Ben Harper
A Relentless Man

Backed by a new band, Ben Harper shimmers and shines on his new album

By Jeff Niesel

Some 15 years ago, a SoCal-based lap-steel guitarist named Ben Harper started making some waves on the skate/surf/punk scene. Somehow, the guy, who performed while sitting down and hammering away at an old-fashioned Weissenborn guitar, had the ability to silence a crowd of otherwise jaded youth. He’s since channeled that energy onto his terrific albums, combining Marvin Gaye-like vocals with Bob Marley-inspired emotion, starting with 1994’s major label debut, Welcome to the Cruel World and continuing up to the present-day with his latest effort, White Lies for Dark Times. But the difference on White Lies is that Harper has ditched his long-time band the Innocent Criminals for a new group of guys who call themselves the Relentless7 (even though there’s only three of them). As a result, Harper plays with renewed energy on the disc, turning tunes such as “Shimmer and Shine” and “Boots Like These” into surefire anthems. Harper recently phoned in from a Memphis tour stop to discuss the new album and his decision to recruit a new band.

I know you just played some shows in Australia. How did that go?

It was off the hook. They’re one of great, great music-appreciating publics on the planet.

You’ve been popular there for a while. What’s been the key to your success over there?

I can’t go into the key to my success. It’s too self-serving. I would sound like a megalomaniac. That’s dangerous ground. But it was one of the first English-speaking territories that reflected that [passion] back, especially to my record label.

Did you have time to surf?

Sure did. I surfed every day I was there.

As someone who’s allied himself with progressive politics, what was your reaction to Obama’s election?

It was huge. It was immeasurable. Listen man, I’ve met black Republicans and female conservatives. It’s dangerous territory when discussing politics. It’s the most commonly opinionated aspect of culture that there is. It’s too easy to overstate your point. I think it definitely represented a cultural shift.

Are the songs on White Lies for Dark Times written about the previous administration?

Well, I write everyday. And so the world around me is going to work through my filter from pen to paper and song. Some songs come all at once. Some are pieced from day to day. You never know from what you’re going to pull inspiration, whether it be political, cultural or emotional. They’re all inextricably linked.

What does your new band bring to the table?

Oh man, what they bring is a great, exciting new direction. Listen, I’m as proud as my old direction as anyone. You have to be very careful in this arena. When you’re dealing with the maximum amount of time and ink, things can get paraphrased and worked in to fit at the expense of what I’m actually trying to say. What I’m actually trying to say is that I can’t put my past up against my future. I’m as proud and excited about both. This is a new direction that I’m excited about going in. It represents risk and challenge in a good way. I’m looking forward to pushing forward with it.

Are you anxious at all to see what kind of reaction the album gets?

You know, as far as I’m concerned the only risk is not taking the risk.

You’ve taken the band on the road, so you have some sense of how people have responded.

If people respond to the songs like this, sight unseen, sound unheard, I can’t imagine what I’ll be like once they hear it and embrace it and bring it into their lives.

The opening tune, “Number with No Name,” rocks pretty hard. Did you try to turn up the volume a bit on this outing?

No. We all got in a room and did what do naturally. It definitely amped some things up beyond where I’ve been. “Black Rain,” “Glory and Consequence,” “Like a King” and “Whipping Boy” [are all older songs that rock hard]. People make it sound like the new album is a return to rock, but I’ve never gone away from rock. It’s just a new sound.

“Shimmer and Shine” has a great energy, too. Was there something in particular that inspired that tune?

Nah, it just hit. That was one of those written-all-at-once tunes.

Take me back to the beginning of your career. How important was that tour with Taj Mahal?

As important as any in my life. It said you got something and you’re onto something. Taj Mahal makes music on a world-class level. He makes music of the highest order. Someone of the highest order, not to mention a musical hero of mine and hero in my life and of folkloric experience, sent me a ticket to play slide guitar with him. It just didn’t get any better than that.

I don’t know if you ever played on Warped Tour, but I know early on you had a fan base that consisted of the skate and surf crowd. I always thought it was significant that a guy who wasn’t coming from a punk background could appeal to that crowd. What did you learn from that?

For me, it was proof of what I always knew, having always loved punk rock and growing up around people who were in the depths of that scene. Punk rock was as much attitude, outlook and perspective as it was about [how loud] you played your guitar.

I can’t imagine signing your record deal in 1994 really changed your approach, but have you had to fight to do what you’ve wanted to do?

Absolutely. I have had to definitely be punk rock and unrelenting and demanding that it look, sound and feel a certain way. That can exhaust you at certain times. Sometimes you win, and sometimes they win. At the same time, I have to applaud my record company. They have been there. With anything, there’s going to be a push and pull. Virgin was around when nobody else was near the table. They’ve believed in it and have always believed in it. As much as they’re been battles, I don’t want to over-exaggerate them on a juvenile level. I’ve never had to change a note, a stitch or a cover. Not a song. Not a note. They know me. They asked me to take the pedal steel out of “Diamonds on the Inside,” and I said no. They said, “It won’t get played on the radio.” I said, “Then, I feel bad for radio.” Oddly enough, the label came to respect that, too.

It was in 2005 that you first recorded with the guys from Relentless7. Did you have any idea back then that your relationship would become what it’s become?

I didn’t know, man. But at a certain age in your life if you don’t recognize the writing on the wall with chemistry, you’re not going to get there. I did recognize immediately after recording “Serve Your Soul” on Both Sides of Gun that there was a bigger picture.

Can we take that defiant new tune “Boots Like These” as autobiographical?

Man, it could be with one lyric to the next, depending on the day. That’s a cope out as much as anything answer I’ve ever heard or given. But it’s true. Yeah, why not? I just hope it would be autobiographical for anybody who hears it. That’s really the most important point.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned over your 15-year career?

Know who to listen to and who not to.

Tour Dates

5/4 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

5/5 New York, NY Webster Hall

5/8 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg

5/9 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts

5/10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

5/12 Montreal, QB Metropolis

5/13 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre

5/15 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall

5/16 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre

5/25 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre

5/27 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore

5/28 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern

5/13 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival