Ben Harper slides into Michigan, opens for Dave Matthews Band

Ben Harper takes his music seriously. It is this attitude that has brought worldwide success for Harper and his band, the Innocent Criminals. Harper has nearly reached gold-record status in Europe, and the band has attained fame in the United States as well, recently touring with Pearl Jam and playing in front of more than 40,000 people. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals is now touring with the Dave Matthews Band; the tour extends to the Detroit area on Saturday with a show at Pine Knob, in Clarkston, Michigan.

Perhaps Harper's success is mated to his diverse audience. Harper finds audiences in skaters and on adult-oriented rock radio stations, and it is this untraditional approach to rock that grants him this wide listening base. When asked why he attracts such a crowd, Harper, in an interview with The Michigan Daily, said he "can't say why that is ... I'm not musical analyst ... I'm not a psychologist ... It just happens to be a very diverse group of people ... the definition is in the music."

Harper doesn't approach rock and roll in the traditional sense. Rather, he places a Southern-Delta-blues spin on his music that, when coupled with Harper's hollow-necked Weissenborn or his dobro, creates a truly unique sound. Harper acknowledges the Southern influence in his music, but doesn't single out the South as the only influence, stating that he has been influenced by "different musics that moved me in my lifetime, as well as inspiration."

Ben Harper's Southern Delta-influenced rock takes root in his slide playing.

Harper said that while "a youth there was so much music in my home, and I started playing guitar and drums, and as I got older, you do other things, like sports ... In my late teens I really started involving myself in bottleneck slide."

Slide guitar isn't exactly a common instrument for a young adult to learn, but Harper "felt (the bottleneck slide guitar) said what I was trying to say ... I started playing bottleneck, then lap slide. Playing lap slide was the first step to the Weissenborn, with a very unique sound to itself," Harper said.

Harper attributed his success with the slide guitar to listening to piles of Delta blues records, as well as a great deal of time simply practicing with a slide. Looking at Harper's influences explains the rather odd combination of a twenty-something musician incorporating slide guitar into his music. Harper lists his three biggest influences as Bob Marley, Blind Willie Johnson and Jimi Hendrix. With Johnson probably paving much of the inspiration for his spirited slide-playing, Hendrix and Marley also affect Harper's music to a great degree.

Harper's more "rock and roll" side exhibits definite influence from Hendrix, and his songwriting takes a more political tone at times, a' la Bob Marley. When asked about some of the political messages in his songs, Harper said that it would be more apt to quote the lyrics themselves and let the listeners/readers decide what exactly the messages were.

Harper has never had the chance to play with his mentors, as Hendrix, Marley and Johnson are dead, but Harper has played with legendary Bluesman John Lee Hooker. Harper commented that Hooker is "one of the baddest cats ever," but he is also quick to point out that it's not just a big name that matters when playing. "I've played with a lot of great players, but you wouldn't know because they're not in the mainstream," Harper said.

After his tour with the Dave Matthews Band concludes at the end of this month, Harper said that he will do a few more shows in the United States, and then bounce back and forth between the West Coast and Europe. He plans to get into the studio in September.

And what does Harper think of Michigan? "I like Ann Arbor a lot ... I like Michigan a lot ... Ann Arbor, Detroit, it's the soul state," Harper said. He also wished to "thank everyone in Michigan for strong support every time we come ... I always look forward to being there." In any event, Harper will be able to express his gratitude in person, opening for the Dave Matthews Band this Saturday at Pine Knob.