always liked rock and roll," Whalen said. "Music is a great healer, and in these times, when there's so much division with people, the one thing we can agree on?"

He paused, pointing to a row of a dozen or so cigar box guitars on display. They seemed to resemble a group of people gathered on a porch to those with an active imagination.

"Everyone should be out in their front yards, their front porches, getting to know everyone in their neighborhood," he said.

Any self-respecting musician can report that a musical instrument given respect will also repay it. "And if it's brought back, it'll pay you back for the time you invest in it," Whalen said.

But something happened recently. As soul after soul was restored by Whalen in his driveway, more cars started passing by and watching.

A major construction project had just opened up on Pleasant Street downtown, causing all traffic heading toward the water to drive past his home instead. As a result, now Whalen has a steady, constant audience for his work, and a gradual stream of potential customers. The guitars have now gone up for sale, and some have found new homes.

"It keeps me happy," Whalen said of his new performative hobby, as a steady stream of cars passed by and some stopped to take pictures of his handy work.

"People really need to express themselves a little bit more in life," he said. "It's easy to look down and not engage with people. But the more we do... the more we find out we're the same.

"But if you don't talk, don't greet each other... everybody starts to get afraid, and people shouldn't be afraid in life," he said, reaching for a "peepshow" guitar he made, complete with a coin slot and small viewing window to peer inside the guitar (which is decorated with burlesque images). "They should be more bold."

Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.

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