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Taken from Idaho Mountain Express (August 10, 2011)
Michael Franti returns to Sun Valley
Enjoy sweet music on a summer’s eve
by SABINA DANA PLASSE, Express Staff Writer
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts will present Michael Franti and Spearhead at a River Run concert on Monday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. |
Michael Franti and Spearhead are no strangers to Sun Valley, and that's a good thing. Franti and his band Spearhead love to share the music vibe to anyone who wants to listen. They will do so at River Run on Monday, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. Opening for the show will be the valley's own Ethan Tucker and the Grassroots All-Stars, who will start the evening off in the right direction and mood.
Franti and Spearhead—whose song "Say Hey (I Love You)" was a Top 20 Billboard hit—will bring their upbeat rock-rap-reggae mix to River Run as part of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts Summer Concert Series.
"Franti's tour this summer includes venues in London, Canada and across the United States," said Kristine Bretall, The Center's director of marketing and performing arts. "But, I honestly can't think of a better place to see and hear this band than outdoors on the beautiful grassy slopes at the base of Baldy. And for those who aren't familiar with his music, I can't imagine a better place to be introduced to the most upbeat, fun, lively, feel-good show that you'll ever see."
In May, Franti and Spearhead released "The Sound of Sunshine," their seventh studio album, which was hailed by USA Today as full of "festival-friendly reggae pop grooves and radiant hope-filled songs." Oddly, the buoyant and beautiful album grew out of a frightening experience Franti had in 2008, when his appendix ruptured in the middle of a tour.
"I ended up in the hospital for eight days while they figured out what was wrong with me," Franti said. "I almost died and I wrote many of these songs coming out of that experience while I was in the hospital for another week or so. During that time, I took a moment to prioritize what's truly important in my life—and in the end, that's the people I love. Even in that hospital, I could laugh with the people I love, cry with them and start to find the sun again."
Tickets are $35 for Sun Valley Center members and $40 for nonmembers. For details, visit www.sunvalleycenter.org, call 726-9491 or stop by The Center in Ketchum.
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