Though he began his musical career as an angry young rapper, Michael Franti has evolved into a compassionate revolutionary, an artist willing to use his voice and song to stimulate thought and encourage change. In his 2001 release, Stay Human, Franti balances his passionate opposition to the death penalty with soulful pleas for social awareness and tolerance. The result is a trippy, hippy, political throwback akin to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On with enough contemporary soundscapes to bring it up to date. It's both provocative and comforting; retro and current.
Tomorrow night Michael Franti and Spearhead bring their fusion of rap, hip hop, reggae, and soul to the stage at Boardinghouse Park in one of the band's last performances before they join the Counting Crows and Augustana on the West Coast in what is being billed as The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus and Medicine Show . That show will see all three acts sharing the stage and all playing each others songs. Could very well be a circus. As for me, I'll be very happy catching Franti and Spearhead alone by the banks of the Merrimack surrounded by the red brick beauty of the mills.
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