Ben Harper in Berkeley.
Photograph by Jay Blakesberg.

NEXT GENERATION BLUES

Ben Harper blazes a trail between roots music and alternative rock

By Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Ben Harper has traveled one incredibly unlikely path to where he sits tonight, testifying in front of a packed amphitheater on a wild array of lap steel, acoustic, and electric guitars. He arrived on the scene in the early ’90s as a folk-blues prodigy, coaxing gorgeous tones from an obscure vintage specimen, the Weissenborn lap slide guitar, and spiking his repertoire with acoustic reggae and roots rock. Fast-forward a few years, and he had forged a connection with the alt-rock world—touring with Pearl Jam and P.J. Harvey—and had begun experimenting with feedback and distortion on his Weissenborns, creating a spectacularly heavy rock sound that would segue right back into hushed acoustic balladry. Fast-forward again to 1999, when in the wake of headlining the HORDE festival with his band, the Innocent Criminals, Harper added the solid-body electric to his guitar arsenal for the first time on his album Burn to Shine, mixing folk-influenced tunes with Led Zeppelin–esque rock, soulful R&B, churning Rolling Stones boogie, even a dash of old-time New Orleans jazz.

All of these sides of Harper’s musical personality are on display on this balmy fall evening at Berkeley, California’s Greek Theater, where Harper provides ample reasons for why he’s become the roots-music ambassador of his generation. It’s a role he seems to have been born for, and one we explore in a backstage conversation while the Funky Meters sound-check upstairs.

So is this kind of a strange time to be talking with Acoustic Guitar magazine, given all the voltage running through the new album?

HARPER It’s the perfect time. It will give me the opportunity to explain a couple of critical things about myself and about music. I don’t feel that I need to qualify this album in talking to Acoustic Guitar, but I do feel the need just to make the statement that I plan on making music for a long, long time. The foundation of the music that I make is extremely acoustic-based—folk, blues, Delta blues—and the songs I write are on acoustic slide guitar and acoustic guitar.

But I do have to say that playing and expressing myself on electrics of late is renewing my focus and enthusiasm and excitement about acoustics. If I played only acoustic for my entire life, I would get bored. So for my own musical growth, I need to venture out into other worlds of music and sound. [The new album] is not an abandonment—not by a long shot, because there are songs like "Two Hands of a Prayer" and "In the Lord’s Arms" . . .

In the past you’ve said that when you’d pick up a solid-body electric, it wouldn’t feel like you somehow. What has changed along the way?

HARPER There was a time when I couldn’t see myself playing electric, but I’ve been extremely influenced by a youth rock community. When I started doing shows, even with Welcome to the Cruel World, which was all acoustic, there were no singer-songwriters at my gigs. Pearl Jam came down to my gigs, P.J. Harvey. . . . I was more embraced by a rock community in the beginning, and that had an influence on me musically. These people were coming to my shows, and I started getting hip to their music. It was just a natural progression.

I would think that the kinds of large venues you wound up playing would have had an effect too.

HARPER Yeah, that’s been exciting—to be able to bring acoustic-based music to large audiences that aren’t necessarily there to see you. I’ll never forget opening up for P.J. Harvey—she invited us to tour with her. I’d sit down with an acoustic Weissenborn in front of 12-year-old girls with black eyeliner packed in the front row, looking up at me going, "What in the hell is he playing?" But by the third or fourth song, the heads would start to nod, and then it would be on, you know. We never got stoned or anything like that—not yet.

When I first heard you perform back in ’94, I was struck by the fact that the music on record sounded very intimate, but when you got on stage you really expanded it for the setting.

HARPER Every time we’ve made a record, by the time we’ve taken it to the stage, we’re leaps and bounds beyond our ability at the time we made the record. But we only got to those heightened abilities by making the record. So by the time we’ve toured for three months, the song is new again.

What are some of the new abilities you’ve found recently?

HARPER I don’t know . . . a comfort and a confidence. I’ve said oftentimes that playing live is the most intensified form of practice, and it will push you to grow faster than any amount of hours of rehearsal. I feel that from a guitar-playing perspective, I’ve just put in a lot of time playing slide and round-neck, and that is reflected on this record. I feel a kinship with the craft and the spirit of songwriting compared with feeling more like a distant relative in the past. And singing as well—I feel like this was the first record that I really found my voice.

Would you say that performing also has a lot to do with the growth in your singing?

