Check out an article written by Michael about CARE's (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) relief efforts in Afghanistan. Read it here »
1 2
Blog posts
-
Oct 05, 11:39 AMMichael on the Ellen Degeneres ShowMichael's going to be on the Ellen Degeneres show this Wednesday. Click HERE for more details.
-
Aug 18, 10:03 PMPower to the Peaceful CARES and KIDZ unite thru MUSIC and CONSCIOUSNESS
We are very proud to announce two very special expansions to Michael Franti's Power To The Peaceful Festival weekend on SEPT 12 & 13th!
SUNDAY SEP 13th at HERBST THEATER, SF, CA
Power to the Peaceful and CARE present The 2009 Global Action Forum and Celebration: Empowering People to Create Solutions to Poverty
Join Michael Franti and the leading humanitarian organization CARE, and other local notables for a special event on how to take meaningful action on behalf of the world’s poor. On Sunday, September 13 at the Power to the Peaceful Global Action Forum & Celebration you can join conversations with local and international social change practitioners about key international issues including girls’ education and empowerment, climate change, and hunger and food aid. Featuring representatives from CARE, Back to Earth, the Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Potentia Foundation, Room to Read, Spark, UC Berkeley, Vitamin Angels, as well as artists, dancers, musicians, and other special guests, this one-of-a-kind gathering will provide information and inspiration to help you make positive change at the local level for the billions of people around the world who live on less than $2 per day. Following the Forum will be a reception and celebration featuring music by Michael Franti and friends, presentation of the Stay Human award to a noted humanitarian, and much more!
BUY TICKETS NOW!
THE FUTURE IS THEIRS! ON SATURDAY SEP 12th SPEEDWAY MEADOW, GG PARK, SF, CAThis years Kidz Zone at Power To The Peaceful presents a full line up of entertainment featuring 6 musical acts, including 4 emerging Bay area youth bands: The Pop Lyfe, The Bay Area Girls, The Peace Outs, and The Bird school of Music PTTP band, Jayden, the 8 year old acoustic wonder and Gabby La La. The area will also have the Sustainable Living Roadshows: Consious Carnival Games, Daily Acts flag painting, face painting, a chill tent for feeding and napping, puppets and tons of fun nestled into the most peaceful festival on the planet!!! See You There!!
MORE INFO AT POWERTOTHEPEACEFUL.ORG
Kids Zone Stage Schedule
Jaden: 12:00-12:20 Peace Outs: 12:40-1:00 Gabby La La: 1:20-1:40 Bird School PTTP Band: 2:00-2:20 Bay Area Girls: 2:20-2:40 Pop Lyfe: 3:00-3:20
-
Aug 12, 03:07 PMMichael's back on the road and vlogging from NashvilleCheck out his latest Tour Vlog HERE!
-
Aug 10, 07:12 PMThe Rude Boy's Back Onstage!!!Well after being in the hospital for six days following a ruptured appendix surgery and being at home for a week following that, I got back on stage at the House of Blues in New Orleans and played music once again. I felt a bit shaky going into it, not having jumped or used my abdominal muscles to sing at all for two weeks, so I wasn't sure if my body remembered how to do it. I did a short Yoga practice before the show and my first headstand since the surgery which gave me a little confidence. My bandmates were really on point and having their support over the past two weeks of layoff and then onstage last night was HUGE! Thanks guys (and you too, Cherine)! They played better than before the layoff (maybe we need more time off? LOL).
Anyway, once the adrenaline kicked in I was fine onstage. Only problem was my guitar sits right up against my incision from the surgery and kept bumping it (ouch!) so I adapted by playing my guitar on the side of my body. A bit awkward, but perhaps it's a style that will catch on. I felt like I had about 75% of my normal energy and look forward to getting back in tour shape in the next few weeks.
I want to thank everyone who packed the House of Blues last night and were so warm welcoming me back before and after the gig. Also thanks once again to everyone who sent letters, E-mails, flowers, teddy bears, ointments and prayers for my healing. I've said it before, we have the best fans an artist could ever dream of having!!! I'm grateful to be alive and grateful to be sharing music again!
Thanks, from Nashville, Michael Franti -
Jul 29, 09:20 AMMichael Franti forced to cancel addtl concert appearances due to ruptured appendix
Michael Franti was released on Tuesday, July 28th from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, but was forced to cancel four more concerts due to what his surgeon's described as "one of the worst ruptured appendix's that they've ever seen." Franti is now not slated to return to the road until his August 6th performance in Biloxi, Mississippi for "The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show Tour" that he is doing with Counting Crows and Augustana.
"I would like to thank all the doctors that have taken great care with me and the nurses and staff at Cedars Sinai that made my stay as pleasant as possible on the 8th floor," said Franti.
The cancellations include Franti's performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 31st as well as the August 1st, 3rd and 4th performances in Houston, Austin and Dallas respectively. All told, Franti will have been forced to miss eight concerts.
