Eric Sardinas Live in Wichita, KS
By
Tokemaster General,
Contributor
Sunday, February 22, 2004 @ 2:38 PM
Eric Sardinas Live at Roadhous
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REVIEW BY: Justin C.
Now, I know "technically" Eric Sardinas isn't HEAVY METAL -- he's
usually described as a "blues guitarist," though "guitar god" would be far more
accurate -- but his music and performance are more powerful and heavier
than 90% of what passes for heavy metal these days!! And as far as HARD ROCK
goes? No one, and I mean NO ONE rocks harder. Sardinas' take on rock may
be all about the roots (the blues), but there is nothing dated or retro about it. Some things are timeless, and Eric's music qualifies.
And his concerts? Well, they are a sight to behold!! Many of his on-the-road shows are between 3 and 4 hours long, and all will leave you speechless!! We {Bob, Crystal, and I} traveled 225 miles to Wichita, Kansas to catch Eric & Co.'s travelling show at The Roadhouse Blues!! Not a short jaunt by any stretch of the imagination, but well worth the long haul!!
Eric's outfit is a straight-ahead three-piece (no DJ scratchin', not needed). He is supported by bassist Paul Loranger and drummer Mike Dupke -- formerly of party-rock heavyweights Hair Of The Dog, and more recently did the drumming on the self-titled debut album from black metallers Black Holiday:
http://blackholiday.net.
About the show: The band came on at 9:30 blazing through set regulars "Imperial Strut," "You Don't Love Me," "I'm Worried," "The Girl I've Been Loving," "Get Along Rider," "Flames Of Love," "Same Ol' Way," "I Can't Be Satisfied," "Come On In My Kitchen," "Down In The Bottom" {complete w/ Dupke's Bonham-esque drum solo (god, I miss those!), and an appearance from Mr. Bud Weiser... If you haven't seen Eric Sardinas' brand of beer-bottle slide, you are letting one of the best and raunchiest things in rock
pass you by!!}, and the finale of "Treat Me Right!!"
There were obviously a few instrumental jams that I don't know the titles of in there, too, but they were KILLER nonetheless!!! The band was as tight as ever (and that is saying something) and louder than ever!!! My ears are still ringing!! It just doesn't get any better than this. If you have a chance to catch Eric live, TAKE IT.
The current tour is underway, and info about it can be found at Eric
Sardinas' Official Site:
http://ericsardinas.com.
.....and for those diehards fans who can get enough of Eric, Paul, and Mike check out: www.respectperfection.com.
Atrain670 - 3/1/2004 11:40:03 AM Apparently, he had marriage and drug problems of some sort. In last month's Guitar One, he says he has a bunch of music ready to go and something should be out by the end of 2004/beginning 2005...
ALEXCRUZER - 3/1/2004 11:30:47 AM I'll have to check out Bonamassa (sadly, I'd never heard of him until it was mentioned on this page- wtf?). Thackery was just in Minneapolis Sat. nite, but I couldn't make it. What's the deal w/ KWS?
Atrain670 - 3/1/2004 11:22:01 AM You hit the nail right on the head Alex. I love what Eric does on his CDs, but they do pale in comparison to what he pulls out at a live gig. Recently, I got to see Joe Bonamassa live, and now Sardinas, and I am happy to say the blues are alive and well! Nice mention of Jimmy Thackery, another great guitar player. His last coupla' CDs have been disappointing to me, but the first three or four are among my favorites. Indigenous, with Mato Nanji, are insane as well. Now, if Kenny Wayne Shepherd would just get his head straightened out....
ALEXCRUZER - 3/1/2004 11:13:10 AM I have to agree w/ Atrain. I think Sardinas is the real deal. I've seen a lot of headbanger guitar virtuosos, R. Rhoades-RIP, Malmsteen, Satriani, Wylde, Blackmore, and I have seen a lot of kick ass bluesmen, Luther Allison-RIP, Trower, Thackery, Bryan Lee, Tab Benoit, Dave Hole, just to name a few, and I was floored when I saw Sardinas. Granted, his CD's do not live up to seeing him live (few do), but he was simply amazing. He could very well be the next SRV. His skills far surpass the image, which is a lot more than I can say about all the crap that is coming out these days. Seeing him was a breath of fresh air. He may not be 'reinventing' the guitar (actually he may be reinventing the dobro!), a la' Hendrix, but the man has skills. We'll see what the future holds.
Atrain670 - 2/29/2004 8:46:11 AM I'm going to have to look up some prior NAMM highlights and make sure we are even talking about the same person. Can you give me the years you are referencing? Because for you to say his chops sucked, I'm thinking maybe he was playing guitar with his feet, or ass, or something else that day besides his hands!
dsanchez - 2/29/2004 8:10:26 AM True Atrain, we could go back and forth forever.
