Track of the Day: Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite – “No Mercy in This Land,” title song from their forthcoming album, scheduled for release March 30 on ANTI- Records.
The duo performed the song Feb. 14 on the France 5 evening talk show, C à vous, in Paris, hosted by Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine.
“Charlie Musselwhite is that very rare and hallowed place where blues past, present and future collide,” says Harper about his collaborator. “He transforms notes into emotions that feel both hauntingly familiar and brand new, as if hearing them for the first time every time. He is a living legend whose harmonica playing should be beamed into outer space to search for other life forms.”
“On stage or in the studio - working with Ben Harper holds the same excitement I experienced working with Chicago blues legends back in the day,” says Musselwhite. “I think it is safe to say that Ben has reinvented the blues in a great way: playing modern while preserving the feel. I am honored and privileged to be a participant in this project.”
Harper and Musselwhite start a tour at the Fillmore in San Francisco the same day the album is released. The dates include a stop in Vancouver at the Orpheum Theatre on Thursday, Aug. 23. Tickets available at livenation.com or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.