HARPER Yeah, it’s pushed me and my abilities. Through performing hundreds of nights a year, your voice is either going to give out or get stronger. And the reason it hasn’t given out is because I don’t allow the addictive side of my personality to control my life—drinking and smoking and carrying on like that. I don’t find any romance in any of that. I’d rather have water and be done with it.

One of the biggest surprises on the new album is the title track, with that classic electric rock ’n’ roll guitar groove. What inspired you to plug into that sound?

HARPER I’ve been writing songs in that style for a while, and I chose to bring out songs that would give the album a new musical direction and dimension. I could have done all of these songs acoustic, but I wanted to bring in new sounds that have been inspiring me over the past couple years.

You have to somehow branch out into other styles in order to improve your own style. Within reason—I don’t see myself making a drum-and-bass record or a techno record. I like the music, but I don’t see it as me.

Speaking of branching out, how about that new song "Susie Blue," with the Dixieland tenor banjo and horns. Did you write that song on guitar?

HARPER I wrote that on guitar, and when it came out, the chords fit that style of music. It so happened that in the town I grew up in, which is Claremont, in the Inland Empire, east of L.A. about an hour, there’s a really good coffeehouse called Nick’s Café. That’s one of the coffeehouses where I did my first gigs. There’s a Dixieland-style jazz band that played for the last 15 years every Thursday night. And I thought to myself, man, how good would that be? The chords to "Susie Blue" just fit their style, and they agreed to do it. But I didn’t play guitar on that track.

It’s nice to hear you play with David Lindley on the new album. I know your connection goes way back—I remember hearing his cover of your song "Mama’s Got a Girlfriend Now" long before I heard you. When was your first encounter with him?

HARPER It would be impossible [to say]. My parents and him and his wife were friends before I was born—it goes back that far. Growing up, I was privileged—his daughter and I are friends, and we grew up together very, very close, like a brother and sister, really. We used to travel around with him, go to shows and see him play and stuff like that. I would intensely, unconsciously, and not knowing why, focus on his playing at a very young age.

My parents have a music store in the Inland Empire called the Folk Music Center, and he used to come in all the time. We’d hang out and have laughs—he’s just the funniest guy.

How did he wind up playing on "In the Lord’s Arms"?

HARPER I knew he had stopped doing session work, and I was like, damn, the only person that can really bring this song to life in the way that I hear it is David Lindley. I mean, I did have some David Lindley clout, if you want to call it that, so I figured OK, I’ll give it a shot. I was nervous as hell and I left the message on his machine. A day or two went by and I got a call, "Hey, man. It’s Lindley. I’d love to do it." I couldn’t believe it—I was floored.

When he came into the studio, he brought the most incredible selection of instruments—the most amazing Gibson mandolin, the most amazing fiddle—tuned every one of them by ear to A440, perfect pitch, like nothing I’ve ever seen, and we laid it down. And it was one of the best musical experiences of my life to date.

Aside from the lap slide connection, you both have deep folk roots combined with a love of percussion and reggae-inspired grooves.

HARPER He’s a huge influence, there’s no question. David Lindley and guys like Taj Mahal—huge influences on me, immeasurable. And the fact that these guys are still alive makes life much more exciting and livable for me. David knows Pete Seeger, he knows Bess Hawes, he knows Jean Ritchie, the dulcimer player. David knew Okie Adams, an old-school banjo maker. Flatt and Scruggs. He knew all those guys. Taj knew Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, Lonnie Johnson, Brownie McGhee. . . . So for me, they’re a direct link to that school.

Did you come into contact with those people in the music store in your childhood?

HARPER My mom is an incredible singer and acoustic guitar player, and I’ve been going to see Taj Mahal since the time I was six years old—we used to go when there’d be all-ages shows at the Santa Barbara Bowl and stuff like that. And David as well—being exposed to his music at a young age has played a large role in the music that I make. David used to play with this amazing percussionist, [Ras] Baboo, who had a profound effect on me. I really wonder what happened to him. He was the first percussionist in El Rayo-X, and he just brought the show to life in an amazing way.

What does your experience working in the store and repairing instruments as a teenager mean for you now as a player? Do you still do any tinkering?

HARPER Man, I miss guitar repair and construction. I had just touched on construction when I left my parents’ shop, but I had worked in restoration. There’s a luthier in Glendale who worked for Gibson in the ’40s named Jack Willock, who I apprenticed with for guitar repair and restoration for five years. Jack Willock is a magic man—he knew Lloyd Loar and worked in the factory before he went off to war, and what he taught me about life and guitar repair is more important than I could ever say.

