Michael Franti & Spearhead

Michael Franti is an African, Irish, and German American poet, musician, and composer. Franti is the creator and driving force behind Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, folk, and rock. Franti and Spearhead hit the festival circuit worldwide, in addition to producing the annual "Power to the Peaceful" festival, which has drawn more than 20,000 people to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco over the past seven years. In both popular music and the peace movement, Franti has never been more relevant and influential. Lyrics from his song "Bomb The World", written in the dark aftermath of September 11, have found their way onto protest signs and T-shirts all over the world from Los Angeles to Berlin, San Francisco to CNN, as millions have marched for peace. "You can bomb the world to pieces," he sings, "but you can't bomb it into peace. On July 25, 2006, Michael Franti & Spearhead released their new album, entitled Yell Fire!, inspired by Franti's trip to war-torn Baghdad, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.