American singer and songwriter Michael Franti wants to do more than just play music and record albums. He wants to help change the world and make it a better place. The musician, who performs and spends most of his time barefoot with acoustic guitar in hand, travels to Toronto with his band Spearhead for a July 1 concert at Nathan Phillips Square in support of Soulrocker, his new album.
What can we expect from your show in Toronto on July 1, which is our Canada Day by the way?
Well, it’s an excellent day. I’m not Canadian, but I’m married to one, so our family celebrates Canada Day and Canadian Thanksgiving, any Canadian or American holiday that gives us an excuse to throw a party.
What’s a soulrocker?
The definition of a soulrocker to me is a person who lives from their heart with compassion for all and a tenacious enthusiasm for music, life and the planet. All the guys in the band and crew believe in the power of music to change moments in people’s lives.
There is a touch of electronic music on the album, especially on songs such as “My Lord.” Where did that come from?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved electronic music. One of my first albums was Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express.
What inspired “Good to Be Alive Today,” a powerful song about confronting negative messages?
It really calls out things that I see are taking place in the world, the great challenge we face — the economic divide, climate change, police violence, terrorism, all these things. But it says it with a hopefulness to it. We need to have gratitude for every precious second on earth. And the best way to express that gratitude is to fight for the things we believe in.
When have you felt most fulfilled as a musician?
This week is a great sort of example for me, of going through incredible lows after the attack in Orlando. The next day we were in Portland, Maine, and so I just went out to a vigil with 1,000 people outside city hall, a candlelight vigil where people gave testimonials about their experiences. The whole LGBTQ community was out there, and for me, it was just great to be around other people who care, to listen to their experiences and share my feelings about it. Another thing for me is music. Even as a musician, just performing music and sharing with other people always gets me out of a funk.
Who has had the biggest influence on your music?
I love great songwriters and especially artists who are able to write songs about the world, right next to a song about how much they love their girlfriend. Artists like Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Santana, the Clash, that mixed genres of music. And I’m inspired equally by just people that I meet who have nothing to do with music, ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the world.
Why do you go barefoot?
The first reason is that I never wanted to wear shoes as a kid, so as an adult I felt like I could make my own decisions. But I was also travelling in areas of the world where people couldn’t afford shoes … and I had to take off my shoes to play soccer or whatever.… When I got home, I just decided to do a fast of no shoes for three days and see what that was like in San Francisco. And that turned into a week, month, year and now 16 … don’t do out of protest, but as a reminder of people who don’t have shoes.
