White Lies Pictures

On the Smoking Section: Ben Harper and the Relentless7 Set

Photo: Kambouris/Getty To mark Tuesday’s release of Ben Harper and the Relentless7’s debut album White Lies for Dark Times, the Smoking Section has posted four songs from a private set the band rocked at New York’s legendary Electric Lady Studios at a WFUV-sponsored event. Click over to check out “Shimmer & Shine,” “Number With No Name,” “Lay There & Hate Me” and an awesome cover of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”: • Ben Harper & Relentless7 Enter the S.S. Related Stories: • Watch Ben H

Published: 2009-05-07 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Watch Ben Harper and Relentless7 Talk New Album “White Lies For Dark Times”

Ben Harper and his new band the Relentless7 drop their blues-rock bomb White Lies for Dark Days on May 5th, so Rock Daily caught up the band when they hit New York’s famed Electric Lady Studios for a WFUV performance (read more about the LP in our Spring Album Preview). Harper tells RS that it was chance — and the H.O.R.D.E. tour — that guided him to his new band — and led to his heaviest album yet. When a runner for the 1998 H.O.R.D.E. tour asked Harper if he would listen to his band’s demo, the “Steal My Kisses” singer was amazed by what he heard. He kept in touch with that band’s guitarist Jason Mozersky and, after employing R7 for some tracks on 2006’s Both Sides of the Gun, the deal was sealed. “It’s a sound I’ve been looking for and reaching for in my mind,” Harper recently told Rolling Stone when we visited him and Relentless7 in the recording studio. “We’ve taken turns kicking each others’ asses in the most gracious fashion, pushing this into new places.” Check out the band’s video for White Lies‘ first single “Shimmer and Shine” for a taste of the new places. “It’s absolute, unapologetic rock music,” Harper told the Smoking Section. “It’s rock music from the places that you want rock to be from. There’s some Queen in there, and some Floyd-isms, and there’s a good dose of blues and soul.” In fact, the influence of James Brown and Otis Redding can be heard over the loud guitars on White Lies for Dark Times, bassist Jesse Ingalls said. For much more on the new album, and many more of the biggest LPs dropping in the coming months, be sure to check out our Spring Music Preview below: • Spring Music Preview: Inside 45 of the Year’s Biggest Albums

Published: 2009-03-26 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

Ben Harper and Relentless7 Release New Video for “Shimmer and Shine”

Ben Harper and his new band Relentless7 have unveiled the video for their new single “Shimmer and Shine,” off their upcoming album White Lies For Dark Times. We will say this of the track: Never has a shampoo slogan rocked so hard. The video announces the arrival of and serves as an introduction to the Relentess7, or R7, an Austin, Texas-based backing band credited with pushing Harper into a rockier direction. In addition to montage shots of Harper on the road, the video offers a sneak peek at you can expect to see at one of the band’s energetic concerts, like the one Rock Daily witnessed at Los Angeles’ Spaceland in December 2008. “It’s absolute, unapologetic rock music,” Harper told the Smoking Section of the music he and R7 wrote for the new album. “It’s rock music from the places that you want rock to be from. There’s some Queen in there, and some Floyd-isms, and there’s a good dose of Blues and Soul.” As Rolling Stone reported in their album preview, White Lies finds Harper turning the amp up to 11 with a mix of hard rock and delta blues. “It”s a sound I’ve been looking for and reaching for in my mind,” Harper said. As for Harper’s old band the Innocent Criminals, Harper plans on reuniting with them soon. “Dude, I’ve been with the Innocent Criminals a long time, and I’ll always be with the Innocent Criminals,” Harper said, “And everything I do now helps further what I do with them. But for the moment, its just time to do something else.” White Lies For Dark Times is out May 2009. Related Stories: • Ben Harper Gets Heavy With Relentless7 on “White Lies for Dark Times” • • Ben Harper Introduces New Blues-Rock Band Relentless7 On the Smoking Section: Ben Harper Debuts New Band Relentless7

Published: 2009-03-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Videos

Ben Harper Gets Heavy With Relentless7 on “White Lies for Dark Times”

Photo: Foley/FilmMagic Ben Harper has plugged his guitar back in and cranked up the amp for his new album White Lies For Dark Times, an 11-song set soaked with hard rock and the deep Delta blues. “It’s a sound I’ve been looking for and reaching for in my mind,” Harper tells Rolling Stone (a full in the studio report can be found in our current issue). “We’ve taken turns kicking each others’ asses in the most gracious fashion, pushing this into new places.” Which means the album is more Cream than Jack Johnson, more “Faded” than “Steal My Kisses.” Why the louder sound? Harper’s ninth studio album will be his first with his new backing band Relentless7, three Austin-based musicians who initially worked with Harper on 2006’s Both Sides of the Gun. It also marks the first time Harper has recorded an album without his Innocent Criminals since 2003’s Diamonds on the Inside. Even though he’s fully committed to Relentless7, and will bring the band along for his slot at Bonnaroo, Harper still plans to keep the Innocent Criminals together, much like how Neil Young and Crazy Horse often took different paths but somehow always found their way back together. Rolling Stone caught Harper and Relentless7 at Los Angeles’ Spaceland in December 2008, where the band played White Lies tracks like the tough, howling “Number With No Name” and the brooding 12-string acoustic ballad “Skin Thin,” plus a cover of the Queen/David Bowie collaboration “Under Pressure.” The Smoking Section also talked with Harper about the R7 in the days following the group’s slot on the Rock the Vote! Tour. Related Stories: • Ben Harper Introduces New Blues-Rock Band Relentless7 • Smoking Section Exclusive: Ben Harper’s New Band • Ben Harper Turns Guitar Troubles Into Triumph at All Points West