The cancellations come as Franti celebrates the first multi-format hit of his career, "Say Hey (I Love You)," which just this week was the #1 most added single at Hot AC radio. The song, from his All Rebel Rockers CD, the highest Billboard Top 200 Album Chart debut of his career, is nearing 250,000 in digital sales, a career high, and this past week debuted in the Top 10 on iTunes/Alternative Chart.
Watch Michael's video blogs from Cedar Sinai Hospital on FrantiV:
http://www.youtube.com/FrantiV -
Jul 24, 05:49 PMMichael Franti Hospitalized; Forced to Cancel Several Performances
Today Michael cancelled four concert appearances, the result of emergency surgery this past Thursday, to remove a ruptured appendix. He is currently recuperating at an undisclosed hospital, but is expected to be discharged within the next few days. Michael is expecting his doctor’s clearance to return to the road in time for his Friday, July 31st performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“After many days and many doctors, it was discovered that my appendix had ruptured,” said Michael. “It was removed this past Thursday. It’s with deep emotion that I will not be able to perform over the next week or so, especially in places like Calgary, Vegas, Tahoe and Berkeley, where I’ve been fortunate enough to share my music with so many people over the years. I’m sorry to disappoint, but I will be back as soon as possible. Big love.”
Michael has cancelled his July 23rd appearance at the Calgary Folk Festival, his July 24th appearance with the Counting Crows in Las Vegas and appearances in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, also with the Counting Crows.
The cancellations come as Michael celebrates the first multi-format hit of his career, “Say Hey (I Love You),” from his All Rebel Rockers CD, the highest Billboard Top 200 Album Chart debut of his career. The single has topped 200,000 in digital sales, a career sales high, and just this week debuted in the Top 10 on iTunes/Alternative Chart.
Michael's performance the night prior to his surgery...
Sound of Sunshine by Trendski -
Jun 16, 12:34 PM"SAY HEY (I LOVE YOU)" Worldwide TV - Can't Stop, Won't Stop!MICHAEL FRANTI “SAY HEY (I LOVE YOU)” DIGITAL SINGLE SALES TOP 120,000; MARKS SINGLE SALES CAREER HIGH
Michael Franti’s single, “Say Hey (I Love You), from his recently released album All Rebel Rockers, is fast becoming the biggest of his career. Not only did All Rebel Rockers mark Franti’s highest debut Billboard Top 200 Album Chart position, but “Say Hey (I Love You)” has now topped the 120,000 mark in digital sales marking another career high. Sales are in fact nearly 130,000, placing the track in the Top 20 on iTunes’ Alternative Singles Chart – a position that the song’s held for the past six weeks. The song also currently stands at #1 on Media Base’s Hot AC Indie Label Chart and #3 on the Indie Label Chart.
“’Say Hey (I Love You)” is a song about life’s journey,” says Franti. “No matter where it takes us, no matter how hard it may seem to understand at times, there is one thing we know for sure…we love the people who are closest to us.” He adds, “People are smiling on this song because in these uncertain times people are connecting with what they value most, friends, family and togetherness. It’s also got a hot beat and you can dance to it.”
All Rebel Rockers is available on multiple formats, including a super-deluxe version that features a CD, DVD, seven vinyl singles and a slew of extra items bound in a beautifully embossed book
CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS HERE:
FrantiV YouTube Channel
WEEDS - Flashmob
Craig Ferguson doing "Say Hey" on Late Late Show -
May 05, 01:25 PMTime for Passion and Strategy on Climate Change
Ok, here's the deal. I remember reading that when President Obama was a community leader, he became somewhat disenchanted with the relatively modest gains he was able to achieve. That's when he decided to go to law school, and perhaps that's when he began seriously considering the importance of politics for enacting REAL change. I understand where he's coming from and although I love being a socially conscious musician, I see that more can be done. That's my main reason for joining forces with CARE, the international poverty-fighting organization, and why I'm REALLY looking forward to taking part in CARE's National Conference which is all about changing U.S. policy to improve marginalized communities around the world. I've seen enough during my world travels to know what works.
During my travels in Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and all over the United States, I have seen and heard the voices of people who want change. They want the stabilization of the economy, education and healthcare for all, renewable energy and an environmental vision with an eye on generations to come. We've got to get this message through to the policy-makers in Washington, DC.
One of the most important issues of our time surely has to be climate change. In case you haven't noticed wherever you are in the world, the weather is changing. In some places, summers are hotter and longer. In other places winters are longer and colder. The rainy season is resulting in flooding the likes of which have never before been seen in some regions of the world. And of course there are the droughts plaguing other regions. All of this has serious implications for agricultural production--literally who eats or doesn't eat. There are consequences for disease. Not only does research prove that prevention and preparedness work, but so does real action and on-the-ground experience. When you invest in community disaster risk reduction during the dry season, you can literally see the difference it makes during the rainy season when the floods come.
