Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminal’s first album in nine years is about to drop

BEN Harper’s got a skate park in his living room and still takes out his garbage. He’s also releasing his first band album in nine years and explains why.

WHAT’S the noise?

I’m just taking out the garbage. Somebody’s got to do it.

You haven’t got people to do that for you ...

Nah man, I haven’t had that big of a hit yet!

Why did you decide to postpone your Australian tour from March to November?

I couldn’t get the record right sonically. I’m a bit obsessive and a perfectionist when it comes to my records. I’ve known musicians who have put out records that they’re sonically unhappy with and I’ve known musicians who have gotten their records back off the shelves, out of frustration and I felt impending doom in that regard.

Why did you decide it was time to reform the Innocent Criminals?

It just had to be done. There was too much music sitting out in the silence to not go after with this band.

You started recording new songs before rehearsing for last year’s reunion shows...

The catalogue wasn’t going anywhere. It was important to me that we start fresh because we were such different people, personally and musically speaking, it felt like the right thing to do.

American roots rocker and singer Ben Harper has reunited with The Innocent Criminals. Picture: EMI Music Australia

Any songs on the album from those first few days?

Yeah, Remember When Sex Was Dirty came out of that first session.

How many songs did you have the bones of?

I had the bones personally of about 100 songs. And of those hundred or so songs, seven of mine made it (the album) and four of the band’s songs. Everybody brought material and then we would finish it collectively. It’s a collective co-write, it’s a collective production.

Is that different to in the past?

This is the most collaborative it has ever been, absolutely. That also represents why it’s a different record and a new direction for this band. It’s never been like this before and maybe that was my fault. Maybe that was me be overly controlling, overbearing in that regard.

I guess that’s an outcome of being a perfectionist. Was it difficult to let that go?

The perfectionist in me didn’t go anywhere. But I made a better team member. It was big for me to let other people pick up the pen, let other people steer the ship. It was something I was missing actually and I think it brought out the best in this band, and in this record and in future records that we’ll make together.

Is it different working with people you’ve known for decades, as opposed to collaborators on more recent projects?

This is gonna sound … I’ll give you some corny shit, today we went to my son’s track meet. Like we stopped rehearsal and we all went over to watch my son run track. It’s family. There’s a depth to that. There is some finishing of other people’s sentences, personally, verbally and musically that only happens with that depth of camaraderie and brotherhood. You could put six brilliant musicians in a room, but you might not get one decent song. So it is a chemistry - and never mind it not being there when we got back together, the ball was so much further down the field.

How did the title track, about the spate of black kids being shot by US police, come about?

You can’t live in these times and not want to speak out about that depth of injustice; I mean that level of social injustice is not a spectator sport.

How was your political consciousness informed by your musical heroes?

It was highly informed. I mean my family is its own version of a political think tank. My dad was brilliant, my mother’s a PHD in education, my grandparents were teachers, I’m from a long line of social activism and strong, strong commitment to cultural progress. And of course that informed the music I gravitated towards whether it was Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Bob Marley, all the way through to Rage Against The Machine, that’s my shit.

Your new wife Jaclyn Matfus is a social advocate, is that how you met?

No, oddly – it would have only been a matter of time. We met through mutual friends.

You got married in New York on New Year’s Day – why did you keep it a secret until late February?

Oh we didn’t keep it secret. We didn’t keep it secret at all. I don’t think people really care about me all that much in those kinds of rags. I just think I got to have it be normal - imagine that!

How did you get back into skating at 38 (he’s now 46)?

I came up skating pools and ramps and things like that and I had stopped for a long time, and then my kids got into it and I followed their lead. I saw them having too much fun to sit on the bench you know so I jumped in and I just couldn’t stop. Man it’s one of the richest endeavours I have ever taken part in.

How do the labels and promoters feel about that given you could hurt your playing arm?

You know I’m more comfortable on a skateboard than I am walking. But that’s (hurting yourself) part of it, and you can’t not do it. I think they (promoters) know better (than to ask).

I heard you successfully landed a 360 flip, what’s next on the trick list?

Yeah the 360 flips are a blast. I’m looking to get a gnarly laser flip down. It’s a trick off the nose, that’s why it’s called gnarly and it’s a 360 pop shove, so you snap the board down and it goes the full 360 variation with a heel flip.

How far have you got?

I’ve got the 360 shove, I’ve just got to get the heel flip in there.

Do you really have a skate park in your living room?

I do, I’m looking at it right now. (The living room) is open, it’s like a loft. It’s got (fun)boxes and launch ramps and rails and things like that, just all concrete, it’s not that big but i’ts enough to get some speed that’s for sure.

... and Harper will be back in the country in November. Picture: Danny Clinch

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals have a new album Call It What it Is. Picture: News Corp Australia

After this tour is done, what’s next for you?

I’m going to be touring with Innocent Criminals for a LONG time. I’ll do side projects in our down time but right now I really need to focus on this band. Things are happening musically right now and it’s a place I’ve never been musically and creatively and I need to explore that with this band exclusively right now. It’s good to be back.

Call It What It Is [Caroline] out Friday

See Ben Harper: Sydney Opera House, November 22; Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, November 26; Riverstage, Brisbane, November 22; Kings Park, Perth, November 29. Tickets: Ticketmaster

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Originally published as Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminal’s first album in nine years is about to drop