Ben Harper has this deep connection to music through his family, who own a beautiful music store in the Inland Empire of California. The legacy of the store is founded on ensuring its community always has access to music. That legacy has deeply impacted the type of person Ben Harper continues to be throughout his artistic life. He’s been a musician who has given so many artists their start (very notably Jack Johnson), and has been a gateway into roots music for many of his listeners.
In our conversation, we really dig into Ben’s new album Wide Open Light, which takes him back to his acoustic and slide-heavy roots. It walks that beautiful line between singer-songwriter, country and soul that his fans have loved for decades. The record shows him being vulnerable, talking about spirituality and, of course, flexing his impressive guitar chops and his intimate vocal delivery. We also got to talk about Harry Styles, who Harper has recently gone on tour with and where he’s met a whole new generation of fans. It was very cool to discuss not only his beginnings, but where he is now as an artist and how he’s shaping his legacy with the next generation of musical listeners.
6:35pm – Billy Strings kicks off Night Two at the Hollywood Bowl with “Whiskey River.” It’s the same song as the first night but it’s a welcome repeat number (and face).
Billy Strings by Randall Michelson
6:39pm – Ethan Hawke opens the show, saying “Willie has always stood for equality,” so it’s no surprise to see the next guest…
6:40pm – It’s Orville Peck in a sleeveless vest (Aren’t his arms cold?! It’s freezing tonight) and his classic fringed mask. Performs “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other.” Makes use of the full Hollywood Bowl stage – he is owning this moment.
6:45pm – Charley Crockett. “Yesterday’s Wine.” Lady in box next to me states loudly, “Now this is real country.”
6:49pm – Allison Russell and Norah Jones do “Seven Spanish Angels.” These two voices are so perfectly in sync… please call me as soon as they do a duet record together.
6:56pm – Chelsea Handler introduces Dwight Yoakam for “Me and Paul.”
7:05pm – Waylon Payne and Margo Price take the stage together for “Georgia On A Fast Train.” These two are having the absolute best time together. Their chemistry is off the charts. From the box next to me, I hear a fan whisper under their breath, “MARGO IS MOTHER.” Couldn’t agree more.
Margo Price by Randall Michelson
7:14pm – Particle Kid (aka Willie’s younger son, Micah) along with Daniel Lanois. “I went to the garage and got high as shit and wrote a Willie Nelson song.” The lyrics come from a phrase his dad said one day: “If I die when I’m high I’ll be halfway to heaven, or I might have a long way to fall.”
7:19pm – Dame Helen Mirren (!) introduces Rodney Crowell. Emmylou joins mid-song for “‘Till I Gain Control Again.” Crowd goes bananas.
Emmylou Harris by Randall Michelson
7:33pm – Rosanne Cash does “Pancho and Lefty.” Totally different interpretation compared to Night One (where it was performed by Willie and George Strait), but a universally beautiful song nonetheless.
7:46pm – Lyle Lovett melting hearts and brains on “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
7:53pm – The “Aloha State Statesman” Jack Johnson performs one of the only non-Willie catalogue songs of the night, “Willie Got Me Stoned and Took All My Money.” He wrote it after Willie got him stoned and took all his money (in a poker game).
Jack Johnson by Jay Blakesberg, Blackbird Productions
7:57pm – Beck (in sunglasses). First artist to acknowledge the unreal house band. “Can you imagine waking up in the morning and opening your eyes and realizing ‘I’m Willie Nelson’? It’s already a great day.” Performs “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.”
8:03pm – TOM JONES! One of the most unexpected joys of the night. His love for Willie shines through in his performance of “Across the Borderline.”
Tom Jones by Josh Timmermans
8:12pm – Surprise guest host Woody Harrelson takes the stage. “Not to self-promote, but just so you guys know, I did open a dispensary… seems like the right audience.” He introduces the legendary Bob Weir. Billy Strings and Margo Price join Bob on stage for a fun and enthusiastic “Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer).” Margo is having the most fun tonight.
Billy Strings, Margo Price, Bob Weir by Jay Blakesberg, Blackbird Productions
8:18pm – Shooter Jennings and Lukas Nelson together! The next generation doing their fathers proud with own rendition of “Good Hearted Woman.”
