Michael Franti: Music with a Message

Life is too short to make just one decision
Music too large for just one station
Love is too big for just one nation
God is too big for just one religion!

I love just about every word that comes out of this man’s mouth.

The man is a lyrical genius with these fantastic one liners that make me chuckle or sigh in agreement and appreciation.

Lines like:

Only a rat can win the rat race

or

You can bomb the world to pieces but you cant bomb it into peace.

It’s fantastic to see someone who has the spotlight taking a stand and having an opinion on the world’s happenings.

I don’t know anyone who can make such poetic socio political commentary on the world that’s so relievingly raw and free of B.S. and yet so uplifting and inspiring.

Despite all his speak about the traumas of war, the ills of corporate America, and the injustices of the world, his music is unendingly grounded in love and hope for humanity and the world.

It’s a beautiful thing to have such an insightful and conscious mind be able to create such beautiful music as well – music that incorporates everything from hip hop, to rock, to reggae, to folk, to funk.

It’s almost contradictory in today’s mainstream music scene to have music that makes you wanna think and get up and dance at the same time! There are a lot of songs out there that have the beat but lack the soul and I have the greatest respect for the musicians that have the courage to show us some honest thoughts.

One of my favourite lines of his is:

“To be rhymin' without a real reason, is to claim but not to practice a religion”

Last weekend I had the good fortune of seeing Michael Franti live in Whistler for the 2008 Telus Ski and Snow Board Festival. The energy he has and that he evokes from the crowd is electrifying. His presence is inviting and friendly and his booming voice is such a people rallying force.

I couldn’t resist trying to record some keepsakes of the free concert, but I’ll warn you there are moments when the filming is a little shaky because I couldn’t help but wanna jump with the crowd.

He mostly played songs from his Yell Fire! album (which is amazing and combines a very tropical vibe with strong anti-war lyrics inspired by his trips to Baghdad and the Gaza Strip - which he filmed in a documentary called I Know I’m Not Alone). But he didn’t play the old classic "Stay Human (All The Freaky People)" which is a fantastic song I highly recommend. Find it, listen to it, spread the world.

He did, however, play some new songs from his upcoming September album All Rebel Rockers which I am already itching for. In one of my favourite songs from it he sings “Hey world, you know you better put up a fight” and “You’ve got to let go of re-mote control.”

Here’s Michael Franti feeling and sharing the love

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Here’s a great clip of Michael Franti performing Yell Fire! and Bomb the World to Pieces for Indie 103.1 fm. He gives a nice explanation of the meaning behind Yell Fire! and why he doesn’t wear shoes!

George Stroumboulopoulos from CBC interviewing Michael Franti. This clip gives a nice bio and is a pretty good interview showing some scenes from his documentary I Know I’m Not Alone which focuses on the civilians and the soldiers he meets on his trips to Iraq and The Gaza Strip.