Location: Koper / Figa Rock Bar / Slovenia
Concert date: November 25, 2014
Attendance: 70
Ticket price: €18.00
It doesn’t happen often that we get the chance to see and hear a trio as good as Eric Sardinas & Big Motor inside our country’s borders. This fall, our coast (once again) delivered exactly that, two nights in a row no less. But let’s take it one night at a time.
Eric Sardinas is already a well-known icon of the resonator guitar to every music nut out there. A blend of R’n’B and blues defines his music, woven together with hard-hitting rhythms and a raspy, throaty voice. Led by the guitar, of course. Finger-licking good.
The friendly staff at Figa Rock Bar gave us a warm welcome. The Koper club was celebrating its fourth anniversary these days. It’s a cozy place that makes you feel at home and wanted. The red-and-white walls are covered in signatures from the acts who have played the Figa stage over the past four years. The bar boasts a pretty varied beer selection, and while sipping that noble hop brew, we waited for the guy who was warming up the stage for Eric Sardinas.
Nobody probably expected what happened next. A friendly, down-to-earth young guy by the name of Samo Pivač stepped onto the stage a little timidly, but turned his set into something of a miracle. Samo is from Jesenice and plays local clubs all on his own with a homemade guitar, keeping company on stage only with his piercing vocals and immense talent. He performs under the stage name Samuel Blues, playing both originals and covers, and with his voice and playing style he comes closest to the legend Johnny Cash. It soon became clear this kid is no lightweight. Once Samo forgot about the audience and gave himself over to just playing and singing, all his initial reserve melted away. What we witnessed on stage was a true fusion of sonic harmonies, along with immensely precise and piercing performances of the songs. If we in the crowd still missed a backing band during the first few songs, we soon realized that Samo with his guitar was plenty on his own. The young man did so well that even Eric Sardinas himself pricked up his ears backstage and stepped closer to admire the young guy from Jesenice. And then even closer. And closer still, until he finally climbed up on stage and sang along with Samo. And not just one song. He openly showed his enthusiasm for the young talent the whole time, who wasn’t thrown off one bit by the presence of a star (and maybe a role model) on stage, even though Eric’s arrival probably shuffled the flow of the set a little. Eric then politely stepped off the stage so young Samuel Blues could finish his more-than-successful set. Samuel Blues is definitely an act who will satisfy every craving for quality blues music, so I’m letting club bookers know: don’t overlook this young hopeful, and invite him to a stage or two.
A short break followed, and shortly after ten in the evening, the long-awaited trio took the stage – a slightly limping Eric Sardinas together with his bandmates Bryan Keeling and Levell Price. The band made no secret of their good mood. It was clear Eric was in great spirits already during Samo Pivač’s set, but the members of Big Motor, who had stayed backstage during Samo’s performance, also walked out smiling and full of positive vibes. Eric greeted the crowd, said he was glad they were there, and kicked things off with a punchy first song. Despite their apparent roughness, his hands and fingers have an unbelievable sensitivity once Eric gives himself over to the guitar completely. Despite his recently broken leg (Eric broke it falling off the stage at the August concert at Bluesiana), he didn’t hold back on dancing around on stage. The trio put their soul, heart and body into the show. Through gravelly verses and endless improvising on guitar, bass and drums, the crowd fell into musical ecstasy while chasing the rhythm laid down by the guys on stage.
The trio released a new studio album called Boomerang at the end of October, so part of the show was dedicated to promoting the new CD. The new songs fit the band like a glove and blended nicely with the older hits. The concert was played in two parts with a 20-minute break in between. During that time we heard the newest tracks like Run Devil Run, Boomerang and Bad Boy Blues, as well as older ones like County Line, Gambling Man Blues and, of course, Get Down To Whiskey, which the crowd sang along to as well.
In the past Eric wasn’t known as a chatterbox on stage, but lately he talks to the audience a bit and shares an anecdote or two, which gives the show a touch of deeper connection between performer and crowd. Although both sidemen, Levell on bass and Bryan behind the drums, seem pushed slightly into the background, they still grab the eyes and ears of the crowd, because when it comes to mastering their instruments, they’re not one bit behind their big leader. Levell, now short-haired and bearded, fills in the rhythmic accents with ease, while Bryan, with his precision and polish on the drums, follows every improvised passage from the two men in front of him.
The stage at Figa Rock Bar was almost too small for Eric’s dancing around and his guitar antics. The mighty bluesman doesn’t stand still for a second during his show. It doesn’t matter whether he’s standing at the mic when he has to sing, or screaming past it in that charmingly hoarse voice; whether he’s tangling himself up in all the cables and jumping over the speakers on stage, or sliding the guitar neck along the mic stand. The man squeezes out every last bit of soul and love for music and hands it over to the audience. Unforgettable.
Even at the end of his show, Eric didn’t forget about the wonder that is Samuel Blues, whom he invited on stage once more, and the two of them sang and played one more song together. And since the crowd didn’t stop shouting and cheering, a closing Behind The 8 followed, which once again nearly proved fatal for Eric’s legs, as in the heat of playing the song he buckled properly and crashed to his knees among the stage monitors. We held our breath for a moment, but luckily it was nothing worse, since Eric soon got up on his own and kept playing until the end of the song. All that was left was the goodbye from the stage, but soon after the show the trio joined the fans below the stage for a chat and photos. The hanging out went on late into the night, while we still had a long trip home ahead of us, a short sleep, and the continuation of the Sardinas story the next day.
Despite some similarities, every Eric Sardinas show surprises you all over again. And each one tops the last. So of course it’s no secret that we caught him the next day in Nova Gorica as well. But that’s another story. Big props to the organizers for putting this event together – maybe foreign musical gems will slowly start showing up more often in our clubs.
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