I do still get inside of certain instruments from time to time, and anytime I get off, I work in my parents’ shop and help run the store. I work on setting up the instruments on the wall, making sure that when customers come in the action is set well and playable, and things like that. But I’ve taken too much time away from [repair]. If I would have stuck with that, by now I’d be pretty good, but I just don’t have enough time lately. I’ve got a guy who does all my work, Billy Asher in Santa Monica, who’s just got incredible hands, and I trust him like I trust myself.

Generally speaking, how would you compare instruments from the ’20s and ’30s with new instruments and new reproductions of vintage instruments?

HARPER I like new instruments that sound so good you don’t care whether they’re new or not. Like the Matons. That’s really what I look for. The old instruments, it’s kind of an unfair advantage, because imagine an instrument that was made in 1920 or 1930—the tree that produced the wood dates back into the 1800s. In a certain way, it’s unfair to put the new up against the old. And in another way, that’s the standard by which all good guitars should be measured.

But I’m not one of those vintage snobs; if the guitar is nice and sounds good and has songs waiting for me in it, I’m ready to get on it. Like the Martin—that vintage reissue herringbone 000-28, Indian rosewood, beautiful piece of spruce on the top. It’s a new Martin, but I don’t care. It’s got the stuff.

Let’s talk about your playing style. Many of your earlier songs played on a regular acoustic guitar, like "Ashes" or the 12-string piece "Number 3," sound as if they’re in a low version of standard tuning—down a step or more.

HARPER Yeah, D to D instead of E to E, some of them.

Is that something that you did to match your voice better or because of the sound?

HARPER It was the sound. I loved the way the guitar resonated in D to D at the time; it just felt right in my hands and my voice. I’m back up to E now, doing a lot of stuff in 440, like "In the Lord’s Arms" and "Two Hands of a Prayer."

And you also play with your thumb rather than a pick, right? That muted sound you get seems like such a natural match for the way you sing—it’s like the instrumental version of your voice.

HARPER I totally agree with that statement. Yeah, it’s a thumb and finger sort of brush. I stole that from my mom.

Do you use regular light strings when you tune down?

HARPER Light or medium—you can go medium without worrying about the neck when you tune down, in most cases. But even lights will do it, give you sort of a bendability that’s really fun to play with. It’s interesting, I think A440 was established with gut strings, at a time when there were no steel strings, and it does feel natural to have the steel-string guitar down that low. I kind of go by the guitar [deciding] where to tune it, even forgetting about my voice, because I can pretty much handle the step up for my voice. Guitars sort of have a natural place they want to be; even if it’s a half step down, I’ll go there.

On the lap guitars, do you tend to make up tunings for particular songs, or are there a few tunings that you generally use?

HARPER I make up tunings per song, but I do have a sort of regimented tuning that I use quite a bit. It’s D A D D A D—dad dad, call it. You can also go to C G C C G C or B F# B B F# B, and I’ve even gone to A E A A E A. "God Fearing Man" is tuned all the way down to low A with heavy strings on an acoustic Weissenborn run through a Marshall or something.

Having just the root and fifth in the tuning makes a lot of sense, because a lot of what you’re playing are two-note power chords.

HARPER Oh, they’re straight from the power-chord school. It gives me a working chord all the way up the neck, without that higher third string [as in regular open-D tuning, D A D F# A D] that can throw certain chords off. And I use [open-D] tuning as well, like on "Pleasure and Pain."

When you arrange new songs with your band, do you find yourself changing the original guitar parts in light of what the other instruments are doing?

HARPER I may change a guitar part a little bit or do something to improve it, but I rarely abandon it, because that’s usually the biggest part of the song. There’s definitely an aspect of adapting to the moment, but usually it’s the other way around—nine times out of ten, the other instruments construct themselves around what the guitar is doing.

Do you work on writing lyrics as a separate process from coming up with the guitar parts and melodies?

HARPER There are three different musical worlds that go on in my life at once. There’s the dimension of crafting the melodies and lyrics. I’ve got a hundred pieces of paper—scraps, hotel stationery—and then a constant work-in-progress Walkman tape. Then there’s the other side of me that just writes songs in one sitting at one time—it’s the straight, lightning-bolt channel. And then right in the center there’s this stream of consciousness, and I’ll sit down and rattle off whatever comes to mind and write five pages of garbage. For my songwriting, that’s the trinity.

Which of your songs have come from the lightning-bolt channel?

HARPER "Widow of a Living Man" came with no explanation and no warning. It was like, oh, I’d better sit down and do this. And boom, the song is done.

