Eric Sardinas Midnight Junction LP (Marbled Red Vinyl)

"I play slide, I play blues, but it's rock'n'roll that I interpret in my own way."

When it comes to blues-rock, there's sometimes an implication that blues musicians are compromising their art for financial gain or that rock bands are exploiting blues-inspired elements without fully comprehending the genre's deep historical roots. That is certainly not the case with Eric Sardinas. At six, he is said to hold a guitar in his hands for the first time, falling in love with the origins of 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."

In his early years he moved around his homeland USA, landing in Los Angeles in 1990. Like the early blues folk, he played acoustic for a living on the street and in small pubs, attracting attention not only for his distinctive guitar playing and eye-catching appearance, but also for his wild antics on stage, often jumping off amplifiers and playing guitar with his teeth if he has not already set it on fire before - striking enough to convince Steve Vai, who offered him a record deal. Sardinas also supported Vai on two world tours and shared the stage with Joe Satriani at his famous G3 concerts.

Eric Sardinas focuses exclusively on slide guitar, using his beloved Dobros (guitars with mechanical resonators invented in the 1920s to increase their volume), which he converted to play electrically.

If you now think this record is for blues fanatics and guitar racers, you're certainly right. But the other side of the truth is: The music on "Midnight Junction" speaks to a much wider audience. Eric and his band create rock songs that are simply fun to listen to! Great arranged choirs invite to sing along catchy melodies, and the joy of improvised playing is just contagious. Eric Sardinas is supported by a first-class rhythm section, compromised of Chris Frazier (Whitesnake, Foreigner) on drums, Koko Powell (Lenny Kravitz, Sheila E) on bass guitar, David Schulz (The Goo Goo Dolls, Bo Diddley) on keys and organ, with very special guest Blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite.