Ben Harper is helping to raise money for the family of Australian pro skateboarder Lewis Marnell, whose untimely death in January at the age of 30 left his family in dire financial straits. A lifelong skateboarding enthusiast and friend to skaters around the world, Harper has reunited with the Innocent Criminals for the first time since 2007 to re-record the song "Jah Work" from his 1997 album, "The Will to Live." The song is now available on iTunes, with all proceeds going to the Lewis Marnell family memorial fund.
"Lewis was a brilliant artist and athlete not to mention a truly beautiful soul. We loved him and his contributions to skating, and we thought a song would be a wonderful way to celebrate his life and help his family." said Harper.
Marnell died Jan. 18 from complications of diabetes, a disease he lived with from the age of 10. He did not allow his condition to impede his meteoric skateboarding career. He skated with such passion and style that can't be replicated, he made all his tricks look effortless and his love for life was infectious. In 2008 he made his mark when he went pro for Almost Skateboards and he was named Skater of the Year from Australian skateboarding magazine slam. Marnell got married in late 2012, and died only a few months later, leaving his family with a large debt. Global efforts to help the family financially ensued, with Harper's being the latest.
Rehearsal backstage with The Mighty Soweto Gospel Choir. Working with them feels like home and I’m looking forward to collaborating again.
Film and Audio by: Mountainside Sessions
Mountainside Sessions is devoted to the growth of South African music by providing live recording videos to local artists both known and unknown. They share local talent weekly in order to grow a platform where art is appreciated and the artists get the recognition they deserve. They were kind enough to come out and film for me and it was a pleasure working with them. Looking forward to doing more with them. Filmed by Dan Tucker and Josh Hundermark.
Huge thanks to the fans in:
Durban
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Mauritius
Reunion Island
Sal Masekela
Mabusha Masekala
Diamonds On The Inside
Backstage in Cape Town with the Soweto Gospel Choir
We are still in awe of the BHIC fans worldwide for "breaking the internet" yesterday with the reunion show soundboard tape release. Thank you. We are still having a blast in San Francisco and we decided to share even more music with our friends from all over the world who haven't been able to join us these last few nights. For 24 hours only we would like to share with you the soundboard recording of the second show from the Fillmore.
We look forward to seeing every one of you on the road later this year but until then please enjoy the music and spread the word. AND fine people of San Francisco - we will see you in a few hours for the final night of this truly memorable run. Thank you!