Eric Sardinas achieves an impressive musical range, considering his small ensemble. His instrument-of-choice is the resonator guitar, a strange beast that was purpose-built for projecting sound through a series of built-in metal resonators. Sardinas has his guitar hooked into effects and amplification, but he's clearly devoted to the heritage of the instrument. He talks in the interludes about his love for blues roots, his first concert (Elvis), and his admiration for players like Vaughn that introduced a new generation to the power of traditional music. Songs like "Love Me" and "I'm Worried" come directly from the electric blues playbook, complete with loping bass repetition, strumming guitar, and a strong back-beat from Caccia. Sardinas shows off his acoustic playing on one track, bringing his superb rhythmic skills to the forefront. A solo guitar in lesser hands is coffee-house fare, but Eric Sardinas is a virtual one-man rock show. Using a slide with his left hand while pulling out percussive notes with his right, Sardinas blends that great slide-guitar sound with the heavy amplification and driving backing band one might expect from a stadium rock show.
This convergence of new and old perfectly captures the musical space Sardinas occupies, as a relatively young guy devoting his creative energies to continuing an art form that stretches back almost 100 years. Where he innovates is in his rhythmic variation and creative use of the resonator guitar in a space it was never designed to occupy. This is a bare-bones DVD release, with less than 10 tracks and some chat from Eric and the band. We would have liked more included in the way of a discography or videos from the group, but what's here is high quality.
