Michael Franti & Spearhead will release their ninth studio album, SOULROCKER, on Friday, June 3 via Fantasy Records, which is their first album on the label. SOULROCKER features the new song, Crazy For You – a joyously upbeat rhythmic pop song that highlights Franti’s soulful vocals and encompasses his socially conscious outlook. You can listen to it here, and pre-order the album via iTunes, and Amazon. With each order, fans receive an instant download of the songs Crazy For You and Once A Day. The band will hit the road on a national headlining tour with multiple festival performances (see full tour dates below).
SOULROCKER was co-produced with Jamaican producers Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor (son of reggae luminary Freddie McGregor) and Dwayne “Supa Dups” Chin Quee (known for his work with artists like Bruno Mars and John Legend). Michael Franti & Spearhead have introduced a new sensibility to their potent hybrid of hip-hop, rock, folk, and reggae: a gracefully arranged take on electronic music that more than fulfills the band’s mission of making impassioned music you can dance to. Along with harnessing the Bay Area-based band’s dynamic energy for a more powerful impact than ever before, SOULROCKER shows Franti’s singular ability to channel frustration into music that’s both thought-provoking and triumphantly hopeful.
“Right now is a very challenging time for people, for our nation and the planet,” says Franti, a longtime activist and past recipient of Global Exchange’s Domestic Human Rights Award. “But I really believe that music can help fight war and violence and hatred. The world needs that more than ever now, so my intention with this album was to make music that could bring people together.”
While each selection on SOULROCKER began with Franti working out melodies on his acoustic guitar, many of the album’s songs ultimately evolved into beat-powered tracks that reveal a close and nuanced understanding of the electronic genre. “One of the first records I had as a kid was a Kraftwerk seven-inch that I got from the giveaway bin at the UC Davis radio station, KDVS,” recalls Franti, who grew up in Davis, California. “We always do a DJ set at the end of our shows, and I wanted to try bringing in those dance and electronic elements but still keep the organic instrumentation that I’ve always loved.”
Franti’s message of positivity and political consciousness, once an outlier in music, has found momentum in the mainstream in recent years – a phenomenon that compelled him to push his artistry even further on SOULROCKER. “I feel a deeper sense of purpose in music today than I ever have in my career,” he says. “The album’s really about me challenging myself and growing, and just trying to make the most inspiring music I possibly can for this intense, crazy and wonderful time we’re all living in.”
Be sure to catch Michael Franti & Spearshead on tour to experience SOULROCKER and other classics live.
SOULROCKER TRACK LISTING:
- Crazy For You
- My Lord
- Get Myself To Saturday
- Summertime Is In Our Hands
- We Are All Earthlings
- Still Standing
- Good To Be Alive Today
- My Favorite Wine Is Tequila
- Once A Day
- We Do This Every Day
- I Got Love For Ya
- Do You Feel The Way That I Do
- Love Will Find A Way
TOUR DATES:
4/16 – Charleston, SC – Southern Ground Music & Food Festival
4/17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga Festival
4/22 – New Orleans, LA – Nolafunk Jazzfest Series @ Republic
4/23 – Oxford, MS – Double Decker Arts Festival
4/24 – Atlanta, GA – Sweetwater 420 Festival
5/27 – Napa, CA – BottleRock Music Festival
5/29- Monterey, CA – California Roots Music and Arts Festival
6/2 – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
6/3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Three Rivers Festival
6/5 – Hunter, NY – Mountain Jam
6/12 – Russell Township, OH – LaurelLive
6/15 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point^
6/16 – Boston, MA – House of Blues^
6/17 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore^
6/18 – Stratton, VT – Wanderlust Festival
6/19 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore^
6/21 – Ann Arbor, MI – Ann Arbor Summer Festival^
6/22 – Grand Rapids, MI – Meijer Gardens^
6/24 – Des Moines, IA – Simon Estes Amphitheater
6/25 – St. Paul, MN – Twin Cities Jazz Fest
6/26 – Bayfield, WI – Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua^
6/28 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall^
6/30 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
7/2 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Jazz Festival
7/29 – Kaslo, BC – Kaslo Jazz Festival
8/3 – Costa Mesa, CA – Pacific Amphitheatre*
8/4 – Mammoth Lakes, CA – Mammoth Festival**
8/5 – Flagstaff, AZ – Pepsi Amphitheater**
8/6 – Durango, CO – Three Springs**
8/7 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
8/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – Red Butte Garden
8/11 – Bend, OR – Les Schwab Amphitheater**
8/12 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield**
8/13 – Tamarack, ID – The Huckleberry Jam
8/16 – Missoula, MT – Big Sky Brewing Company**
8/17 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory Concert House**
8/19 – Lake Tahoe, NV – MontBleu Resort & Casino**
8/20 – Lincoln, CA – Thundervibes
8/25 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Avila Beach Resorts**
8/26 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl**
8/27 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre**
8/28 – Santa Fe, NM – The Santa Fe Opera House**
^ w/Chali 2na & The Funk Hunters
*w/ G. Love & Special Sauce
**w/ Zella Day
