A trip to war torn country is not always the best idea for peace-loving musicians. Nor is going without a military escort. But Michael Franti and Spearhead is not your normal band.
In 2004, sick of the state of the world and unconvinced that sensationalized news headlines and everyday filtered corporate news machine was giving them an honest view of what was actually going on in the middle east, the California based raegae/hip-hop group went on a fact finding trip.
Visiting Palestine, Israel and Iraq with a film crew and an open mind, Franti and crew went to talk to the people of these war ravaged territiories to get the story from the horse's mouth. This wasn't a celebrity ego-trip with CNN in tow getting some good PR footage. This was an unheralded quest to find the truth for those without the means to find it themselves.
What was to come was an award winning Documentary "I Know I'm Not Alone" followed by a book by the same name and a groundbreaking album "Yell Fire." It is political commentary infused with a great beat. If you listened to the music without the lyrics, it would sound like one of the best albums from an emerging force in the live music scene. With the lyrics and the story behind the music, it is as important an album as you will find in the last ten years.
Franti will be coming to New York on June 3rd as part of the annual Mountain Jam at Hunter mountain. Also on the ticket are site favorites Tea Leaf Green, Gov't Mule and Phil Lesh.
Listen to:
Yell Fire
Bomb The World
East To The West
Sweet Little Lies
