Press | The Arkansas Traveler - Delta Domination

When you think of the blues, you probably picture a few old men on a dusty, hot front porch. They're grizzly and bearded, and well, they look haggard enough to have something to actually be blue about. Eric Sardinas doesn't look like that. He doesn't perform like that, either. If you heard him play, you'd realize his conflicting image has nothing to do with the respect he holds for traditional blues. Seeing a picture of him is a different story. However, his visual uniqueness adds a distinct flavor to the artistry.

And Thursday evening at George's Majestic Lounge, Eric was there to let the inexperienced decide for themselves.

With waist-length black braids and cowboy boots, Sardinas' style seemed an amalgam of hippie-country and hardcore rock. His upturned cowboy hat complete with screaming rattlesnake head was quite fitting to his dominating stage presence. His outfit would certainly seem odd on the average Joe.

He wore a black, gauzy see-through shirt and a tight pair of boot-cut, sort of tie-dyed pants. But he pulled it off.

His smooth voice and underwear-model face certainly helped.

He brought two Dobros -- his guitar of choice. One appeared to be beaten, worn wood; the other was a shinier, newer black. Although he used them interchangeably, neither tainted his signature rock-blues sound. During an interview between sets, Sardinas said he didn't think the metal-centered guitar was any more difficult than the others.

He likes it because it has an "organic" sound, he said.

Sardinas' mix of fast rock riffs with a bluesy twang couldn't be matched, and as far as the crowd was concerned, there was no one else in the room. Viewers stood no more than a few feet away from George's shallow stage, in awe of Eric's handiwork during every song.

His finger control was incredible. His hands effortlessly slid up and down the board. He never got tangled, a sign of tenacious practice. And even though he's a lefty, he played right-handed, soaring right past yet another challenge.

He switched back and forth from electric to acoustic, often bringing in the latter toward the end of a song. The change was a nice touch and added a sense of grace to each number. It especially pleased those in front of him -- the short acoustic riffs were performed without an amplifier, so the audience needed to come even closer to hear.

He performed several songs off his new album Black Pearls as well as some older tunes, and he mixed slide work in with ever-impressive licks.

After every few songs, his bassist, Paul Loranger, would stick out his hand and proclaim, "Eric Sardinas!" I often wonder if accompanying musicians feel overshadowed by the front man -- in this case, it seems inevitable, but Eric's band members didn't appear disgruntled. There were only two of them -- Loranger and drummer Mike Dupke, but they rocked out on solos near the end of the show. People came to see Sardinas -- but the other guys made the picture complete.

The band was quite friendly and mingled with the crowd during intermission. After Sardinas took photos with almost everyone's girlfriend, mother and dog, he told me he started playing the guitar when he was 5 years old.

Although all those years of practice have helped him get to this point, his distinctive style and talent undoubtedly pushed him along. One might place Sardinas in the same category as Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Jonny Lang, but even though those guys are good, they couldn't even think about having the same energy. Sardinas' ability surpasses anyone of today; he and Jimi Hendrix must have known each other in a past life.

And after seeing Sardinas perform in person, I gained a new appreciation for the Voodoo Child, too -- hearing Hendrix's wailing on CD is sometimes annoying, witnessing it in person is simply amazing. I finally understood how people could listen to the last half of his version of the national anthem.

Toward the end of the show, Sardinas ripped off his shirt, exposing his tattoo-covered back and chest. I'm pretty sure his back read "TRADITION," which is appropriate -- he reportedly has a deep respect for old-time blues. He jumped off the stage and into the crowd, circling the floor but never missing a beat.

And on the last song, he played his Dobro with a Budweiser bottle, spewing beer everywhere and breaking a string. However, the phrases were never out of tune, and they were always right on.

Anything less would have been unacceptable.