Marc Ford

Guitar
official website | www.marcford.net

Marc Ford replaced Nicky P. in the middle of the Diamond On The Inside tour. He played his first show as an Innocent Criminals on July 25, 2003 at the Fuji Rock Festival, Naeba, Japan. He left the band in October 2004.

He played guitar on the album There Will Be A Light (2004), and features on two dvd's: Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2003) and Live at the Apollo (2005).

He also played guitar on the song Get It Like You Like It (Both Sides of the Gun, 2006).

Original article by Julien Deborgher, Crossroads Magazine, February 2004. English tranlation by unknown. Source : The Black Crowes message board.

This phone call seems to come from Heaven but the meeting between Marc Ford and Ben Harper was five years ago. "The first time I met Ben was in 1998 on the HORDE festival for which he was headlining and where I was with Chris Stills. One day he passed in front of the stage where we were playing, he heard me and was like Waow ! who’s this guy on guitar, he’s excellent ! He asked to meet me and came to see me after the show without him knowing who I was although he was fan of the Black Crowes. We made friends immediately. I asked him to guest on my album, which he did on two tunes When you go and Shining again. Then in early 2003 he called me to tell me he was going to record his new album and wanted me to play on it."

But the months pass and Ben Harper released Diamonds on the Inside in march without contacting Marc. "And one day, although I wasn’t expecting it Ben finally called me to ask if I wanted to tour with him. For various reasons his guitar player Nicky P. wasn’t fitting anymore and he told me I was the first and only he had in mind to replace him. He explained me what the tour was gonna be like and gave me some time to think about it."

This proposal arriving just when Marc wanted to work hard on his solo project, the decision was hard to take. "I finally thought it was important for me to go back on the road, particularly for such an important tour, and show everybody I was still here. It also allowed me to stop all the bullshit the Black Crowes told about me, that I was just a junkie, that I didn’t know how to play anymore, that I was finished, etc. I never wanted to reply them; I even refused to participate in Behind The Music about the band because I wasn’t interested in fighting against them. I really wanted to turn the page. So as I really liked Ben’s music I called him the next day to say OK and ask when the tour was going to start. He said : we’re going to Japan next week!"

Just like 10 years before Marc Ford melts in Ben Harper’s band magically. "To be honest I had seen Ben on stage various times but I didn’t know his albums well. He gave them to me with a list of about thirty songs that he wanted me to learn. We met in a hotel room seated face to face with our acoustic guitars and started working a few tunes. We spent many nigts learning these songs taking notes on a little booklet I could have with me on stage. We rehearsed with the full band and went to Japan! "

Now the question of sharing between solo projects and committing to Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals is present. Some think he’s a hired gun forgetting his songwriting skills. But it doesn’t mean the end of the Sinners. "At the beginning I told Ben I joined his band until the end of the tour, that is summer 2004 and we will see then because I knew that if a label was interested by my project it would take months before the album is released. I knew I could commit until then without forgetting my solo project. Now, when I see what’s happening on tis tour, the incredible alchemy in this band really surprised me and I don’t want to leave all that, so I’d like to pursue both careers at the same time if possible. Ben really encourages us to invest in solo projects. One day the Innocent criminals won’t need to tour so much, so it’ll leave us spare time for the rest."

After the large tour in France, which ended at 3 sold out shows in Bercy arena, Marc Ford has more time to spend with family and kids. 2004 will see the rest of the world tour. It’s about time hasn’t been properly released (although available in France) but Marc Ford has already written and composed a new album that he’ll probably record this year. It would be fair that the exposure he gets with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals opens doors to him and that this artist with such a huge talent be recognized as it should. Il serait temps ! (it’s about time).

From Ben Harper Journal (November 17, 2004) | benharper.net
"(...) I wanted to give a head's up that Marc Ford won't be with us on the upcoming television shows this coming week...Leno...Late Late Show...Tavis Smiley. Marc to me has never just been the guitar player in the band. He is a peer and a dear friend to me of 10+ years; and as a friend first, band member second. I must understand that he has set aside this time for his own songs and his own kick-ass band, The Sinners. When Marc first joined BHIC it was with the understanding and agreement that it would be 6 months of touring. Thankfully he was open to letting that turn into 14 months, plus a new record with the Blind Boys and then even more touring after that!!! So when Marc let me know he needed this time for his own songs, it was hardly a surprise. Of course Marc Ford is an Innocent Criminal for life and we will be making music together again without question. See you at the next Sinners gig! Ben"

Live performance with the Black Crowes

In 2005, Marc joined his former band, the Black Crowes.

• October 22, 2005 - Henry Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA

Ben sat in with the Black Crowes on lap slide for an encore performance of the Allman Brothers Band's "Dreams." He and Marc traded solos and inspired each other to otherworldly levels of playing while Chris Robinson kept grooving harder and harder until it just crescendoed and then dropped into Ben singing the second verse...
For the tech-heads: Ben played his Asher Ben Harper Model Series II Lap Steel Guitar through a RMC Wah Wah Pedal and a Vintage Ibanez TS808 Overdrive Pedal into a 100 Watt Dumble Overdrive Special Combo Amp.
— source : www.benharper.net

"When I saw a stool and extra microphone brought out onstage, I knew we were going to get that GUEST that many of us had wondered about....and Chris announced that BEN HARPER was going to join them for a song...The lights went down again and the band melted into a cover of the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND "DREAMS" that probably no one was expecting. Ben seemed to have some problems with his lap steel and ran offstage for a moment, only to return for a solo & to handle some vocals. He had some nice interplay with Marc Ford and they soloed for awhile, while Ed & Steve Gorman did their best Gregg Allman & Butch Trucks impressions with that waltz-y "DREAMS" feel..."
— Fan notes by rmunoz15@msn.com | source : www.crowesbase.com

Marc Ford's album "It's About Time" features artists such as Gary Louris (Jayhawks), Warren Haynes, Allen Woody, and Matt Abts (Gov't Mule), Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz) and Berry Oakley Jr. (OKB). Ben Harper played lap steel on "When You Go" and Weissenborn on "Shining Again".

From official bio : "When You Go erases any questions of Ford's depth beyond his talents as a guitarist. His songwriting is sincere and humble, resonating like a chord struck with heartache and loss. Accented by the slightly country undertones of Ben Harper's lap steel, Ford's plaintive vocals are striking, and with the help of his wife Kirsten and the Jayhawks' Gary Louris, the resulting harmonies are rich and warm. Shining Again is another ballad, reminiscent of Dylan, while Giving' probably should've been written by Gram Parsons years ago." - Ryan Moore, Music Editor ! The Point Jackson, MS.