What more do you need to launch a band these days than a fresh video? It pays to have a name too, and in this case Fistful of Mercy is rolling with three. Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur and Dhani Harrison have teamed to make at least one song so far (also titled “Fistful of Mercy.” Maybe this means Dhani Harrison’s band thenewno2 is on ice for a while? Whatever the case, this seems like a good match for him. As Sean Lennon is also proving with his recent work, you can make a big ripple without being in the ratrace of the traditional music business (verse-chorus-verse and tour-album-t shirt) which his pop and the other Beatles rode to the stars.
Fistful of Mercy from Fistful of Mercy on Vimeo.
In Fistful of Mercy, Harrison has picked some friendly collaborators, both to the audience and the organization with Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur. They are about the same age and have been plowing the adult rock/jamband scene for years. They are also proven songwriters with radio hits (Arthur’s “Honey and the Moon” is to me at least). Coincidentally, Ben Harper and his band abetted Dhani’s Uncle Ringo on The Artist’s Den this past year. He’s coming in at a low angle after making big splashes with his father’s audience at the Concert for George and the Rock Hall of Fame induction, where he performed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with Prince and Tom Petty (!). Dhani also takes the stage with Eric Clapton occasionally.
