randy_byers: (cap)
My neighbor dragged me to the Michael Franti show at Marymoor Park yesterday. I didn't really want to go, but she bought me a ticket, so what could I do? Well, it turns out that I could have great time.

Show started at 6pm, but there was a long line up of opening bands that we'd never heard of, not to mention the fact that it had been a long week and a glass of wine sounded good. Since we were going through Woodinville anyway, we figured we might just spot a winery. With thoughts also turning to grappa, we stopped to check out the Grapeworks Distillery. When we found that it was closed, we tried the Martedi Winery next door. Little hole-in-the-wall place with a supremely charismatic owner who gave us tastes of six different wines and a line of chat about wine, grappa, and Italian coffee that never ended. He was a total hoot. After a year of getting their place set up, they're having their grand opening today. If you're out Woodinville way, check them out. Really nice wine, to my inexpert palate.

E. wanted to get right up front for the Franti/Spearhead show. I was still feeling dubious about the whole thing, but what the hell. Franti started working the crowd, and I thought, "Isn't he getting bored with this shtick?" Then the crowd started hopping and waving their hands in the air, and the riddim just kept rolling and rolling, and there were smiles and nodding heads all around, and before I knew it I was feeling pretty damned happy myself. Amazing how he always manages to lift my mood, no matter how burnt out and over it I'm feeling. At some point he brought out his 15-year-old son, who has a kidney condition that reduces function by half, and he sang him a love song that was so sweet and heartfelt that he had the whole crowd in a puddle.

He also came out into the crowd during one song giving out high fives and hand clasps, and he came right between me and E. and gave us each a hand. Though the last album of his I have is dated 2008, I recognized most of the songs. He mentioned that the bassist has been with him for 20 years, and I think he's the only original band member of Spearhead left in the band. The guitarist looked about 15 himself. Franti brought out a couple young performers to join in on different songs, clearly delighted in playing the mentor to new talent. For the final two songs he invited all the kids in the audience to come up on stage, and there were a damn lot of kids. It was a family affair, and they sang a few stanza's from Sly Stone's "Every Day People" in the middle of one of their own songs. Franti mentioned that their first show was at a bowling alley in Seattle, and eight people came

I didn't dance my head off as I would have ten years ago, but I still had a blas. Almost as soon as the music stopped, the rain started, and it was a fitting sign of refreshment.

2014-06-27 Michael Franti at Marymoor
randy_byers: (small randy animal)
So what do you call it when you intentionally/playfully come up with alternate lyrics that sort of sound like the originals? I've been listening to "Rude Boy's Back in Town" on Michael Franti & Spearhead's new album, All Rebel Rockers, and now I'm singing it, "The rootball's back in town." Although I guess it would make more sense to make it "The rootball's back in ground." A good gardening song, about a plant that travels around the world and then returns to its roots.

I'm really loving the album, by the way. Produced by Sly and Robbie and recorded in Jamaica, and showing it.

And I wish I was there
Just to run my own fingers through your worries and cares
Even though I fumble and fall
Don't let it go, oh no
randy_byers: (Default)
Nice interview with Michael Franti in The Australian today. I hadn't heard that he's made a documentary called I Know I'm Not Alone about his travels around Iraq in the aftermath of the US invasion. I also didn't know that he (and his band Spearhead) are so popular in Australia. Although come to think of it, last time I was there, S. and I visited some friends of hers in Cairns who had just seen Spearhead at a music festival. On the other hand, they thought the show was crap.

Anyway, "Michael Franti presents I Know I'm Not Alone at the University of Sydney's Manning Bar tonight, Byron Bay Arts Factory on Saturday and Darwin Deckchair Cinema on April 20. It is also screening at Melbourne's Cinema Nova."
randy_byers: (Default)
I've been listening to this 2003 album by Michael Franti and Spearhead, which I got for my birthday this year. Really like the title track and was reduced to tears yesterday by "Love, Why Did You Go Away?" Anti-war folks might like "Bomb the World", with its refrain, "We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb the world into peace." It's also available at the link above.

Good, life-affirming, soulful music throughout. "'Cause none of us can live the perfect life/the kind that we see on Nick at Night and sometimes we all just lose sight/of the pain that will guide us from the dark into the light."

Happy New Year, y'all.

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