Shooter Jennings, Lukas Nelson by Randall Michelson
8:22pm – Lukas performs a heart-wrenching version of “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.” Sounds so much like his dad yet simultaneously unique to himself. He has all 18,000 attendees in the palm of his hand.
8:29pm – The Avett Brothers. Wow. They sound so good, and fresh off the MerleFest stage just 48 hours prior. It’s been a few years since I saw them and gosh I missed them.
8:40pm – Chelsea Handler introduces Norah Jones, who performs an instrumental ode to Bobbie Nelson.
8:43pm – Norah brings on Kris Kristofferson (!) and helps him through “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” There’s not a dry eye in the house.
Kris Kristofferson, Norah Jones by Randall Michelson
8:49pm – Ethan Hawke introduces Nathaniel Rateliff. Not unlike the first evening (where he performed “City of New Orleans”) he steals the show with “A Song For You.” Rateliff is a national treasure who should be protected at all costs.
8:54pm – Sheryl Crow does “Crazy.” Crowd (rightfully) goes Crazy.
9:02pm – Dave Matthews, overflowing with sheepish charisma, tells an amazing story about getting high with Willie on his bus and how proud his mom was of that moment. The photo of that night is still prominently displayed on her mantle. He performs “Funny How Time Slips Away,” a song that seems to be the theme of the night.
Dave Matthews by Randall Michelson
9:18pm – Jamey Johnson and Warren Haynes perform “Georgia On My Mind.” From the first word Jamey sings, the audience goes wild. These two bring down the house.
9:28pm – The Children of the Highwaymen, including Lukas and Micah Nelson (Particle Kid), Shooter Jennings, and Rosanne Cash. One of the few moments during the show with technical difficulties.
Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson by Randall Michelson
9:35pm – Woody Harrelson returns to the stage to introduce Willie. The man of the hour finally takes the stage. Willie performs “Stardust.” It is perfect. I am crying.
9:53pm – Willie duets with his longtime studio producer, Buddy Cannon, on “Something You Get Through” (which the two wrote together).
10:02pm – KEITH RICHARDS JUST WALKED OUT. I AM DECEASED. It’s hard to even remember what they performed because everyone is in such shock. (They performed “We Had It All” and “Live Forever”).
Willie Nelson, Keith Richards by Randall Michelson
10:10pm – All skate. “On the Road Again” of course. Willie wraps up the night by taking us all to church, ending with a medley of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.” It’s going to take an awfully long time to process everything from this weekend.
Artist:JD Clayton Hometown: Fort Smith, Arkansas Latest Album:Long Way From Home (out January 27, 2023) Personal Nicknames: JD
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
Jack Johnson has influenced me more than any other artist. I know that might seem like it’s out of left field but it’s the truth. My dad was given a CD in the summer of 2001 by a friend who had just gone out to California. The CD was Brushfire Fairytales, Jack’s first album. From my earliest years, I can remember riding my bike around the backyard as my dad tinkered with projects while Jack’s albums played from a Sony CD/cassette player. I can remember my dad with tab booklets learning Jack’s songs on the back porch. It was my earliest idea of being a singer-songwriter. And I always knew I wanted to make albums and tour like Jack Johnson.
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
Typically in the studio I like to light some incense and turn all of the lights out except for a few lamps. This helps me get into a very interesting head space and I can clearly see my vision for the song. When I’m on the road I like to get the boys together before we take the stage to pray and I ask one of the players to say something of encouragement. Then we sing the classroom song that Jack Black sings in School of Rock… “Lawrence is good at piano…” at the top of our lungs which ends with us all pointing to each other and saying “you’re perfect, you’re perfect… no you’re perfect.” If you know, you know.
What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?
