Photo by Michael Halsband
Today, three-time Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, producer and musician Ben Harped shared a video for “Need To Know Basis” in celebration of the release of his new album Bloodline Maintenance. The video features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage shot at the Lucca Summer Festival in Italy earlier this month.
The song was produced by Harper along with the renowned Sheldon Gomberg and showcases legendary keyboardist Larry Goldings on the Clavinet and marks the latest single off Bloodline Maintenance – which is out now.
“It’s kind of the unsung hero of soul music,” Harper said of the track in a press release. “It was made famous by the intro to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition,’ which was probably the first song my dad ever played for me. I brought Larry in and we had an absolute blast.” He continued to say, “‘Need To Know Basis’ is about how hard it is for some people to say I love you, and how people can be waiting to hear that from them. The bass is accompanied by a low-end shadow guitar playing along, which was something I learned from Al Anderson from The Wailers.”
The release comes in the midst of Harper’s and his longtime band, The Innocent Criminals, world tour, which will be highlighted by North American and European headlining dates, festival performances, U.S. shows with Jack Johnson and a 10-night run supporting his recent collaborator Harry Styles at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles from Oct. 23 through Nov. 15. Additional headline dates will be announced. Find updates and ticket information here.
Listen to Bloodline Maintenance here.
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals World Tour 2022
July 22 – Barcelona, Spain – Festival Jardins Pedralbes
July 23 – Girona, Spain – Sons del Món25 – Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botánico
July 28 – Carcassonne, France – Festival de Carcassonne
July 29 – Gignac, France – Le Festival Ecaussysteme à Gignac
July 31 – Colmar, France – Foire aux Vins d’Alsace
Aug. 2 – Palmanova, Italy – Piazza Grande
Aug. 3 – San Mauro Pascoli, Italy – Acieloaperto Festival
Aug. 4 – Rome, Italy – Cavea Auditorium Parco Della Musica
Aug. 6 – Taormina, Italy – Teatro Antico di Taormina
Aug. 9 – Riola Sardo, Italy – Parco dei Suoni
Aug. 11 – Brescia, Italy – Festa di Radio Onda d’Urto
Aug. 26 – Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada – Trois-Rivières En Blues
Sept. 16 – Victoria, BC – Rifflandia Festival *
Sept. 18 – Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
Sept. 20 – Eugene, OR – Cuthbert Amphitheater
Sept. 21 – Bend, OR – Clear Summer Nights
Sept. 22 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield
Sept. 24 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre ^
Oct. 6 – Ojai, CA – Libbey Bowl
Oct. 7 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
Oct. 23 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Oct. 24 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Oct. 26 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Oct. 28 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Oct. 29 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Oct. 31 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 2 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 4 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 5 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 7 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 9 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 11 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 12 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 14 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
Nov. 15 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum †
* Festival Performance
^ w/Jack Johnson
† w/Harry Styles