Over the past 50 years, changes in the climate have occurred at an alarming rate, above and beyond what scientists consider natural. This is a fact, not a theory. Human activities have resulted in negative consequences. And it is also a fact that while poor people around the world are the least responsible for causing climate change, they are already bearing the brunt. The U.S. has historically been the world's largest contributor to climate change. What we do now will save money down the road, because the longer we delay, the worse it gets.
If we do not change our negative habits toward climate change, we can count on worldwide disruptions in food production, resulting in mass migration, refugee crises and increased conflict over scarce natural resources like water and farm land. This is a recipe for major security problems. Now is the time to act.
It's sort of like when you own a home and you discover that you have termites. You can do nothing but you know those buggers are not going away until you act. They will keep munching at the foundation of your house until it is totally destroyed or way too expensive to even think about repairing.
We can all take pride in the fact that the U.S. has always been a world leader. On this issue we are not out there on a limb by ourselves. Even developing countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, have demonstrated willingness to be part of the solution. The U.S. could bring all countries together around shared goals and responsibilities.
When I'm on Capitol Hill next month with several hundred of my fellow advocates at the CARE National Conference and Celebration, we hope to drive home the point to the Congress that they must commit to passing legislation that positively impacts the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Even if we stopped all emissions today, we still need to deal with consequences of past actions, which have set in motion longer-term changes.
Investing now in safe-guarding people by helping them to adapt to climate change, will help save money and lives while building resilience. History shows that Americans believe in doing the right thing. Collectively, we activists are essential to advancing U.S. policy to help empower marginalized people to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty for good. The world can't have a global solution to climate change with U.S. action alone; and the world can't have a global solution without U.S. action. It's up to us to set the bar.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-franti/time-for-passion-and-stra_b_190637.html
-
Apr 06, 08:43 PMPelangi Benefit raises $17,000
Michael Franti, Carl Young and J Bowman rocked Bali and raised over $17,000 to benefit Pelangi, Ubud's community school that features a holistic, bilingual curriculum.
Over 1,500 people danced the night away at the exquisite bamboo filled estate of Linda Garland, located in the village of Nyu Kuning. To donate directly to the school, please go to www.pelangischoolbali.com. -
Feb 12, 11:04 PMSpecial Olympics Inspiration!
It was a huge honor and fantastic fun to play at the 2009 Special Olympic Winter Games in Sun Valley, Idaho. I want to give a big shout out to all the athletes; organizers and volunteers who have continued this journey dedicated to making all people feel special and included. It was a huge community effort and I was particularly moved by receiving a hand knitted blue and white scarf (the Special Olympic colors) from a fan at the show in Boise. Organizers of the event had called to the people of Idaho to make 5000 scarves for the athletes and their families by the time the opening ceremonies began they had received 55,000!!!
When I put it on the next morning I felt the stitching with my fingertips and thought wow someone stayed up late in the night, like my mother did when I was a kid, stitching this scarf for a complete stranger and now those hours are wrapped around my neck (and voice) keeping me warm.
Meeting the athletes, in the athlete village was definitely the highlight for me. Hearing the stories of the competitors from languages from all over the world, seeing their smiles and the light of their medals shining off their faces as they posed for the cameras. I met an Israeli woman named Tali who is the mother of four children. She was told from birth her youngest daughter would never walk, but 21 years later, not only is she walking, but also she skis, and plays basketball and volleyball at Special Olympics! Tali taught us all an impromptu version of a song and dance she wrote called "I know I can" and soon we had a circle of people doing it in the athlete's village.
The show itself was outrageously cold and my thumb is still numb from the bit of frostbite it received, but the spirits were so high and the crowd rocked so hard, (seems the cold and music are good unifiers). We were joined on stage by young kids, athletes and a high school senior named Sam who performed a rap about how Special Olympics had affected his life. The show was opened by Jimmy and Donnie Demers who are an amazing piano and vocal duo (check em out online.)
One of the organizers, Jim Grossman, whose sister has been a Special Olympics athlete for 30 years, said something that will always stick with me, "as able bodied people we live in such a narrow bandwidth, there is no one "right way" to ski, ride a snowboard, skate or play hockey, there are as many ways as there are people who try. The more we learn to experience those ways and help others to do it for themselves, the more powerful we become!"
Special Olympics embody the ideas of diversity and inclusion that have always been the messages I strive for in my songs. I could not be more grateful to have had the opportunity to play at the games.
I want to say thanks to Chip Fisher for inspiring me to get involved and who along with the Grossman's undertook the monumental task of bringing the games to Idaho, having me and encouraging everyone to get involved with Special Olympics Idaho and to Sandy Figge who had us all over to her grand barn for a late night of reminiscing the day.
To all the athletes and fans, way to ROCK!!!
Peace, Michael Franti
