Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Michael Franti will make a series of special intimate appearances throughout the western U.S. this fall at screenings of his new, self-directed documentary film Stay Human. Each screening will feature an introduction by and Q&A with Franti, as well as an acoustic performance by Franti accompanied by Carl Young (bass, vocals) and Victoria Canal (keys, vocals). Watch the trailer for Stay Human at https://youtu.be/IBsP6gm_rws and see below for a list of dates.
Stay Human has won an array of awards while on the festival circuit, including the RWJ Barnabas Health Award at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, the Audience Award and the Voice for Humanity Award at the 2018 ILLUMINATE Film Festival and the Soul in Cinema Award at the 2018 Maui Film Festival. The film will continue to screen at film festivals this winter, including upcoming public screenings at the Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, NY, and the Mill Valley Film Festival in San Rafael, CA.
In addition to the film screenings Franti will continue his North American “Stay Human” Tour with his band Spearhead, returning to the road October 4 in Huntington, NY. Franti will offer fans his VIP Experience on select dates, including a Q&A, acoustic performance, photo with Michael and an autographed VIP item. See below for a complete list of dates.
The documentary film and tour come in anticipation of Franti’s new album Stay Human Vol. II, due out in early 2019. The forthcoming record is influenced by Franti’s work on his new self-directed documentary. Franti explains, “I’ve traveled the globe making music and throughout the years I’ve always hoped that it could inspire small steps towards making the world a better place. Struggling with the challenges of the world I began filming my new documentary, Stay Human, telling the stories of heroic everyday people who helped me to discover more deeply what it means to be and STAY HUMAN.”
Franti began writing music as a way to process both the political landscape of the late 1980s and the unique sounds and ideas of his Bay Area upbringing. In 1994, Franti formed Michael Franti & Spearhead. Touring with his band, Franti continued to notice inequality and injustice both at home and abroad. The band released their seminal Stay Human album in 2000, reflecting on the unjust nature of the death penalty among other themes, to make sense of our common humanity in juxtaposition to near constant violations of human rights.
Franti released his first self-directed documentary, I Know I’m Not Alone, in 2005 to widespread critical acclaim. The film depicts his mission for peace in the Middle East, with a focus on the human cost of war. Franti visited warzones in Iraq, Israel and Palestine again finding common connection, playing music to both soldiers and civilians regardless of affiliation.
Michael Franti & Spearhead continue to foster the community both on and off stage and with Michael and his wife Sara’s foundation Do It For The Love, a wish granting nonprofit that brings those with life threatening illnesses, veterans and children with severe challenges to concerts. His recent musical projects have included the Billboard #1 single “The Sound of Sunshine” (2010) and full-length releases All the People (2013) and SOULROCKER (2016), which topped the Billboard rock album charts at #4 and #5, respectively.
Stay Human film synopsis:
During these turbulent times, the feeling of hopelessness is an epidemic. In a quest to find a path to STAY HUMAN and hold on to humanity in the craziness of the world we live in today, Michael Franti takes us on an experiential journey through his songs and stories of people who have chosen to overcome cynicism with optimism and hope. Michael shares the tales of Robin Lim, a midwife who opened a birthing clinic in the aftermath of a devastating typhoon in the Philippines; Steve & Hope Dezember, a young couple whose love carries them through Steve’s battle with ALS; Arief Rabik, an environmental scientist in Bali who perfected a method to make industrial and household products with bamboo in an effort to curb deforestation; and Sive Mazinyo and Busisiwwe Vazi, who help inspire their community of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, through music and education. Michael reflects on his own personal journey facing adversity as a child, struggling to find his voice as a musician, and how he came to find inspiration through these stories. He hopes to inspire people to become changemakers by utilizing creativity, tenacity, and heart to face our daily challenges as individuals, and together as citizens of our planet to STAY HUMAN.
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD LIVE
*VIP Experience available
September 30—Parkland, FL—Action for Change Food and Music Festival
October 4—Huntington, NY—The Paramount*
October 5—Ithaca, NY—State Theatre*
October 6—Freeport, ME—L.L. Bean Discovery Park
October 7—Rutland, VT—The Paramount Theatre*
October 11—Port Chester, NY—Capitol Theatre*
October 12—Kingston, NY—BSP Kingston
October 13—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore*
October 14—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore Silver Spring*
October 17—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse*
October 18—Nashville, TN—The Cowan*
October 19—Jackson, MS—Duling Hall*
October 20—New Orleans, LA—Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
October 22—Key West, FL—The Gates Hotel, Sunset Green Lawn
October 24—Fort Lauderdale, FL—Revolution*
October 25—St. Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live*
October 26—St. Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live*
October 27—St. Augustine, FL—St. Augustine Amphitheatre*
November 3—Savannah, GA—Forsyth Park
MICHAEL FRANTI & STAY HUMAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS
featuring a Q&A and acoustic performance by Michael Franti
November 12—Boulder, CO—Boulder Theater
November 13—Salt Lake City, UT—The Commonwealth Room
November 14—Boise, ID—Nampa Civic Center Theater
November 17—San Francisco, CA—Nourse Theater
November 19—Seattle, WA—Moore Theatre
November 20—Portland, OR—Alberta Rose Theatre
November 21—Bend, OR—Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon
