Music

THE ART OF CINDY HULEJ

Text: Abby Stanicek

Working alongside Rick Kelly at Carmine Street Guitars, Cindy Hulej remains one of today’s most sought-after guitar builders through her distinctive craftsmanship, artistry, and commitment to community.

Carmine Street Guitars sits quietly amongst an array of businesses in NYC’s West Village. When you enter the store, it feels like you’re visiting a museum that overflows with musical artifacts. The store stretches back to a small opening, offering a glimpse into the workshop where the magic happens.

A head of jet black hair peeks around the door frame and Cindy Hulej greets me with a warm smile, inviting me to the workshop as though I’m an old friend. The space—smelling of wood sourced from buildings built in the 1800s—is packed floor to ceiling with tools, planks of wood, half-built guitars, large jars of stain that resemble honey and impressive paintings by Carmine Street Guitars owner Rick Kelly.

Working alongside Kelly for 14 years now, Hulej has established a home in the shop with a desk covered in examples of her renowned craftsmanship as a luthier. Hulej has been a longtime fan of Kelly’s work and first joined him as an eager apprentice. Hulej’s unique approach to guitar-building has garnered attention through her amalgam of artistic abilities, including drawing, painting, carving and pyrography. Though Hulej originally had doubts about people wanting her art on their guitars, Kelly insisted that customers would be eager to purchase her guitars, and he was certainly correct.

Hulej has consistently been building custom orders since she debuted her work to the public in 2012 and is currently maintaining a two and a half year waitlist. Though her career has significantly taken off over the last decade, Hulej has remained by Kelly’s side through it all, grateful to work with him every day. “He’s totally my angel,” she says, “We both learned from each other, but I mean, he teaches me more than just guitar building. He’s taught me life lessons. He teaches me all kinds of stuff.”

The pair’s kindness is rewarded with a loyal community that frequents the store, ranging from famous musicians to local college students. Despite describing herself as a misanthrope in her teenage years, the spanning recognition of her talent and welcoming presence have allowed her to become a people person, fully embracing her ever-growing following and the shop’s regulars.

When it comes to custom orders, Hulej refuses to repeat her artwork, choosing to provide each customer with a one-of-a-kind piece of art. One of her favorite projects is a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired guitar, which features a fire-breathing dragon carved meticulously out of the guitar’s body, a glowing red eye and the game’s famed dice in place of classic tone and volume knobs.

Another one of Hulej’s builds includes a studded, leather-covered body with a zipper pocket intended for pick storage, which she gleefully refers to as a “pick pocket.” Though Hulej spends most of her week in the shop, she’ll also take any portable work of hers home to work on. “If I’m behind on something, like when I’ve got a pickguard due, I can easily work on that even on the train, sketching…then at home I’ll woodburn or do whatever I have to do. Sometimes I’ll take a neck home. Sometimes I’ll take a body home,” she says, making us both crack up at how bad that sounds out of context.

Outside of guitar-building, Hulej reserves time for her punk duo with her husband, Jonny Bergman. The pair go by The Suspect Chart and recently made their live debut at Bowery Palace, armed with two guitars made at Carmine Street Guitars. Hulej, who hasn’t performed live or been in a band since she was 15 years old, is delighted to rediscover her love for the stage and take on an unexpected vocalist role in the duo. Aside from music, she also spends her free time engaging with the world of film photography and creating drawings from her photos.

Growing up alongside her grandfather—who worked as a stone setter for Times Square, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and 7 World Trade Center—Hulej credits her admiration of his photographed work as the driving force behind her interest in Kelly’s use of reclaimed wood.

Though Hulej grew up in proximity to her guitarist father and her carpenter grandfather, she’s still in disbelief at her success in the world of guitar building. “Every day I wake up, I feel like I’m in a dream here,” she shares.

Hulej is currently working on a benefit guitar for the forthcoming re-opening of the volunteer-based arts, music and activism center ABC No Rio. The instrument will feature wood that served as the original bones for the collectives’ first location and will be sold via auction as a fundraiser for the relaunch.

Despite her impressive social media following on @cindyguitars, Hulej remains focused on supporting her ardent community of longtime fans, friends and members of the NYC music scene through her notable artistry. “Any way that I can give back to the community, I do,” she says.