Ben Harper's work with his longtime backing band, The Innocent Criminals, dates back to 1993. Percussionist Leon Mobley, bassist Juan Nelson, drummer Oliver Charles, keyboard player Jason Yates and guitarist Michael Ward joined Harper in most of his musical endeavors until 2008, when the band went on hiatus. In 2015, The Innocent Criminals reunited for a run of shows at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco — and discovered that Harper had been working on a slew of material for a new record. Tracking sessions were scheduled even before the Fillmore dates hit, and that new album, Call It What It Is, comes out April 8.
Watch Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals perform at World Cafe Live at The Queen in Wilmington, Del., streaming live beginning at 12 p.m. ET on April 1.
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