I was writing my song “Cotton Candy Clouds” which appears on my debut album, Long Way From Home. I had about three different versions of the song and I could not figure out how it needed to work within the parameters of the song’s form. I originally wrote it on piano and rewrote it on acoustic to give it more of an upbeat, swinging feel. I showed it to the producer and he couldn’t follow my vision for the song. So, I came home and went for a long walk around the park. I took my phone out and hummed into my voice memo app what I was hearing in my head. As soon as I walked back to my house, I wrote out the form as you hear it on the record. Thankfully I had hired some great musicians to be in the studio who were patient with me as we learned the song together.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I’d say water has impacted my work the most. My hometown of Fort Smith was founded on the Arkansas River and that region is known as the River Valley. I grew up swimming on the city swim team with my sister so we were constantly at the pool. We would do a two-hour workout in the mornings and then come home to play in our pool at home. I love floating on the Mulberry River in the summertime. It’s the perfect place to unwind for the day. And when I’m not writing or playing shows I try to go fly fishing with my brother and dad. The water is what I know best and I think it has helped shape me into the artist I am today.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
My dream pairing of a meal and a musician would be a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and Paul McCartney. The peanut butter & jelly sandwich is tough because it has to be made correctly. Any variations and you’ve ruined it. It requires two pieces of soft white wheat bread taken from the center of the loaf. The peanut butter has to be Smucker’s Chunky peanut butter. If it isn’t chunky don’t bother coming for lunch. As far as jelly goes, I’m not picky. But I do lean towards strawberry. I haven’t the slightest clue if Paul likes PB&J but I would love to ask him some questions about Sgt. Pepper and Ram.
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
I am inspired by so many amazing musicians, but if I had to choose one it would be John Mayer. It is super inspiring for me to see someone who incorporates a hint of blues and folk music in their style become one of the world’s biggest artists. It is not often where you find people of his caliber carrying on the sounds of authentic music and incorporating it into their own songwriting and musical style. I also love the way he uses his instrumentation in his songwriting, and that is something I aspire to do as well. In my mind, he is one of the greatest guitar players alive. While his songs aren’t all super complex he succeeds at creating hits with simple soulful music. He does just enough to get the point across. I also love watching him blur the genre boundaries within the mainstream music industry, and that is something that I think about often too because I am inspired by so many different musical styles.
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
My favorite live performance I have done was a Ted X showcase at the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall here in Nashville. Even though that performance was a couple years ago, and I have improved so much musically since then, it was such a special memory. I had gone to the symphonies ever since I was 2 years old. I remember one time going to the Schermerhorn to watch the symphony perform, and after I got to meet some of the players. I was always in awe of that stage, and I never would’ve imagined getting to play it some day. I had gone to see Punch Brothers and some other amazing acts perform on that stage when I was a little older. For me, when I got on stage I was so nervous just knowing that this was the exact same stage I had idolized since I was around 4. It was an amazing show that I will never forget, and it gave me inspiration to keep going knowing that I was able to make a dream come true.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I have been a music lover ever since I was born. I moved to Nashville when I was 4 years old, and I started taking violin lessons as soon as we moved. I then picked up mandolin, and later the guitar. I eventually moved away from classical music and I have been experimenting with different styles ever since. Only recently have I felt like I truly found my sound and style. Most of the music I write is within the folk/Americana genre with influences from other styles and sounds. I was around 4 or 5 when I first started going to concerts and as soon as I watched amazing artists, I knew that I was going to be a musician. My mind to this day has never changed. It was only when I started getting older, and when I began venturing into different styles such as bluegrass that I decided I wanted to be a touring musician. Someday I hope to tour the world with my guitar and my violin, and share my songwriting across the globe.
If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?
There was one time a few years ago when I was getting down about wanting to be a musician. At the time there were many problems going on within the world, and I wanted to do something about it. I felt like my life would be useless unless I could help the world, and leave a mark somehow. At the time, I was lost regarding how I was going to do that with my music, but right around that same time I discovered songwriting. Ever since that day, I decided I would write about real world problems, and that when I didn’t write directly about world issues, I would use my music as a platform to do my part in making this world a better place. Even though I am still at the beginning of my journey in doing that, I will never lose sight of that vision. My songwriting is also my way of coping with life and the experiences I go through. Often I find that many other people feel the same way or have been through similar experiences. It is so amazing to me how songwriting has the ability to connect everyone no matter who they are, where they live, what they believe, or what they look like; and I believe that it is the greatest tool we can use to help connect human civilization.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I love the sun. Light gives me so much inspiration and happiness. There is something so inspirational about watching the sunrise and the sunset everyday. For me it never gets old. Especially while watching the sunset, I have found that I create my best work. It is a small reminder of how beautiful the world is out there, and it is hard to remember that nowadays because most of us have been stuck in our homes for more than a year. I love writing songs during the sunset, and I get the perfect view of it everyday from my room. I always try to get as much writing or recording done while the sunset is happening simply because it brings out the best artist in me.
Photo credit: Uma Peters
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