I have no problem with the image, it's the uninspired chops.
They really are nothing special. Very good yes, but not at all ground breaking or new. He's been a running joke at the NAMM shows over the years. Everyone is like "so what??".....I have to agree. I wonder who does his hair and nails???
Atrain670 - 2/29/2004 6:49:56 AM Well, dsan, all I can say is that we'll disagree forever. I was standing 6 feet away from him the other night, and what I saw was amazing. And I know of, and own on CD, many of his varied influcenes. He absolutely takes it to the next level, whether you're bothered by the marketing and image or not.
7thRingofHell - 2/28/2004 10:40:59 PM This guy has taken Johnny Winter to the next level without the electric. Erics a GREAT guitar player and wears the fuckin slide out kids. Ive never seen anyone play with a beer bottle like that. His CD is also really good and original for blues stuff. My own opinion he could be the next Stevie Ray Vaughn playing arenas if he strapped on a real guitar and cranked up a Boogie. Rock on Eric. Thanks for signing my CD at the BB Kings Show.
muelish - 2/28/2004 10:08:47 PM Any guitarist who is so un-self-conscious taht he'd perform without a shirt when he has that gut has GOT to kick ass.
I've only heard this guy once, very recently, on Steve Vai's live DVD, and he kicked ass.
Metal's roots go back to blues, and I love it when someone comes along with a periodic reminder that blues can be played with balls to the wall metal attitude.
dsanchez - 2/28/2004 2:14:07 PM Sorry pal, not the case. I have seen the man play on several occasions, each time from the front row.
He is very good, but nothing at all special.
What he has going for him is that he is more marketable (meaning better looking) than most in his field.
The look, the rings and the hair, that's what separates him from anybody else.... not his music or technique.
Image obviously means a whole lot to this guy.
For the real deal, check out his influences
Atrain670 - 2/28/2004 12:53:09 PM That's your opinion. And it's spoken like a guy who never saw Sardinas play live. I DO play, and let me assure you, this guy's chops are amazing, period.
dsanchez - 2/27/2004 10:58:36 PM The NAMM show guy??
This guy is all image.
His chops are good but nothing out of the ordinary.
It's all in the presentation.
Atrain670 - 2/27/2004 7:54:37 AM Ohhhhhhhhh, my aching head. Hangovers will never be pleasant. Well, the Eric Sardinas gig at Tribeca in Manhattan went to almost 2 AM last night and my brain is destroyed. But what a show! And it was actually a technical disaster for the first hour of the 2 hour show because they couldn't get a grounding problem eliminated with their Riviera (?) amps. Sardinas kept apologizing, and they would end up stopping to try and get the problem straightened out. Well, of course this drove the people who didn't know who this monster was to cut out, probably because it was a work night, and the crowd went from a little over 100, to less than fucking 60. Even better!! You could tell Eric was so frustrated and that led to him adjusting the mike and playing his electrtic dobro miked though the voice set-up instead of the guitar amp. I turned to my bud and remarked that was even cooler and more intimate, and it just reitereted why I love club gigs that hold 150-200 people so much as opposed to anything larger, because even problem nights can end up being something special. About halfway in, the problem was as fixed as it was gonna get, and they were able to get pretty loud. Then, it was one of the baddest mo-fo's out there (on Steve Vai's label) ripping faces off with some of the tastiest playing and sickest slide work I have ever seen. High point for me was that they ended up jamming for more extended periods of time, doing more instrumental work, which threw off the set list that the review on here had posted. Well, in between tunes, I yelled out that it was time for some "Low Down Love" (actually I was yelling all night, as booze + searing blues axework will do that to me), one of the greates slow burners EVER, and not listed on the set list from Wichita. The bass player started laughing, made eye contact with Sardinas, looked at me, gave me a thumbs-up, and they launched into a SICK 13+ minutes instrumental jam of that song that almost made me lose control of bodily functions. I guess on bad technical nights, some positive drunken yelling will at least make the artist feel like going nuts to make up for the equipment issue! LOL!! Afterwards, Eric was pretty gracious as we bullshitted about equipment, his guitar, and tuning. I know I sound like a suck-ass, but last night should have been the shittiest show I have ever seen. Turned out that all the problems, and their end result, combined to make one of the best concert experiences I have ever taken in. And that's not the left over alcohol talking!
Atrain670 - 2/25/2004 12:28:34 PM Tommorrow night, Tribeca Rock Club, on Warren St. in lower Manhattan (right up the road from the WTC site), I'll be checking Sardinas out.....for less than 20 beans! What a bargain!!
cocainebooger - 2/25/2004 7:23:44 AM Cool, I'll look into this. Thanks
