Michael Franti, Touring Behind New Record ‘Soulrocker,’ Plays Mountain Winery
by Avi Salem
'SOULROCKER' Michael Franti plays Mountain Winery.
For Michael Franti, the word “soulrocker” represents much more than just the title of his ninth studio album. In many ways, it also describes the role he’s played as a creative leader and positive force behind the genre-defying, signature sound of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a group that has promoted social and political consciousness and positivity for 25 years.
“I believe a soul rocker is a person who lives from their heart, who has compassion for all and has a tenacious enthusiasm for music, for life and for the planet,” Franti says, speaking from a dressing room in Flagstaff, Arizona, shortly before leading a yoga session with fans prior to the show. “Right now is a time in the world where there is seemingly so much chaos, division and violence, and this record is really dedicated to speaking to some of those issues, but with an eye for positivity.”
Co-produced by Jamaican “studio magicians” Stephen McGregor and Dwayne Chin-Quee, Soulrocker champions the themes of good vibrations, consciousness and intention that Franti’s fans have come to expect, while also expanding into new territory with dancehall riffs and electronic flourishes—including a few bass drops massive enough to pull the candy kids away from the silent disco to the festival main stage.
“I wanted to include electronic music, in part because I personally like that style of music, but also because I get bored doing the same thing,” Franti explains. “After 25 years of making music, I constantly have a creative chatter in my mind about the next thing I’m going to do.”
A Bay Area native, Franti’s upbringing in a diverse and politically active environment contributed significantly to his perception of the world, exposing him to a variety of people and sounds. All of these elements entered his “musical bloodstream” and led him to pursue music as a career. The sheer variety of sounds available to Franti led the developing songwriter to create music that sampled a little bit of everything—from hip-hop to punk to jazz to Latin. He was also interested in the political ideas swirling around him.
“The Bay Area is a hotbed for activism, and it’s also a place of cultural hybrids—where you can experience everything musically,” he says. “In a place where there’s really so much diversity compared to other parts of the country, people have to get along with all different groups of people. It’s a really great challenge that all of us face, and as Bay Area residents, we have this opportunity every day to learn how to better get along with one another.”
In a time of intense political divisiveness across the nation, from the 2016 presidential campaign to incidents of police brutality, getting along can seem like a distant reality. Yet Franti’s unapologetically upbeat lyrics work to stay above the fray. He sings about compassion, love and taking care of one another. His refusal to give into negativity—though he sometimes feels helpless—is something he strives for every day.
“When you practice positivity daily, it becomes easier to go to a positive place as a default mode, so you don’t see everything like it’s a problem, but you do see everything as an opportunity to do things differently,” he says.
As a person who considers his strongest musical attributes to be “writing words, sitting with the guitar and coming up with melodies,” Franti says finding the lyrics to grapple with the troubling rhetoric emerging in American culture and society can be difficult for him—and often bittersweet. He has traveled the world and seen people deeply hurt by these issues, yet he’s equally moved when he sees them demanding change in their communities.
“The mainstream media has sort of set things up where you’re either a Black Lives Matter person or a Blue Lives Matter person, which totally underestimates the capacity of the intellect of everybody, as well as the capacity in our hearts to hold compassion,” he says. “There’s been so much name-calling and straight-up bullying, frankly, but at the same time I see people who are out there every day saying this is not what we want our country to be, and I see the positivity out there despite the appearance of chaos.”
Franti’s upcoming performance at the Mountain Winery with indie pop songstress Zella Day is sure to be an example of that positivity. After all, the biggest joy in making music is sharing it, he says.
“I make music because I care about people and the planet. And mostly I hope that my music helps people make it through challenging times.”
