Never underestimate the power of a hit song or a hit album. As any habitual VH1 viewer — or really, anyone breathing — can attest to, Michael Franti has had both of these things with his song “Say Hey (I Love You)” and 2008’s All Rebel Rockers. Before you could say “I love you” 27 times, that song was pretty much everywhere, including your mom’s playlist right in between the John Mayer and Jason Mraz songs.
Next thing you know, Franti is reunited with his former label Capitol/EMI, which he left after his second album with Spearhead back in the 90s (in fact, his split with the label is the reason his band was forced to go by “Michael Franti & Spearhead”). The label has announced his new album The Sound of Sunshine will be released later this summer on the Capitol/Boo Boo Wax label, and singles will be out by the end of May.
Franti may be a bit of an activist, but he is more than happy with all the mainstream exposure he’s had of late. Said Franti in a press release:
The spirit and support that we’ve been receiving on the road has been incredible. Even though we’ve been making music for a long time and many of our fans have been with us for years, the success of All Rebel Rockers and ‘Say Hey (I Love You)’ has allowed even more people to hear the music. Our new fans have become a part of the family and I’m happy to have this new family extend to everyone at EMI.
The feeling is mutual — EMI’s Executive VP of Promotion and Marketing Greg Thompson said, “We are honored to be involved with such a gifted artist whose incredible spirit, coupled with his musical genius, makes him one of the most exciting performers and musicians in the music scene today.”
He and his band Spearhead are known for bringing this excitement to a live setting, which can only be good news, considering they’re currently on tour and will be nonstop until September.
The North American tour’s next stop is in North Carolina’s Smilefest later this evening. Franti and Spearhead will spend the rest of the month in the mid-west. They’ll commence June with a date in Toronto, rounding out the region in six days, and cross the country to New Mexico by the end of June, hitting Bonnaroo along the way. Spearhead is all over the place in July, with dates in Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, western Canada, and Franti’s home in the Bay Area. August sees the band mainly in the western portion of the U.S., crossing over to Atlanta on the 26th for another Southeastern stretch.
Franti and Spearhead’s first September gig is a pricey cruise called Sailing Southern Ground, put together and headlined by the Zac Brown Band (I don’t know how supposed hippies can afford these jam cruises). Spearhead has one more gig planned after that, a festival in at the north end of California called EarthDance.
Pick up tickets either through Franti’s website or the old-fashioned way, through Ticketmaster.
Michael Franti & Spearhead 2010 Tour Dates:
05/29 – Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Concert Pavilion
05/30 – Thornville, OH @ Legend Valley
06/01 – Toronto, ON @ The Guvernment
06/03 – Governors Island, NY @ The Beach
06/04 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
06/05 – Essex Junction, VT @ Champlain Valley Expo
06/06 – Hunter Mountain, NY @ Mountain Jam Festival
06/08 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
06/09 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room *
06/11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
06/12 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
06/13 – Kansas City, MO @ Crossroads
06/26 – Taos, NM @ Taos Solar Music Festival
07/03 – Sioux City, IA @ Saturday in the Park Festival
07/04 – Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park
07/15 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion #
07/16 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre #
07/18 – Alta, WY @ Grand Targhee Resort
07/22 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre for Music
07/23 – Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Music Festival
07/24 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre
07/27 – Park City, UT @ Deer Valley Resort %
07/29 – Aspen, CO @ The Belly Up – Aspen #
07/30 – Aspen, CO @ The Belly Up – Aspen #
07/31 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
08/01 – Durango, CO @ Animas Cliffs
08/04 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
08/05 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
08/06 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater
08/07 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater
08/10 – Eagle, ID @ Eagle River Pavilion
08/11 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theatre
08/12 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theatre
08/13 – Sandpoint, ID @ The Festival at Sandpoint
08/14 – Billings, MT @ Magic City Blues Festival
08/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Beach at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
08/26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
08/27 – Live Oak, FL @ Black Water Sol Revue
08/28 – North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
08/29 – Richmond, VA @ The National
08/31 – Charlotte, NC @ The Neighborhood Theatre
09/02 – Sailing Southern Ground ^
09/19 – Laytonville, CA @ EarthDance: United Beats of Peace Festival
* = w/ One eskimO
# = w/ Brett Dennen
% = w/ Jimmy Cliff
^ = w/ Zac Brown Band