Published: 2009-02-12 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Readers’ Rock List: Sports Anthems

Photo: Retna With the baseball playoffs in full swing, last week we asked the readers to tell us their sports anthems. After sorting through information like the Vancouver Canucks’ goal song and what Dio song the Phillies’ Pat Burrell comes to the plate to, we can reveal that Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” is your favorite stadium rocker, beating out a pair of tunes by AC/DC, Metallica and the White Stripes song that has become the unofficial theme song for soccer hooligans. Check out the list below: 1. Guns N’ Roses — “Welcome to the Jungle” 2. AC/DC — “Thunderstruck” 3. Metallica — “Enter Sandman” 4. AC/DC — “Hell’s Bells” 5. White Stripes — “Seven Nation Army” 6. Ozzy Osbourne — “Crazy Train” 7. U2 — “Vertigo” 8. Ramones — “Blitzkrieg Bop” 9. Todd Rundgren — “Bang The Drum All Day” 10. House of Pain — “Jump Around” Related Stories: • Guns N’ Roses Premiering New Song In New Film Body of Lies • Metallica Face Criticism Over Quality of Death Magnetic • AC/DC Expand Tour, Announce Rock Band Package

Published: 2008-10-06 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Rock Lists

Ben Harper Introduces New Blues-Rock Band Relentless7

Photo: Getty Ben Harper is introducing his fiery new band, Relentless7, with a short tour of small clubs this month, and their second stop was Thursday at Spaceland in Los Angeles, where the four-piece unleashed 90 minutes of thundering rock and blues explosions. There was no “Steal My Kisses” or “Ground On Down” or any other fan favorites from earlier in Harper’s career. The clear message was that this was a new band, with its own sound and energy. The night opened with a tough, howling “Number With No Name,” a song from their just-finished debut album, White Lies For Dark Times, set for release in May 2009. Harper sat with his lap-slide guitar and wailed, “For five days straight, I’ve been breathing fire!” There was an intense, rumbling Bluesbreakers groove on “Dressed in Black” from drummer Jordan Richardson and bassist Jesse Ingalls, and Harper traded searing bolts of electric guitar with Jason Mozersky on “Lay There and Hate Me,” a wild, melodic collision of Rolling Stones and Beatles influences. Harper picked up a Gibson Les Paul and told the capacity crowd, “People say you shouldn’t smile when you make rock & roll, but fuck them.” The members of Relentless7 are originally from Austin, Texas, and first recorded with Harper on “Serve Your Soul,” a track on his 2006 double-album, Both Sides of the Gun. They reconvened this summer and sessions for the new album were completed in November at the Village Studios in Los Angeles. At Spaceland, the band’s combined force was almost too big for the room. There was a soaring, emotional “Fly One Time” and the brooding 12-string acoustic ballad “Skin Thin.” Mozersky brought a modern, echoing guitar edge to “Up to You Now,” along with a sly Spaghetti Western vibe, as Harper sang a single, wailing note for what seemed like a full dramatic minute. Late in the set was a joyous cover of the Queen/Bowie 1981 duet “Under Pressure,” with Harper taking both vocal parts, as fans sang along to the anxious closing moments. In the sma

Published: 2008-12-08 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News

Rock List: Twenty-Five Favorite Album Covers

On Friday, we lamented the disappearance of striking cover art and asked you, the music fan, what your favorite album covers are. The result is a list of our collective twenty-five favorite record covers — but rather than tell you what they are, we’re showing you what they are. Check out the gallery of winners right here, and because there were so many passionate feelings about this rather personal topic, check after the jump for some RS staffers’ lists of favorites (they’re all subject to change, too). Evan Serpick King Crimson - In The Court of the Crimson King Led Zeppelin - I Can - Tago Mago The Clash - London Calling Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan Melissa Maerz Beck - Mellow Gold Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - No More Workhouse Blues Daniel Johnston - Hi, How Are You? Swamp Dogg - Rat On! Ice T - Gangsta Rap Kevin O’ Donnell Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Sonic Youth – Goo The Roots - Things Fall Apart Steely Dan – Aja My Bloody Valentine - Loveless Andy Greene Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson Pink Floyd - Animals Ramones - Ramones The Who - Who’s Next Bob Dylan - Bringing It Back Home Caryn Ganz The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Sonic Youth - Goo The B-52’s, The B-52’s The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking Daniel Kreps Pink Floyd - Animals The Beta Band - Champion Versions Jean-Claude Vannier - L’Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Nirvana - Incesticide Can - Monster Movie Jennifer Hsu New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies? Kraftwerk - TransEurope Express? The Beatles - The White Album Elvis Costello - The Year’s Model? R.E.M. - Murmur Nicole Frehsee The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed The Band - Music From The Big Pink Bruce Springsteen - The River The Beatles - Revolver Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground & Nico

Published: 2007-10-23 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock Lists

English Band White Lies Set to Open for Kings of Leon

The band, which kicked off their career in 2007, will open for Kings of Leon's U.S. fall trek on Saturday, September 26, it has been reported.

Published: 2009-09-11 Provider: Aceshowbiz

Fern holds on to her Ryvita contract

Fern Britton has had her £200,000-a-year Ryvita contract renewed, despite all the hoo-ha surrounding her gastric band operation. The This Morning presenter’s advertising career looked in danger after the true cause of her impressive weight loss was revealed. The first of Fern’s new ads will hit Tvs tomorrow and Ryvita said: “We are delighted to continue our association with Fern, We have developed a fantastic and successful working relationship with her. She has played an intrinsic part in the success of our ads.” So it seems the big bosses on TV have forgiven Fern for her white lies, but have you lot? Tell us below!

Published: 2008-09-30 Provider: Closer Magazine