Joseph Arthur, Dhani Harrison and Ben Harper chose KCRW’s signature music show Morning Becomes Eclectic to debut their new project – Fistful of Mercy. The band performed an intimate, secret show for a small group of friends and family at the Village Studios earlier this week for broadcast on Morning Becomes Eclectic today. You can stream it live at 11:15am or check it out now on demand here: http://tinyurl.com/KCRWFistfulofMercy
**ALL photos by Noah Abrams**
Jason Bentley interviewed the trio between sets, delving into the formation of Fistful of Mercy, named after one of their own songs, and discovered it was conceived in the studio in just three days. The band joked about Arthur keeping them working until 5am but they all agreed the quick turnaround only enhanced their creativity and determination and allowed no time for egos to get in the way. According to Arthur, they never planned on the three-part harmonies, it just happened organically and “they all picked a note.”
The project is a true collaboration between three extremely talented musicians –and friends – which was highly evident in their live performance, as they joked around on stage in front of an audience that included Tom Morello, Michael Ostin, Rosanna Arquette, Lauren Graham, Paul Krauss, Sal Masakela and more.
After their marathon recording session, Harrison called legendary session drummer Jim Keltner into the studio to add his touch to the recording. The album – “As I Call You Down” –which will be out October 5 on the label founded by his dad, Hot Records.