"Two Hands of a Prayer," from the new album, is a complex piece. Was that the product of a lot of crafting?

HARPER Yeah, that was crafted. I had two pages of ideas for that song, and I was going to take it from where it was into this sort of rock affair, sort of a "Stairway to Heaven" type of vibe. It was already close to eight minutes long and I had this whole other movement for it, but it wasn’t taking me anywhere, so I kept it where it was.

Thinking back, one of the things that was so striking about your first album, which was so unusual for a young player, was your focus on things like tone and groove as opposed to flexing chops and playing riffs. Were there any particular players who modeled that quality for you?

HARPER For me, it would be hard to explain that, because that’s just who I am musically. I come from a place that is groove oriented. I have a deep love for hip-hop music and blues, soul, rock. I love what Zeppelin did with electric and acoustic, and Hendrix as well.

As somebody who grew up around so much country blues, what’s your perspective on the ’90s phenomenon of Robert Johnson becoming something of a pop star?

HARPER I know, the guy has sold like a million records, hasn’t he? Man, I think it’s the best thing ever. I remember when I was in junior high school and high school, trying to bring up Robert Johnson to some of my friends, and they would just laugh. They’re like, "What on earth is this?"

It’s odd because to me, Mississippi John Hurt has always been a pop star. There was never any line between John Hurt and the Bee Gees, besides the fact that the Bee Gees were on the radio. The Bee Gees, John Hurt, and the Clash—it was all just music to me. So it felt like, well of course Willie Dixon wrote "Little Red Rooster," which was the first hit by Led Zeppelin. Oh yeah, sure, the Rolling Stones—that’s Fred McDowell. It was never any mystery.

But I think it’s great; I think it’s wicked. Now, I mean, you can walk into a Virgin megastore and there’s just walls of Washboard Sam and Skip James, just walls of it. That’s really exciting.

Do you think that musicians are getting better informed about the roots of the music that they’re playing?

HARPER I hope so. I can only speak through my perspective. If I didn’t have all this music at my disposal for inspiration, I wouldn’t be the player that I am, and I think it’s crucial that groups and bands are able to grasp the importance of a Tim Hardin or a Skip James. To me, it’s super important to understand the roots of music. I can never stress that enough—the importance of listening to and researching different musics.

I understand you have a new baby at home, as well as an older child. How has parenthood changed your musical life?

HARPER It’s new life, so it’s going to bring new life to what you do. That’s what it’s been for me. "Steal My Kisses" was inspired by my son. When he was about a year old, every time I’d reach in to give him a kiss, he always pushed me, like "Come on, Dad!" I think my beard scratched him. I’d always have to say, "All right, I’m going to steal one!" And he’d go, "No! No!" And then he’d put his hands down and I’d steal one real quick.

You know, it’s just endless. [Kids] don’t take any time away from the creative process—I just don’t do other things. Nothing could take me away from music, because music is the majority of my consciousness. I live my life through song to a large degree. I have to write music in order to feel like I’m taking full advantage of breathing, and my wife understands that. But when you have kids, you just have to become superhuman. You have to be able to do what you do and be superdad.

How does it change your experience of the road?

HARPER Oh, it makes it painful. It makes it really hard to be away. And sooner than later, I’m going to have to step away from [being on] the road as much as I am right now.

How does the atmosphere of music in your house compare with what you grew up with? Is there a lot of music happening?

HARPER My son’s favorites are Etta James and the Black Crowes—and Daddy. You know what I mean, he’s down with Pops. And it’s not like he’s down because it’s me. He just likes the music because he likes the sound of stuff.

There’s music all the time. My wife loves music, and we’re always playing. He’s got his hands on all my instruments, and I’ve got a little drum set for him—he’s always on it, and he’s just loving it. And he loves to sing. So it’s cool. I’m hoping I can plant that seed for him. It’s not like I’m going to sign him up for guitar lessons by the time he’s three or anything, but I just want to have that there for him.

I find that experiencing music with a child gives a whole new appreciation of the power of simple melodies. But that seems like a sense you’ve always had about music.

HARPER Yes. I refuse to let the music get in the way of the words or the words get in the way of the music by being too clever or too tricky, too cluttered. You have to leave room for both and have one reflect the other in a musical way. Simplicity is a tricky word, because it’s not so simple to [achieve]. But I think it’s just who I am—I communicate it straight ahead.

Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, April 2000, No. 88. That issue also contains a transcription of "I Shall Not Walk Alone" by Ben Harper.

Read about Ben Harper's guitars and gear in the What They Play department.

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