Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
have reunited for Call It What It Is, their first record together in nine
years, due out April 8th, 2016 on Stax Records. Call It What
It Is is an incisive, bold, poetic statement that could only come from these
long-time musical partners, one of popular music’s most essential, cohesive and
dynamic ensembles.
The standout
title track showcases Harper’s unmatched ability to blend the personal and
political. Invoking the names of Trayvon Martin, Ezell Ford, and Michael Brown
over an agitated blues riff, Harper cuts to the quick: “There's good cops / bad
cops / white cops / black cops / call it what it is / Murder”. The
genre-spanning collection contains many highlights including the sun-kissed
groove of “Shine” and the album’s swaggering lead track “When Sex Was Dirty.”
It had been
seven years since Ben Harper last played a show with the Innocent Criminals, so
when the time came to reunite for a live tour in 2015, the band—percussionist
Leon Mobley, bassist Juan Nelson, drummer Oliver Charles, keyboardist Jason
Yates, and guitarist Michael Ward—quickly discovered that Harper had more in
mind than simply revisiting the group's prodigious song catalog. In fact,
Harper had been quietly amassing material for a new record and the first
recording sessions were scheduled to begin even before the rehearsals for their
triumphant four-night sold-out reunion run at the Fillmore in San Francisco
last March.
Tracing
their roots back to 1993, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals were at the
heart of most of Harper’s projects until the band went on hiatus in 2008. The
band toured internationally and released a string of groundbreaking albums,
including Fight for Your Mind, The Will to Live, Burn to Shine and the
GRAMMY-nominated Lifeline in 2007. The Innocent Criminals also backed Harper
and The Blind Boys of Alabama on the double-GRAMMY-winning There Will Be a
Light in 2005.
“I thought
we would be more energized and revitalized by thinking outside the box and
starting with new material in the studio before we dug into the old stuff,”
said Harper of the reunion album.
"It was meant to be a signpost that we're here to forge new ground
musically and personally.”
Ben Harper
& The Innocent Criminals North American tour dates:
4/2/16 - The Capitol Theatre - Port Chester,
NY
4/3/16 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
4/4/16 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
4/6/16 - College Street Music Hall - New
Haven, CT
4/7/16 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
4/9/16 - House of Blues Boston - Boston, MA
4/10/16 - The Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
4/12/16 – Métropolis - Montreal, Canada
4/13/16 - Massey Hall - Toronto, Canada
4/15/16 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak,
MI
4/16/16 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago, IL
4/17/16 - House Of Blues - Cleveland, OH
4/19/16 - Tivoli Theatre - Chattanooga, TN
4/20/16 - Tennessee Theatre - Knoxville, TN
4/22/16 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
4/23/16 - The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
6/23/16 - Marymoor Park - Seattle, WA
6/24/16 - McMenamins Edgefield - Troutdale, OR
6/25/16 - Les Schwab Amphitheatre – Bend, OR
6/30/16 - Revolution Concert House- Boise, ID
8/16/16 - Mountain Winery - Saratoga CA
8/17/16 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
8/23/16 - Humphrey's by The Sea - San Diego,
CA
8/25/16 - Marquee Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
Additional
US dates and a European Tour to be announced shortly.
Call It What
It Is track list:
1. When Sex
Was Dirty
2. Deeper And Deeper
3. Call It What It Is
4. How Dark Is Gone
5. Shine
6. All That Has Grown
7. Pink Balloon
8. Finding Our Way
9.
Bones
10. Dance Like Fire
11. Goodbye To You
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