Ben Harper returns to Claremont for music video shoot
By Will Bigham - February 15th, 2006 | www.claremont-courier.com

An unusual scene may have confused visitors to the village Sunday afternoon: a mob of people 200 strong were walking south on Yale Avenue in the middle of the street, led by 5 cameramen, a man holding a boom box and a man lip-syncing.

Turns out Ben Harper, a Claremont native who has become an international success as a recording artist, returned to Claremont to shoot a music video for his upcoming album. "This next record I'm putting out has a lot to do with recognizing my roots," said Mr. Harper, a 1987 Claremont High School graduate. "This town and myself are inseparable; it's more than a home, it never leaves me." Sunday's video shoot was for "Better Way", the first single from Mr. Harper's upcoming double album Both Sides of the Gun, which is slated for a March 21 release on Virgin Records. Mr. Harper said he chose to film in the Claremont Village and Folk Music Center, which he called a "magic place", because it matches the feel of the song. "The instrumentation and production of this song is an extension of the Folk Music Center itself," he said.

At about 4:30 p.m., the group was preparing for a shot of the mob following Mr. Harper down the middle of the street. Groups of fans were hanging around both sides of Yale Avenue, chatting and taking direction from Mr. Harper's wife, Laura Dern, an actress known for roles in "Blue Velvet" and "Jurassic Park". Ms. Dern was running around frantically, making sure that everyone who came for the shoot knew what to do when the time came for the signature shot. All the people who gathered to participate in the shot were Claremonters or Ben Harper fans; there was no casting done for the video. Meanwhile, Mr. Harper was hanging around the intersection of Yale and Bonita avenues, waiting with several cameramen for the intersection to clear so the shot could begin. Mr. Harper directed a few cars waiting at stop signs to continue on quickly, and finally the road was clear enough for the filming to begin. He stepped into the middle of the street and began walking south, with a crew of cameramen walking backwards in front of him. One man was sitting with a camera in a wheelchair to keep the camera from shaking while he filmed. The group continued south on Yale, and as Mr. Harper passed each group of fans and bystanders who were waiting in the wings, they came out to walk behind him, eventually forming a huge mob that continued down the street.

After the shoot, Mr. Harper said walking down the middle of Yale Avenue felt "incredibly natural". "I've walked down Yale since I could walk," he said. Throughout the scene, Mr. Harper was lip-syncing the lyrics to "Better Way", mouthing along to a boom box being held by a crewmember. The group turned east into the California Bank and Trust parking lot, made a northward turn up the alley behind the Folk Music Center and stopped just short of Bonita Avenue. There, Mr. Harper directed the large group to pump fists in the air and sing along with the chorus: "I believe in a better way." The group did a few takes at that spot, then backtracked to the rear door of the Folk Music Center—owned by the Harper family since 1958—for more takes of the final line. The group set up silently, all the while taking direction from Ms. Dern, and finally got ready for the final shot. The sun was setting and natural light was quickly fading, so a cameraman turned on his light. The boom box was turned on, videotape rolled, and Mr. Harper lip-synced the final verse before the song went into the chorus. The first time through, only Mr. Harper sang, but when it came by again, the group raised their fists and mouthed along with the words. The final time the line passed, the group—with fists still in the air—screamed the line at the top of their lungs: "I believe in a better way." That scene was the final shot of the video, for which filming began on Saturday, and after the end, dozens of fans of all ages came up to Mr. Harper for autographs and photos.

The video was the first Mr. Harper and his band filmed in Claremont since "Whipping Boy", a song from their 1994 album Welcome to the Cruel World. They had planned on filming in Claremont a few times over the years, but something always came up to prevent it, said JP Plunier, Mr. Harper's manager. Mr. Harper and the band are set to embark on a tour of Europe. The band is finishing up rehearsals right now, Mr. Harper said, and after the European tour, the band will tour the United States, likely finishing with a show in Claremont.

Justin Dixon, a Claremont native and current resident, came to participate in the shoot, he said, because he wanted his nephew to see Mr. Harper. Mr. Dixon met Mr. Harper for the first time 6 years ago when he bought a guitar at the Folk Music Center. Mr. Harper just happened to be in the shop at the time, and he signed Mr. Dixon's new guitar. "Every time the signature wears off, I have him sign it again," he said.

Members of Mr. Harper's band also came to participate in the shoot, said Oliver Charles, the band's drummer who has been playing off and on with Mr. Harper for about 12 years. "[Claremont] is nice; it's a family place, quiet, clean, with nice restaurants," he said. "It looks like a small town from some other part of the country, but it's right here in southern California."

About a half hour after filming ended, Mr. Harper, Ms. Dern and the crew finally finished reviewing raw footage from the shoot in the back room at the Folk Music Center. Mr. Harper left the shop to grab some dinner at Walter's, but he was stopped in the street by an enthusiastic fan. Jorge Molia had just arrived in the area from Honduras about one month ago. The 18-year-old, who lives in La Verne, came to Claremont on the bus just to see the area. To his shock, Mr. Harper was shooting a music video. He stopped Mr. Harper in the middle of the sidewalk to introduce himself. He eyes were fixed on the singer as he spoke, his hands were shaking and his voice was quavering. "This is destiny for me," he said.