Michael Franti

Michael Franti has been mixing politics and music since his days with the ’80s punk industrial band the Beatnigs and in hip-hop industrial act the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. But the poet/filmmaker/musician is best known for his band Spearhead. An even more eclectic act than his previous groups, Spearhead—or Michael Franti & Spearhead, as it’s now known—draws on influences as disparate as hip-hop, funk, reggae, jazz, funk, folk, soul, and rock to showcase Franti’s ever-questioning lyrics. Ignored by mainstream media, the band has earned a passionate worldwide audience through extensive touring and appearances in alternative media outlets like Mother Jones magazine and Democracy Now. Yell Fire!, Michael Franti & Spearhead’s latest album, was inspired by Franti’s trip to Baghdad, Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The disc deals with the human cost of war, and was called his best album yet by Amazon.com. “Hey Now Now”, a song from the record, appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Snakes on a Plane. Other recent Michael Franti projects include a collection of portraits and lyrics, Food for the Masses, and a documentary, I Know I’m Not Alone.