watermelon slim (Page 2 of 2)

My thoughts exactly Gary. Discovering one artist leads to another. If an artist like Joe is bringing in a nontraditional blues crowd and initiating them to the blues. The other artists of the genre' have a chance at getting them too.

After a long absence from the blues scene I caught Walter Trout at a festival. KWS had success with Blue on Black. I saw Kenny live. A few months later caught Joe. I got back to my blues roots. Explored other artists that I might of been missing too. Problem for me is it was hard to be impressed with all the rest after seeing the best.

There is a reason for Joe's success. Talent and drive. I think a lot of the others envy him and dismiss him as not the blues to justify the fact that they will never reach the same level of success Joe has.

Here guys is an interview with Watermelon Slim from 2004 in which he mentions life, the blues and his views on Joe.

http://www.watermelonslim.com/Interview2bluesmatter.asp

Remember the guy is entitled to his opinion, perhaps though the interview will also give you some of the reasoning behind his views.

You're funny Jim. 

Glad to see you're still teachable.  (choke spew)   I've said it before.  Purists can't agree on how blue the sky is.

I are one too.  I, being the unflinching realist that I am, do not argue with sucess.  Joe has teeth.  Call him what you will.  BIG SMILE!

To me Joe is a Young Gun Blues Guitarist.  Kevin Shirley is a Hard Rock producer.  Rick is a funk Keyboardist.  Carmine is a Hard Rock bassist.  Bogie is a Rock and Roll drummer.  Anton Fig is a show band drummer.

Wham THE SOUND!  I wouldn't call it blues, although there's blues in it.  I wouldn't call it just blues-rock because his acoustic stuff is extraordinary.  I wouldn't call it world music because the timing is too Ameripean, not jazzy although there are some jazzy touches...But nobody cares what I call it. 

I call it GOOD.  I like it just fine.  It is a blended experience. 

Years ago there was a blend of R&B bass and thundering drums, loud crunch blues rock guitar and a screaming madman of a vocalist and they redefined rock music with blues songs.  They were not a blues band.  and the sneerers came and went.

They however will live forever.  Slim...well.  Take a look around.

FDOL
BJJ

Tunnel vision is how I describe blues purists.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but Slim doesn't need to stoop to trash talk to get his point across, IMHO.

Based on the date of this interview, Joe exemplifies his class act style by playing Watermelon Slim 2 months ago on his April 14th Sirius Blues Cup of Joe.  The theme was-Blues Guitar Pioneers and Joe played "The Things I Use To Do".

You got that right about a roll model Cathy. I think the point I am trying to make is not that Slim is a bum turned blues man and Joe is a musician that plays the blues. The notion that Slim is authentic is what I have trouble with. In the eyes of the blues world Joe will never be accepted as authentic. To which I breathe a sigh of relief.

Slim himself believes because he has had a hard life entitles him to be a blues man. A middle class kid from upstate NY can't be real blues. Joe would of had to leave home live on the streets of some city taking a vow of poverty and drowning his sorrows for the bad luck befallen him with an occasional foray into drug addiction. Skip about 50 years of dental appointments and steal your clothes from Goodwill.

This pretty much describes the impression you get from Mr Homas, and the blues world embraces him. Not as a roll model but as an authentic bluesman with out being a man of color.

So Joe is on a mission to bring a new audience to the blues. These new fans are discovering artists associated with the genre'. Slim might even be one. Does Joe say? Don't pay any attention to Slim he is a guitar hack that mumbles when he sings because he has gums not teeth or does he say. Check out Slim. He is as close as you can get today to what a bluesman was like 75 years ago. Knowing Joe he'll say the latter.

Hope the scream helped.