Watch the new video from Harper Simon exclusively on ClashMusic right now!
Harper Simon has been content to remain in the shadows. The son of a revered songwriter, the young musician must have felt under considerable pressure to perform. Using the benefit of his years, the singer recently unleashed an assured debut album.
Self-titled, his debut album is a remarkably self-contained work. Indebted to country rock greats such as Gram Parson, it is a nonetheless fresh, witty and oddly moving statement by the American songwriter.
Speaking to ClashMusic, Harper Simon explained how the album took shape in Nashville. “I was curious to go to Nashville because I’d never been there and I’d never worked there – it was just a whim really. I said, ‘Can we find Bob Johnston?’, who I’d worked with once ten years ago, but he’s sort of a mad character.”
“I think we just called up BMI or the Musician’s Union or something and we got a number for him. And then I was curious to see who was around from that era of Nashville that I was more interested in, which was the Sixties, and who worked on those Bob productions like ‘Blonde On Blonde’ and ‘Nashville Skyline’ – if those guys like Charlie McCoy and Pig Robbins were around and wanted to play.”
“So, in a way, I guess those guys are maybe not the first call of Nashville session musicians anymore – they’re from another era – but I wasn’t really interested in what’s going on in Nashville contemporary country music. I just didn’t care about that. And those guys would just be imitating these guys anyway!”
New single ‘Berkeley Girl’ is a wonderful slice of acoustic pop, due for release on September 13th. Taken from his debut album, it finds Harper Simon in nostalgic mode backed by some Nashville greats.
ClashMusic have grabbed the video to the track as an exclusive. Watch the startling new video by clicking HERE.
