About Fistful Of Mercy

The Traveling Wilburys for a new generation? Perhaps. At least Fistful of Mercy have a percentage of that supergroup's bloodline. In 2010, George Harrison's son Dhani was invited by singer-songwriter Ben Harper (whom he met at a skate park in Santa Monica, Calif.) to join him and fellow singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur in the studio. The trio ended up writing and recording nine acoustic tracks in just three days. After this productive session, they later overdubbed percussion from session drummer Jim Keltner (a favorite among solo Beatles Harrison, Lennon and Ringo), along with bass from Arthur and slide guitar from Harper, for the band's debut album, As I Call You Down. Similar to Monsters of Folk, Fistful of Mercy employ seamless harmonies and guitars to create a sound that's both playful and plaintive; that blurs the line between traditional folk and classic rock; and that looks to groups like the Wilburys and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as guiding lights. Stephanie Benson