Features
Take A Seat
At a time when seven-string guitars and face paint seem to be all the rage, the true mantle of coolness has to go to Ben Harper. The slide guitarist (along with G. Love & Special Sauce and a few other guitar fiends) may be ushering in an era where it’s hip to pull up a chair and sit down for a while. The artist is famous for playing his concerts from a comfortable seat. It’s Harper’s music that plays frontman.
He keeps getting compared to Jimi Hendrix, although the true comparison may be to Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and other songwriters who shape their times.
Harper’s live performances move from blues to heavy-metal funk in a blink of an eye, with Marvin Gaye and Pearl Jam getting equal reverence when the covers are brought out. It can be confirmed by the album Live From Mars which Harper and his band, The Innocent Criminals, released March 27,
Fans won’t wait long to experience the virtuosity first hand. Harper will bring out his Weissenborn hollow-neck guitars in Claremont, Calif., April 6. By the time May ends, the slide guitars will have been played in sheds, amphitheatres and festivals in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Memphis and Salt Lake City with some Australian and Japan dates thrown in for good measure.