Eric Sardinas
High-octane blues played on a custom electric resonator. It is gritty, slide-heavy rock and roll that feels like a flamethrower in a crowded roadhouse.
High-octane blues played on a custom electric resonator. It is gritty, slide-heavy rock and roll that feels like a flamethrower in a crowded roadhouse.
Eric Sardinas plays the kind of blues that sounds like it was forged in a furnace and tempered in motor oil. His signature sound revolves around the electric resonator guitar, an instrument usually associated with dusty porches, but here it is cranked through stacks to create a metallic, overdriven roar. It is fast, aggressive, and unapologetically loud, bridging the gap between Delta tradition and arena rock intensity.
What truly sets him apart is the sheer physicality of his playing. Using heavy-gauge strings and a glass slide, he coaxes a percussive, screaming tone out of his resonator that most electric players can't mimic. There is a frantic, improvisational edge to his work, often punctuated by a raspy, whiskey-soaked vocal delivery that matches the heat of his fretwork. It is music that values the burn over the polish.
For those new to his world, Black Pearls is the definitive starting point. Produced by Eddie Kramer, it captures the raw energy of his power trio, Big Motor, in a way that feels like a front-row seat at a legendary club gig. It is the perfect introduction to his 'flamethrower' approach to the blues.
Eric Sardinas (born November 10, 1970) is an American blues-rock slide guitarist born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is noted for his use of the electric resonator guitar and his live performances. He sometimes sets his guitar alight on stage and during shows. In 2000 in Sydney, Sardinas suffered third degree burns to his left wrist. 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. In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "Ride On Josephine". He 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. In 2008, Sardinas released Eric Sardinas and Big Motor on Favored Nations in the U.S. His most recent release was Midnight Junction, which was issued in October 2023.
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →
