Watch: Birdthrower Taps Ben Harper for Duet on Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You”

Photo Credit: Michael Halsband

On Friday, Nov. 15, multimedia artist and musician Birdthrower–the artistic moniker of Robert O. Leaver–teamed up with Ben Harper for a collaborative cover of Townes Van Zandt’s classic “If I Needed You.” The pair’s most recent connection pays tribute to one of the greatest American songwriters, pouring their souls into a stirring rendition of the standard from Van Zandt’s 1972 progressive country masterpiece The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. This single marks Birdthrower’s first release since his 2019 self-titled debut album and confirms progress on a new full-length offering, set to release in 2025. 

Birdthrower and Harper’s recording of “If I Needed You” is sparse rambling vocal duet, loosely backed by a heavily reverberated piano and resonant acoustic guitar. Both artists has previously cited influence from Van Zandt himself, and that reverence shines through in their gritty, earnest recitations of the poignant melody, with few instrumental or production flourishes to pull focus away from the powerful lyrics. The song is accompanied by a short and sweet music video, which shows nothing more than an unidentified person lacing up and old pair of work boots—a fitting visual counterpart to the sound.

“On this track Birdthrower is the cello and I am the violin.” Harper offers. “He and I both share a deep love for this track and it’s exciting to pay tribute to one of the great American songwriters while singing a song I feel this passionate about.” 

Harper and Leaver are hardly strangers. The folk forerunners first crossed paths during Birdthrower’s viral performance piece Crawling Home, in which Leaver crawled from the bottom of Manhattan to Broadway in a slate blue suit. Since that meeting, the two have worked together to record for Harper’s Mad Bunny Records independent imprint; Harper signed on as the producer for Birdthrower’s debut set and meticulously crafted raw, immersive and deeply personal tracks that earned acclaim throughout the alt-Americana world.

Birdthrower and Harper’s treatment of “If I Needed You” is available on all streaming platforms now. For more information on the track and Harper’s label, visit madbunnyrecords.com.