The Prague Post
October 8th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre
Prague Real Estate

Home » Archives » Night & Day

Twelve-bar blues with a twist

Dobro master Eric Sardinas puts the pedal to the metal
Stage Review | Search restaurants | Archives

April 2nd, 2008 issue

By Christian Patrick

Eric Sardinas


When: Friday, April 4, at 8
Where: Retro Music Hall
Tickets: 260-315 Kč, available through Ticketpro, Ticketstream and at the venue

Sardinas, seated center, has developed a distinctive blend of rock and blues that he plays "aggressively."
enlarge
For the Post
It’s been said that you can never really understand rock ’n’ roll until you’ve gotten goose bumps listening to the emotive vocal stylings and slide guitar of a true Southern bluesman.
No one knows this better than Eric Sardinas.
For the 38-year-old, the blues — particularly Delta blues — have been coursing through his veins for as long as he can remember. Born and raised around the sunny beaches of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Sardinas first felt the fret boards of a guitar at the tender age of 6. He was almost immediately drawn to a wide range of musical inspirations, including R&B, gospel, rock and, not surprisingly, what became a lifelong affection for traditional blues.
At 20, with the records of Charley Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson tucked firmly under one arm and a guitar case in the other, Sardinas decided to leave the Sunshine State in an attempt to find his stride as a musician. In searching for that ever-elusive groove, he also wanted to veer away from standard 12-bar blues and develop a sound all his own.
Settling in amid the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, he spent time busking on street corners and performed in the city’s endless clubs whenever he could. Eventually, he became a regular support act for Johnny Winter. This affiliation ultimately led to a record contract — and the rest, as they say, is ancient history.
Almost two decades since leaving his hometown behind, Sardinas has once again slung his trusty Dobro over his shoulder for his fourth studio album, Eric Sardinas and Big Motor. With bassist Levell Price and drummer Patrick Caccia providing a rhythmic punch, it’s another rousing album full of all the energy and fire that fans of his previous albums — 1999’s Treat me Right, 2001’s Devil Train and 2003’s Black Pearls — have come to expect.
On his latest album, the bluesman seems to have finally found the unique sound that he so eagerly set out in search of long ago. “I love traditional blues, but that’s not what I do,” Sardinas has said in describing his music. “I play more aggressively; that’s just the way it comes out.”
What he’s created on Eric Sardinas and Big Motor is a healthy blues/rock fusion. While the marriage of the two genres is not a completely new hybrid, this latest offering demonstrates that Sardinas has truly taken things one step further in making the sound all his own.
The album is full of Sardinas-penned numbers, but it’s his interpretation of a Memphis classic that is one of the most notable. His stab at Elvis Presley’s “Burning Love” is a truly impressive feat, as his Dobro and warm vocals breathe new life into the King’s timeless ditty. Equally stirring is Sardinas’ take on Tony Joe White’s “As the Crow Flies,” a wise selection as the album’s closing track.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the opener “All I Need” is a deceiving piece that starts out innocently enough before suddenly exploding into an inexorable groove and a whirlwind of slide guitar chaos — albeit, organized chaos.
“The swampy introduction is kind of a metaphor for the big motor sound coming at you,” is how he describes it. “I wanted the songs to take you on a ride.”
Sardinas, though, is much more than what is captured on disc. He has gained a solid reputation for his inspiring and energetic performances — a reputation acquired from playing what he estimates to be more than 1,000 shows. So, if you’re ready to be schooled in the art of blues with a side order of rock ’n’ roll, catch Sardinas in the heart of his European tour when his big motor sound thunders into Prague this week.
Christian Patrick can be reached at features@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (2/04/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Provokator
Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.