Australian_Yoga_Journal_2016_08_09_downmagaz.com

Om
INTERVIEW
Q&A WITH
Michael Franti
Michael Franti and Spearhead have released their ninth album, Soulrocker, with
a mission to make music we can dance to. Their blend of hip-hop, rock, folk and
reggae reflects the beliefs of Franti, a much-loved activist for peace around the
world and a musician whose gigs are famed for their spiritual and uplifting energy.
Michael (who loves Byron Bay!) talks to Louise Shannon about compassion, giving
back to the world, and the power of yoga.
august/september 2016 yogajournal.com.au
30
AYJ What was the inspiration for your
new album, Soulrocker?
MICHAEL I make music because I love
people and the planet. And I want to make
people dance. And so, to me, the title,
Soulrocker, is a person who lives from their
heart and has compassion for all, and who
has a tenacious enthusiasm for music, life
and the planet. This record is dedicated to
people who wake up every day and look at
the news and go, “What happened to
the world!” Every day there is another
earthquake, another Paris attack, or
another disaster ... it just feels so crazy.
I want to make music that helps people to
get through that.
AYJ Why do you want to bring people
together through music?
MICHAEL When I was a kid I was inspired by
music. I was adopted and I grew up in a
family where, for a lot of my childhood, I
didn’t really feel like I belonged. Music was
a way for me to see the world from the
bedroom I was in. I would put on songs
and it would transform me to other places
and it activated my sense of justice and
politics by listening to bands like The
Clash or Bob Marley or The Beatles. When
I started to go to concerts I started to feel
a sense of belonging. I’d go to a place and
I’d be around thousands of strangers in a
nightclub and suddenly we’d feel this
sense of unity and sense of people coming
together around shared values. I’d love the
values of people saying, “I have something
to say so I’m just going to pick up the
guitar and I’m going to turn it up as loud
as I can and I’m going to learn three
chords and I’m going to shout out what
I have to say.” It’s that experience of
shared values that makes me want to
bring people together through music.
AYJ The theme of your album is “to serve
the greater good and give something back”.
This sounds like a powerful concept. What
does it mean to you?
MICHAEL My wife, Sara, and I have an
expression in our house which is: “Be
your best, serve the greater good, and
rock out wherever you are.” What that
means to us is to always keep seeking
something that makes you find your
‘growing edge’. It might be cliff diving,
yoga, or something new that challenges
you. And to serve the greater good means
taking whatever it is that you’ve learned
about yourself - the skills that you’ve
amassed - and giving that back to the
world.
The final part of it is to rock out which
means to never lose that enthusiasm for
life. Always approach life in the same way
you did with the very first rock concert
you went to and live it in its fullness.
There’s an expression we hear a lot today
about ‘health and wellness’. But I think
there’s a third part of that which is health,
wellness and wholeness, and wholeness
is that feeling you get when you plug
yourself in to the world and you are
PHOTO: TRACI WALLACE