MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD today (3/27) partnered with Relix to premiere the official music video for "Crazy For You" for which Franti did over 200 takes to complete--avoiding computer-generated graphics or the utilization of green-screens. The song--a joyously upbeat rhythmic pop song that highlights Franti's soulful vocals and encompasses his socially conscious outlook--is from his latest album, SOULROCKER (Fantasy Records). The video features a new remix of "Crazy For You" which Franti is calling the "San Francisco Funk Remix."
Click here to watch the visually striking and expertly edited video which was shot mostly in Istanbul, but also in London. "A few weeks after we filmed in the Besiktas Soccer Stadium (in Istanbul)," says Franti, "38 people were killed and 166 wounded in a terror attack just outside after a match. We dedicate this video to them, to Besiktas Football Supporters and to all those around the world calling for an end to political violence everywhere." *See the singer, songwriter and guitarist's other quotes about the video below.
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 with performances set for South Africa and Japan this spring, the group has unveiled a new leg of summer concerts in North America in addition to their already announced shows, with stops now in Kansas City, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, and Austin, among many others.
The "Love Out Loud" tour will also include festival stops at BottleRock Festival in Napa, CA on Saturday, May 27, Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego, CA on Sunday, June 4, Mountain Jam Festival in Hunter, NY on Sunday, June 18 and California World Fest in Grass Valley, CA at on Sunday, June 16 among others, before wrapping at Floydfest in Floyd, VA on Friday, July 8. See below for a list of upcoming North American tour dates.
Michael Franti on the "Crazy For You" video:
"Crazy For You' is a song for the person in your life who gets you through the times when it seems like the whole world is going completely crazy around you. I know a lot of people, myself included, who are feeling that way right now. That person in my life is my wife, Sara, for whom I wrote the song. She's my sounding board, my shoulder to cry on and my in-house comedienne who helps me laugh my ass off back into balance through my greatest challenges. She's good!
Nathan Thoen and I shot the video while on our moments off on tour, mostly in Istanbul and a bit in London. We used the 'Multiple Michaels' effect to try to capture some of what I experience as my mind gets overwhelmed multi-thinking about politics, family, music, survival, etc. One of my ways of combating stress is to have fun and we wanted the video to be playful, but not shy away from the important issues of today. We used the cue card idea in the last verse to help spell out the most pointed social lyrics in the song.
People have been asking how we made the video and if the images were 'green-screened,' computer-generated or if we used a robot-controlled camera. The answer is 'No' to all. There's no way we could have set up giant green screens in the Bazaar or on the streets of Istanbul and I definitely can't afford a robot-controlled camera, so what we did was film over 200 takes of the song and painstakingly cut them all together on our tour bus, in dressing rooms and late night hotels for hundreds of hours. The greatest challenge was to shoot each scene super fast one after the other, because if there were any clouds that moved or the sun was setting, it would cause the light to change and then we couldn't cut the multiple images together seamlessly.
I hope you enjoy the video and I hope you share it with that person that helps you get through the craziness of the world today. May love and music guide the way."
Catch MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD on the road:
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | |
| International Tour Dates | |||
| Fri | 4/14 | Underberg, South Africa | Splashy Fen Music Festival |
| Sat | 4/15 | Clarens, South Africa | Lush Festival |
| Sun | 4/16 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Goodluck Bar |
| Mon | 4/17 | Capetown, South Africa | Parklife Festival |
| Thurs | 5/18 | Osaka, Japan | Umbeda Shangrila |
| Fri | 5/19 | Tokyo, Japan | Shibuya Duo Exchange |
| Sat | 5/20 | Yokohoma, Japan | Greenroom Festival |
| U.S. Tour Dates | |||
| Sat | 4/22 | Winter Park, CO | Springtopia at Winter Park Ski Resort |
| >Fri | 5/12 | Honolulu, HI | The Republik |
| Sat | 5/13 | Kahuku, HI | The Surfer Bar at Turtle Bay (TRIO) |
| >Sun | 5/14 | Kahului, HI | Maui Arts & Culture Center - Castle Theater |
| Sat | 5/27 | Napa, CA | BottleRock Music Festival |
| Sun | 6/4 | San Diego, CA | Rock 'n' Roll Marathon |
| **Sun | 6/4 | Solana Beach, CA | Belly Up Tavern |
| **Mon | 6/5 | Solana Beach, CA | Belly Up Tavern |
| 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 St. Music Hall |
| Thu | 6/29 | Saskatoon, SK | Saskatchewan Jazz Festival |
| Fri | 7/7 | Bayfield, WI | Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua |
| Mon | 7/10 | Columbia, MO | Rose Music Hall |
| Tue | 7/11 | Kansas City, MO | Crossroads |
| >>Thu | 7/13 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| Fri | 7/14 | Alta, WY | Targhee Fest 2017 |
| Sun | 7/16 | Grass Valley, CA | California WorldFest |
| Fri | 7/28 | Floyd, VA | FloydFest 17 |
| Sat | 7/29 | Selbyville, DE | The Freeman Stage at Bayside |
| Tue | 8/1 | Raleigh, NC | The Ritz |
| Wed | 8/2 | Charlotte, NC | The Neighborhood Theatre |
| Thu | 8/3 | Asheville, NC | Salvage Station |
| Tue | 8/8 | Atlanta, GA | Variety Playhouse |
| Fri | 8/11 | Chicago, IL | Concord Music Hall |
| ^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 |
| ^Fri | 8/25 | Austin, TX | Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre |
| Sun | 8/27 | Livermore, CA | Taylor Family Foundation |
| Thu | 9/7 | Eugene, OR | Cuthbert Amphitheater |
| Fri | 9/8 | Bend, OR | Les Schwab Amphitheater |
| Sat | 9/9 | Troutdale, OR | Edgefield |
| Mon | 9/11 | Missoula, MT | Big Sky Brewery |
| Tue | 9/12 | Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory Concert House |
| Thu | 9/14 | Boise, ID | Idaho Botanical Garden |
| Sat | 10/7 | Tempe, AZ | Tour De Fat |
*** with St. Paul & The Broken Bones
** with Paul Cannon
* with Nattali Rize
^^ with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
^ with Satsang
> with Landon McNamara
>> with Trevor Hall & HIRIE
