LA Weekly

(The Ben Harper Family: His mother, Ellen, center on banjo.)

The man of the hour, Ben Harper, was greeted by a community of friends, some of which he played with on the same playground years ago. Being a former student of Sycamore Elementary, class of '81, this was a homecoming for Ben and he brought a performance powerful enough to move mountains, but calm enough to sit and enjoy. "I brought a sit down show to a stand up crowd," said Harper, referring to the energy offstage he was not anticipating. Onstage, however, Ben took his time and brought on stage family friends to play with him. These were not big names, but locals who were instrumental in shaping the man Ben is today, playing exotic instruments and all having a great time which fed to the audiences enthusiasm. Ben's mother, Ellen, joined him for a number of songs as well, adding to the close-kit feel of the event. There were few people in the audience who did not have a personal relationship with one of the Harper's, including Joel Harper who is a community staple at the Claremont Folk Center and organizer of the annual folk music festival.

It isn't often you are able to see a concert like this, but for the town of Claremont, this show represented so much more. This was one night out of the year for Claremont to show the world they are doing their best to change the world, with their own two hands. After talking to so many people who have been touched by this school, the Claremont Folk Center and everything else that makes this town special, it is no wonder that Ben Harper calls Claremont home.

-Ryan Colditz