Eric Sardinas And Big Motor

Eric Sardinas And Big Motor - Eric Sardinas And Big Motor - 2008 - FridayMusic

Playing sizzling slide guitar and dobro is only part of the equation. Writing good songs is the other, and that's where Eric Sardinas has come up short on his previous three releases. While the tunes on his fourth won't revolutionize the blues boogie genre where it seems he intends to reside for his career, they are better and more intricately arranged than in the past. The slashing slide shenanigans that get the shredder's pulses racing are slathered over the tracks as before, but there is greater emphasis on subtlety "this time" out. Credit guest keyboardist David Schulz and a pair of female backing singers for bringing a gospel feel to the music, also adding a touch of class that nicely balances the grinding groove. Surely nobody would confuse Sardinas' gritty voice for a soul singer, yet there is a newfound confidence to his approach that is certainly soulful. Tunes such as "Gone to Memphis" and "This Time" sport memorable choruses that are some of the guitarist's finest. Covers of the Elvis standard "Burning Love" and Tony Joe White by way of Rory Gallagher's "As the Crow Flies" don't add much to the originals but are far from embarrassments either. Stompers such as "Find My Heart" and "Just Like That" are reminiscent of the glory days of Southern rock, specifically Black Oak Arkansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Molly Hatchet, but with hotter, better delineated guitar. Sardinas moves into '70s hard rock territory with the Free/Bad Company influenced "Door to Diamonds" yet the arrangements are spacious enough to include his crunchy slide lines without sounding exaggerated. Those looking for a ballad to lighten the mood will need to search elsewhere because once Sardinas revs up his engine, there is no slowing down. Sturdy bass and drums from his Big Motor backing duo do their job and stay out of the way allowing the guitarist freedom to do his thing. Sardinas keeps the songs concise and tight, reins in the solos, and hugs the curves of this material with far more nuances than in the past. That makes this his finest effort yet and shows that he's a rugged blues-rocker with brains and brawn. © Hal Horowitz © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/eric-sardinas-and-big-motor-r1335684/review

A great slide guitarist in the Delta Blues tradition, influenced by legends such as Muddy Waters, and Elmore James. Eric is becoming more prominent outside the US. A guy like this who sticks to tradition and puts his real love of the blues before commercialism, similar to the late, great Rory Gallagher, deserves to be heard by more people. Buy his great 1999 debut album, "Treat Me Right", and help keep the blues alive! Listen to Eric Sardinas and Big Motor's "Sticks And Stones" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 113 Mb]

TRACKS

1. All I Need
2. Ride
3. Find My Heart
4. Gone To Memphis
5. It's Nothin' New
6. This Time
7. Just Like That
8. Burning Love
9. Wonderin’ Blues
10. Door To Diamonds
11. As The Crow Flies

All songs composed by Eric Sardinas except "Burning Love" by Dennis Linde, and "As the Crow Flies" by Tony Joe White

MUSICIANS

Eric Sardinas - Slide Guitar, Vocals
Levell Price - Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
Dave Schulz - Organ, Piano
Patrick Caccia - Drums
Stacy Plunk, Gia Ciambotti - Background Vocals

BIO

The term "blues-rock" brings with it a connotation of a blues artist "selling out" in order to make more money or a rock band blaring heavy riffs with a thinly veiled strain of blues. A worse offense is that many of these rock artists have little or no knowledge of the blues in its historical context or its mythological roots. That is certainly not true in the case of Eric Sardinas. At six, his first love was Delta blues, as it "was the thrill of hearing one person playing the guitar and generating the energy of five - I loved the sheer strength and heart of a single player." Just as unusual was citing his first influences as Barbecue Bob, Charley Patton, and Bukka White, then Elmore James, Muddy Waters, and Big Bill Broonzy. He exclusively concentrates on slide guitar, employing his cherished Dobros, some that are customized to play by Edison's power. Sardinas listens to 78s, then couples these influences with modern sounds. He moved around the country, landing in Los Angeles in 1990. Like the early blues folk, he played acoustic for a living on the street, then formed the Eric Sardinas Project (ESP) by hooking up with bassist Paul Loranger at a jam session. Loranger had the ideal sound that Sardinas wanted, a bassist who had exceptional playing ability on upright and electric and could work the upright in a blues-rock context. Two years later, drummer Scott Palacios joined them. It took ESP six years of experience of performing nearly 300 shows annually, playing from acoustic gigs in coffeehouses to sharing the bill with rock bands at Hollywood clubs. Musical-instrument companies sent them gigging at showcase concerts, which led the band to a gig as the opening act for a West Coast swing of a Johnny Winter's tour. Word got around, receiving the attention of Evidence Records. Blues discoverer Dick Shurman produced Sardinas' 1999 debut, Treat Me Right. In 2000, Sardinas released a three-song single spotlighting his burning take on J.B. Hutto's "Angel Face." Devil's Train, his second full-length album, followed in 2001 and featured more of Sardinas' trademark blues-rock. © Char Ham © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eric-sardinas-p365480/biography

BIO (WIKI)

Eric Sardinas is an American blues-rock guitarist born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1970. He is noted for his use of the electric resonator guitar and his powerful live performances. Sardinas began to play the guitar at age six and leaned toward vintage recordings by such Delta bluesmen as Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Big Bill Broonzy, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Although he was left-handed, he eventually started to play right-handed and his impressive style may be due to this fact. "The rawest, most emotional music is what sparked my excitement for the blues," Eric says. "I still listen to music from the 20s and 30s on a daily basis. That's where it all began." He is currently signed to Steve Vai's Favored Nations record label and was the opening act for Vai's The Real Illusions Tour 2005 around the world.