Released in 2009 on the album White Lies for Dark Times, “Up to You Now” by Ben Harper & Relentless7 captured a raw and urgent side of Ben Harper that surprised many longtime fans. After years of blending folk, blues, and soul with The Innocent Criminals, Harper wanted something louder, leaner, and more instinctive. That desire led him to form Relentless7 with guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jesse Ingalls, and drummer Jordan Richardson. Together, they created music driven less by polish and more by live chemistry and emotional intensity.
“Up to You Now” was co-written by Harper and Mozersky during the sessions for White Lies for Dark Times. The band recorded much of the album with a spontaneous approach, often developing songs through rehearsal-room jams rather than carefully planned studio construction. Harper would arrive with lyrical ideas or guitar riffs, and the band would build around them collectively. “Up to You Now” evolved from that collaborative energy, balancing vulnerability with explosive rock dynamics. The lyrics carried themes of emotional collapse, accountability, and inner conflict, while the arrangement moved between quiet tension and powerful release.
For fans of the drums, the song is especially fascinating because of Jordan Richardson’s performance. His drumming gives the track its restless heartbeat. Rather than simply keeping time, Richardson constantly shapes the emotional movement of the song through subtle changes in intensity. In the quieter verses, he uses restrained cymbal textures and carefully placed snare accents that create a feeling of nervous anticipation. Then, as the chorus rises, his playing becomes wider and more forceful, with deep tom fills and crashing cymbals pushing the song into dramatic territory. His groove has a loose, human quality that perfectly matches the band’s raw sound. For drummers, it is a lesson in dynamic control and emotional phrasing rather than technical excess.
Ben Harper & Relentless7 performed “Up to You Now” extensively during their 2008 and 2009 tours, including concerts across North America and Europe. One particularly memorable live version appeared later on Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival, recorded during the famous Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in 2009. Onstage, the song often became heavier and more improvisational, allowing Richardson’s drumming to stretch beyond the studio version with extra fills and rhythmic variations.
Today, “Up to You Now” remains one of the standout deep cuts from the Ben Harper & Relentless7 era. For drum enthusiasts, it represents the beauty of expressive rock drumming — powerful without being flashy, emotional without losing precision, and always serving the soul of the song.
The Easy version keeps the same structure as the original song, but uses simpler grooves and breaks, so you can start playing the track quickly without spending hours on the hardest parts.
Tip: Keep practicing the original difficult parts on the side, and add them gradually as you improve.
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