Watermelon Slim And The Workers - Live At The Ground Zero Blues Club (2010)

Watermelon Slim and his band The Workers are tireless blues musicians, just like the masters who came before them. Their lot is to play small blues clubs, and bars and restaurants across the continent, bringing the blues to hungry ears. Once you’ve heard or seen Slim you’ll never forget it. And if you see him…you’ll hear him…I guarantee it! At a gig in Hamilton a couple of years ago, the opening act Steve Strongman (no slouch himself on blues guitar, and certainly no stranger to volume) had to wear earplugs during The Workers’ set! We, in the first row, had no earplugs so went home with ears ringing from the Mississippi rhythms and stinging lead guitar. Not a bad way to go.
This concert DVD was, as the title says, recorded Live at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale Mississippi. It doesn’t get any closer to the roots of the blues than that! The filmmaking is fairly standard, shots of the band and the soloists as they play. Images are clear and the sound is everything. I don’t think there any way to make a concert video very interesting. Watching music on a TV will never replace the sensory overload that comes from being in a hot sweaty room with a cold beer, and a gaggle of blues fanatics. That being said, this video does its best to remind us of how important it is to get out and see music live. And Watermelon Slim NEEDS to be experienced live.
The video, as I say, is a good one, great song choice, all well played. Special guests like Jimbo Mathus, Charlie Musselwhite and Big George Brock appear to add some excitement, but essentially it’s all about Slim.
Watermelon Slim plays a regular guitar which he lays flat on a table and frets with a bar. He turns his amp up to 11, and lets it roar. The band (Cliff Belcher, bass; Michael Newbury, percussion; Ronnie McMullen, Jr., guitar) rocks behind him. Slim sings in an authentic Howlin’ Wolf growl and punctuates his songs with harp. The video captures it all.

Tracklist:
01. Hard Times
02. Hard Labor
03. Ash Tray
04. Devil's Cadillac
05. Peaches
06. Who's Gonna Pay?
07. My Babe
08. Jimmy Bell
09. Truck Holler #2
10. You Ain't Gonna Worry My Life No More
11. 61 Highway
12. Black Water
13. Dumpster Blues
14. Buick Fifty-Nine
15. Long Distance Call
16. Oklahoma Blues

Extra:
Watermelon Slim & John Mayall
Slim Interview with Chip Eagle
Front Porch Blues
Meet the Workers


Features:
- Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu