Michael Franti & Spearhead to Perform on LIVE WITH KELLY & RYAN
By: Caryn Robbins
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD--led by the socially and environmentally conscious singer, songwriter and guitarist--are set to perform their latest single, the positive and uplifting "Summertime Is In Our Hands," on the nationally syndicated talk show "LIVE WITH KELLY & RYAN," tomorrow, Thursday, June 8. This appearance comes as they return to New York on their "Love Out Loud" World Tour with a show on June 9 at The Paramount in Huntington, NY and June 10 at The Playstation Theater in New York City.
The colorful music video for "Summertime Is In Our Hands" was released over the Memorial Day weekend and has garnered over half a million views on Facebook since its posting in tandem with Franti's interview on the nationally syndicated "Delilah" radio show. Fans can listen to the full podcast episode via iTunes here. Filmed in Bali and directed by Franti, the video brings to life a vibrant story about enjoying every moment with a heartening plot twist towards the end. Click here to watch.
The song-off his most recent and ninth studio album, SOULROCKER (Fantasy Records)-carries very meaningful inspiration for Franti as it was written when his son was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. As a result of the diagnosis, they grew closer, valuing their time. The feeling is "summer is whenever, the memories last," says Franti. "Live your life to the fullest, even in the darkest hour." A mini-documentary about the "Summertime Is In Our Hands" video and the "Do It For The Love" organization-the wish-granting non-profit co-founded by Franti and his wife Sara that brings people living with life-threatening illnesses, children with severe challenges, and wounded veterans to live concerts-has also been released. Watch the moving mini-documentary here.
Onstage is where MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD truly take flight;they embrace the power of music knowing how it can inspire, uplift, and make people want to dance or cry. For the aptly titled "Love Out Loud" World Tour, which kicked off March 2 in Alaska including international performances already completed in South Africa and Japan,the group will be stopping all over from now through early October, with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Kansas City, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Austin, Boise and Saratoga, among many others. The "Love Out Loud" tour will also include additional festival stops at Mountain Jam Festival in Hunter, NY on June 18, California World Fest in Grass Valley, CA on June 16, and Floydfest in Floyd, VA on July 8 among others, before wrapping at Tour De Fat in Tempe, AZ on October 7. See below for a list of upcoming North American tour dates. Go here to see a mini-doc where FRANTI movingly talks about what inspired, amid the chaos of the world, the "Love Out Loud" tour name and tour art.
Catch MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD on the road:
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | |
| ~Fri | 6/9 | Huntington, NY | The Paramount |
| *Sat | 6/10 | New York, NY | PlayStation Theater |
| Sun | 6/11 | Russell Township, OH | LaureLive 2017 |
| *Tue | 6/13 | Munhall, PA | Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead |
| ^^Thu | 6/15 | Asbury Park, NJ | Stone Pony Summer Stage |
| *Fri | 6/16 | Lowell, MA | Boarding House Park |
| *Sat | 6/17 | Philadelphia, PA | Electric Factory |
| Sun | 6/18 | Hunter, NY | Mountain Jam 2017 |
| ***Tue | 6/20 | Portland, ME | Thompson's Point |
| ^Wed | 6/21 | Burlington, VT | Higher Ground |
| ^Thu | 6/22 | Lebanon, NH | Lebanon Opera House |
| ^Fri | 6/23 | Hyannis, MA | Cape Cod Melody Tent |
| ^Sat | 6/24 | Ithaca, NY | State Theatre |
| ^Sun | 6/25 | Silver Spring, MD | The Fillmore |
| ^Tue | 6/27 | New Haven, CT | College Street Music Hall |
| Thu | 6/29 | Saskatoon, SK | Saskatchewan Jazz Festival |
| Sat | 7/1 | Richmond, VA | Jam Sandwich Festival |
| Mon | 7/3 | N. Myrtle Beach, SC | House of Blues |
| Thu | 7/6 | Fish Creek, WI | Door Community Auditorium |
| Fri | 7/7 | Bayfield, WI | Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua |
| Sat | 7/8 | Harbor Springs, MI | Blissfest |
| Mon | 7/10 | Columbia, MO | Rose Music Hall |
| Tue | 7/11 | Kansas City, MO | CrossroadsKC |
| >>Thu | 7/13 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| Thu | 7/13 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| (LOVE OUT LOUD Yoga w/ Gina Caputo) | |||
| Fri | 7/14 | Alta, WY | Targhee Fest 2017 |
| Sat | 7/15 | Seattle, WA | The Gorge Amphitheater (supporting Train) |
| Sun | 7/16 | Grass Valley, CA | California WorldFest |
| ~~Sat | 7/22 | Oakville, CA | Robert Mondavi Winery |
| Fri | 7/28 | Floyd, VA | FloydFest 17 |
| Sat | 7/29 | Selbyville, DE | The Freeman Stage at Bayside |
| ()Sun | 7/30 | Wilmington, NC | Greenfield Lake Amphitheater |
| ()Tue | 8/1 | Raleigh, NC | The Ritz |
| ()Wed | 8/2 | Charlotte, NC | Neighborhood Theatre |
| ()Thu | 8/3 | Asheville, NC | Salvage Station |
| ()Tue | 8/8 | Atlanta, GA | Variety Playhouse |
| ^Fri | 8/11 | Chicago, IL | Concord Music Hall |
| Sun | 8/13 | Royal Oak, MI | Royal Oak Music Theatre |
| Tue | 8/15 | Peoria, IL | Riverfront Feastival Park |
| Wed | 8/16 | Grand Rapids, MI | Meijer Gardens |
| ^Fri | 8/18 | Minneapolis, MN | Cabooze Outdoor Plaza |
| ^Sat | 8/19 | Papillion, NE | Sumtur Amphitheater |
| ^Sun | 8/20 | Des Moines, IA | Simon Estes Amphitheater |
| ^Mon | 8/21 | Tulsa, OK | Cain's Ballroom |
| ^Wed | 8/23 | Dallas, TX | Majestic Theater |
| ^Thu | 8/24 | Houston, TX | White Oak Music Hall-Downstairs |
| ^Fri | 8/25 | Austin, TX | Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater |
| Sun | 8/27 | Livermore, CA | Taylor Family Foundation |
| Wed | 9/6 | Jacksonville, OR | Britt Pavilion |
| Thu | 9/7 | Eugene, OR | Cuthbert Amphitheater |
| Fri | 9/8 | Bend, OR | Les Schwab Amphitheater |
| Sat | 9/9 | Troutdale, OR | McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater |
| Mon | 9/11 | Missoula, MT | Big Sky Brewery Company |
| Tue | 9/12 | Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory Concert House |
| Thu | 9/14 | Boise, ID | Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden |
| Fri | 9/15 | Lake Tahoe, NV | MontBleu Resort & Casino |
| Sat | 9/16 | Templeton, CA | Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival |
| Tue | 9/19 | Saratoga, CA | The Mountain Winery |
| Fri | 9/29 | Flagstaff, AZ | Pepsi Amphitheater |
| Sat | 9/30 | Taos, NM | Kit Carson Park |
| Sun | 10/1 | Oro Valley, AZ | Oro Valley Music Festival |
| Sat | 10/7 | Tempe, AZ | Tour De Fat |
*** with St. Paul & The Broken Bones
** with Paul Cannon
* with Nattali Rize
~ with Nattali Rize and Adam Ezra Group
~~ with Ethan Tucker
() with Trevor Green
^^ with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
^ with Satsang
> with Landon McNamara
>> with Trevor Hall & HIRIE
ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD: Formed in 1994, Spearhead was born as the latest in a series of musical projects that also included Franti's industrial/hardcore act the Beatnigs and his groundbreaking hip-hop duo Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. The band released their debut album in September 1994, and over the next two decades gained a massive following across the globe, bolstered by the smash success of "Say Hey (I Love You") (a 2009 single that hit #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on Spearhead's sixth studio album All Rebel Rockers). In 2016Michael Franti & Spearhead released their ninth studio album,SOULROCKER, via Fantasy/Concord records. Through the years, Franti has also dedicated himself to activism and filmmaking, with his 2005 documentary I Know I'm Not Alone chronicling his journey to Iraq, Palestine, and Israel and offering a seldom-seen look at war's toll on everyday people.
Photo credit: Hiroki Nishioka

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