If you’ve not heard today’s incredible 10th anniversary Splendour In the Grass lineup, have you not a computer / radio / phone / ears / eyes????

OK so camping tickets are $450 (ouch), but we’ve done the math & it turns that makes each set $5.55… Five and half bucks to heard the new LCD album live!? The full lineup is below, with our favourite acts on the LHS. (Full disclosure, they’re all ours!)

In your pre-Splendour research mode, we’re willing to help you out even further by giving you:

• Laura Marling Ltd Edn I Speak Because I Can CD/DVD with 5 free downloads, postcard artwork, and lyrics booklet
• Jonsi blockmounted poster featuring Go album art
• Operator Please signed 7″ vinyl of Logic / Logic (Dolby Anol Remix)
• Ben Harper & Relentless7 signed blockmounted poster featuring White Lies… art
• Gorillaz limited edition Plastic Beach CD/DVD
• Hot Chip One Life Stand double gatefold vinyl
• Goldfrapp Headfirst collector’s edition cassette

Just head to our sister store at theinsong.com/splendour, buy any of the singles or albums to receive competition details, and tell us in 25 words or less how you plan to warm up for Splendour.

Urgent. Infectious. Energised. That’s how Ben Harper & Relentless7’s live performance has been characterised… If you didn’t have the chance to check them out at last years Bluesfest or with Pearl Jam and Liam Finn, or if you did and loved them, check this out:

They are releasing a CD/DVD, out April 2, filmed during the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2009 performing songs from their album White Lies For Dark Times.

• Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin cover
• Red House – Jimi Hendrix cover
• Another Lonely Day – from Ben Harper’s album Fight For Your Mind
• Under Pressure – Queen & David Bowie cover
• Serve Your Soul – from Ben Harper’s album Both Sides of The Gun

I know there are alot of incredible songs and uniting of artists around the globe for “Artists for Peace and Justice Haiti Relief” to raise much needed funds for Haiti, but I just had to bring your attention to Ben Harper’s incredible cover of Bruce Springsteen My Father’s House.

Here’s the video performed live at the Kennedy Center Honors, Dec 6 2009 with Bruce himself watching on:

You can buy it now at iTunes as part of a split digital single released with Eddie Vedder’s version of My City of Ruins.

Thanks for your support.

That got your attention!

Ben Harper & Relentless7’s new video for Lay There and Hate Me premiered on playboy.com… when you check it out you’ll understand why.

On Thursday January 21 MAX will screen a very special 40th show with Ben Harper and Relentless7 like you’ve never seen them before. Filmed at the Opera House in an intimate setting they nearly blew the heads of the front row with their spectacular performance.

Along with amazing renditions of their album tracks including Fly One Time, Shimmer & Shine and Number With No Name, Ben expressed what an honour it was to stand on stage with MAX Sessions host Jon Farriss, they then went on to play a spine tingling version of the INXS classic Never Tear Us Apart.

A thrilling surprise to the awe struck audience, Harper closed the set with acoustic renditions of Another Lonely Day and Morning Yearning. The guests were left with the unmistakable echo of the Ben Harper sound… it was really special.

The Max Sessions have had a 6 year history, kicking off with a little band called Coldplay back in 2003. Tonight is performance #40 for the Sessions and the guest of honour is Ben Harper & Relentless 7.

Over the years these sessions have been held in different intimate venues in cities around Australia but it’s spiritual home is the Sydney Opera House and that’s where we were last night to witness a truly special performance.

Ben Harper has been on a mission. To establish his new band, Relentless 7 and showcase another side of his musically ability, to rock out. Studio A at the Opera House is a small room with a capacity of around 250 people. As I enter I’m taken aback at how amazing the crew at Max have set the room up, with beautiful lighting, audience members sitting right up close to the stage and a standing room only section right behind, surrounded up seats on an upper level. The entire audience is as close as you can be to a stage and I know we’re in for an amazing show.

Ben & R7 didn’t disappoint. I love their White Lies For Dark Times album and to me, this is the ultimate way to seeing this album live. Kicking off with Number With No Name and into Shimmer & Shine the band are on fire and have stepped up another level since they played some of their first shows in OZ last April. Time on the road with Pearl Jam hasn’t hurt either. Amps weren’t held back in this small room either. Guitarist Jason Mozersky asks the audience “is it too loud? Do you want it louder?” to which be obliges.

After a short Q&A with Jon Farris (who’s a bit of a hero to R7’s drummer Jordan Richardson), what a better time to play the new cover in their repertoire, the INXS classic Never Tear Us Apart, amazing. Most of the White Lies… album was given a work out including new single Lay There And Hate Me which really showcases Harper‘s amazing soul vocal.  At the end of the set the audience wanted more and we were treated to an unexpected two song solo acoustic set featuring Another Lonely Day and Morning Yearning. It was the perfect end to an amazing experience.

Ben Harper & Relentless 7 Max Session will be screened on Max on Foxtel January 2010.

If you’re not excited yet this will get you there!

Chuggy is clearly pumped and so are we! Music doesn’t get much more genuine, earnest, and truly soulful than a live Ben Harper experience.

Tickets on sale nationally now from chuggentertainment.com!

Chuggy gives us an intimate look behind the scenes of the upcoming Pearl Jam, Ben Harper & Relentless7 and Liam Finn tour on Pearl Jam TV… here’s the first chapter in the series. The episodes, will go live at www.pearljamtour.tv every Sunday and on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and iTunes. The eps will cover every part of the massive tour – the fans, venues, retrospectives, album previews and more.

Tickets went on sale 9am this morning:

• Sydney / Adelaide / Brisbane – Ticketek
• Melbourne / Perth – Ticketmaster

Fans also have the opportunity to purchase a tour bundle which will include digital versions of Ben Harper & Relentless 7’s White Lies for Dark Times album, the new EP from Liam Finn with Eliza Jane, Champagne In Seashells, and pre-ordering Pearl Jam’s new album Backspacer for an additional AUD$31 on top on the ticket price.

Ben Harper lets us know a few of his favourite songs… have a listen

Sharpening Bone – Piers Faccini
A great surf song that follows you around, tapping you on the shoulder

Fit Song – Cornelius
A straight-up jam, super different and innovative. Hear it once and it’s family.

Summer Blue – Money Mark
Mark is just unreal, a master of soul. The thick, infectious groove locks you in.

Ben Harper & Relentless7 are touring Australia with Pearl Jam & Liam Finn – Tickets on sale 17 August

For we unfortunate many not at Lollapalooza ‘09, you can watch the live stream at http://iclips.net/lollapalooza2009.php

Well worth checking out – including live streamed performances from Bat For Lashes, Ben Harper & Relentless 7, Animal Collective, The Decemberists, Neko Case, Jane’s Addiction (for those us us who recently found ourselves Jane-less in Oz). Currently watching Perry Farrel – in what appears to be gold sparkling leather flares – run around stage with Joe Perry of Aerosmith, against a magic Chicago skyline… *sigh*…

Luckily we have InSoundian Tara on-ground at Lolla, so we’ll have full reports soon!