Michael Franti & Spearhead
When: 7th February 2023
Location: St Luke’s
Michael Franti is an American rapper, musician, poet, activist, documentarian, and singer-songwriter is back on tour with Spearhead. Coming to Glasgow’s St Luke’s for one night only on 7th February 2023.
Michael Franti knows all about the power of music. He knows how it can inspire, uplift and make people want to dance or cry. He felt it firsthand recently when he heard the children’s chorus at New York’s PS22 elementary school. They were singing “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like),” the celebratory first single from Franti’s tenth studio album, All People.
“It moved me to tears, to hear these kids singing, ‘Everybody wants me to be who they want me to be.’ That’s who I wrote ‘People’ for. To let them know, your mission in life should be to be yourself and to embrace the diversity of others.”
It’s a rule the barefoot, 6-foot-6 San Francisco based singer-songwriter-guitarist and philanthropist has diligently followed over the past two decades, proactively creating and supporting numerous environmental, humanitarian and social causes. It explains the evolution of sound on All People, colossal dance beats and dizzying electronic effects taking the fore, as well as a lyrical sincerity that has always had Franti singing about what moves him most.
All People is the follow-up to Franti’s wildly successful 2010 release, “The Sound of Sunshine”, his highest charting album to date. Recorded primarily at his home with guitarist J Bowman, the two recorded some 35 songs before settling on the final track list for All People. For the first time, Franti reached out to collaborate with various writers and producers.
“It was like speed dating,” Franti says. “You’ve got a limited amount of time to write the greatest song you’ve ever heard. But when it works, it’s magic.”
The chemistry is evident on collaborations with multi-platinum Australian producer/songwriter Adrian Newman, who co-wrote “Long Ride Home,” “Closer To You,” “Say Goodbye” and “I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)”, as well as with the seven-time Grammy-nominated Canadian production team The Matrix, who produced and co-wrote the tracks “11:59” and “On and On.”
Sam Hollander, another collaborator who has worked with chart-topping acts like Train, One Direction and Katy Perry, came on for the songs “Wherever You Are” and “I Don’t Wanna Go.” Franti says, “He also comes from a similar musical experience as I do, growing up when rap, punk and reggae were merging. But he also really knows the pop realm.”
Not that Franti has completely left behind the world of the 24-hour news cycle. His outrage can be heard on tracks like “11:59” and “Say Goodbye,” which was inspired by the Trayvon Martin shooting. Instead, Franti has both widened his scope of the world and pulled in closer for his most intimate moments.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now for Michael Franti & Spearhead. Prices will start at £25.85 for the cheapest seats and go up to £25.85 for the most expensive. The first performance will be on the 7th February 2023. The last show will be on the 7th February 2023. Get your tickets today!
