Jam Cruise 6
Current mood: calm
Category: Travel and Places

Happy Old Year Everybody!! Really…. I hope that everyone had a wonderful 2007. Yea, I guess that sounds weird to hear and I wish that I had presented this greeting before New Years Day. At least then upon hearing my wish, you could have been motivated to do something in the last minute that you'd planned to get done in 2007.

HA!!

Well, so much for that!! 2008 is here and it's time for life to get back to business. The holiday was a great excuse to eat your face off and visit folks that mean a lot to you in your life. Blessings to all who have checked out my blog and sent me little notes encouraging me to write. Yeah!!

Thanks Dad!!

So….., at this exact moment I'm sitting in the coffee spot on a cruise ship roaring through the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean heading for Ft Lauderdale, Florida. It's "Jam Cruise 6" 2008!! Wow!! What an amazing event to experience, seriously. The bands that you are into are on a cruise with you and the whole time everyone hangs out on the ship like one big happy family. Awwwww….. And so we are just floating along experiencing all the great music and vibes from folk's fortunate enough to make it on such a beautiful musical extravaganza. The Funky Meters, Sharon Jones and the Dapp Kings, New Monsoon, Ivan Neville and many others are all here having a great time jamming with each other. That's the reason why it's called Jam Cruise…. Dah!!!
The only thing is that since I'm so new, I wasn't able to really get in on the jamming as much as I had hoped. But I'll be representing Spearhead and DC tonight, yeah!!

So!

The cruise started in Ft. Lauderdale on Jan 4th, but Spearhead didn't start the cruise there. Instead we went down to Cozumel, Mexico and had a great time chilling and enjoying the sun and clear blue waters. Ok, so my life is hard right now….

Heee he…

I think that the band wanted a band hang thing. Very interesting that we all came together for it and enjoyed each other before we got on the cruise to play. Michael stayed in San Francisco to work on the new Album. We're still futzing with certain songs. Infact I have a recording session with Michael when we return from the cruise. Our work is never done…

After a couple days snorkeling, ridng a scooter around the island, checking out the ruins of Cozumel, enjoying a delicious lobster meal and eating enough shrimp to last me until my next life, we boarded the cruise on the morning of the 7th. Once on board our crew got busy setting up for us to give a show as the ship pulled out to sea. The Deck of the ship that holds over 3000 passengers and staff was packed with happy hippies ready to catch the Spearit. Folks on the cruise were waiting for us, which was surprising to hear. But then I guess Spearhead missed the cruise last year and since we weren't on board till now I can understand. Spearhead has been on all Jam Cruises except the last one so we are an integral part of the family. The ship gig is a very very special gig. The sway of the boat is serious for many people. It was a little funny for me during the show but nothing that made me sick. Folks I hear had issues with rough sea the second day of the cruise. Rough sea on a Hang over is not good…. HA!!!!

Our show was great!!! And I then enjoyed the rest of the evening off and so I explored the whole ship. There are at least 8 areas for performances, a gym, 4 restaurants, 10 bars, a coffee shop, theater, Disco ball room, gambling room and many other places to enjoy oneself. Action on the ship my die down a bit late at night but it never ends. I got my jam on the next night and was up until breakfast at 7am. 2 days on the cruise was not enough for me, I was just getting a feel for it when we had to get off.

We actually got to Ft Lauderdale at around 2am and just chilled until 8am when they started us through customs and onto shore. I do have to say many people looked like they where still roasted leaving the ship that last morning. Many in the same clothing as the night before… HA!! I took a shower. But I still had a 5-hour wait till my 2 flights flight s back to the Bay area. I need to take a nap….

Next year, if the band doesn't do the whole cruise, I will. I hope to do some of the special groups like the Bowie band and the Jamiroquai group. The vibing with the other artists was the highlight for me and as I gain experience, I begin to reap the true benefits of rolling with such a cool group of people on and off stage.

Thank Ya Thank Ya Thank Ya!!!

Ya'll be good to yourselves now, hear?

Raliegh Ral's gone

Currently listening : Original Suffer Head/I.T.T. By Fela Kuti Release date: 22 August, 2006

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Raliegh in Brasil
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Travel and Places

Well Hello Everybody!!! Raliegh is back to his blogging self after a long hiatus. Spearhead has been in a state of new album flux. Michael is doing the final mixes in the next couple weeks leading into the holidays. It has certainly been a learning experience… Understatement detected!! For that matter, my almost 18 months as a member of Spearhead has been incredible. What a great change in my life!!

Then to top it all off we are in Brasil!! HA!! You've got to be crazy… OK so let's start with the fact that we only had the pleasure of seeing Sao Paulo and so I have no idea about anything else but this huge city that exists toward the southern end of the country. Its population I think makes it one of the top 3 cities in the world. Yeah!! Flying in you kinda get the idea. Whoa!! Buildings everywhere!! With all the activity you're gonna have pollution cause everyone is racing around in their cars tryin to get from one side to the other of this huge city. The traffic is ridiculous!!! Seriously!!! LA and NYC ain't got shit on Sao Paulo. Everywhere is at least a 1 to 2 hour drive. Maybe it is better on the weekends… But man the traffic is sick… plus there are these little motorcycles darting in and out of traffic. They are like 125cc Mosquitoes buzzing all over the place people here call them the "Crazy Dogs". If you hit one, the rest of them will come running and gang up on you, beware!! I hear 2 die a day… wild!!

Anyhoo, so getting around is a little bizarre but we managed. There were plenty of folks looking out for us and since this was also a Power to the Peaceful event, staff from Guerrilla Management came with us. We were rolling 20 deep this trip. Michael's Mom came along too. I want to bring my Mom next time… Hi Mom!! The event was much smaller than the recent PTTP in San Francisco. We had about 4000 here in Brasil where as in San Fran it was 65,000. We have a ways to go to get those numbers but for our first one it was wonderful. No one knows us here and so it is interesting to see what goes into getting us on the map here. We can rock these people no problem, but I guess we need a TV appearance to get the attention we need. There was a Big deal video crew at the event and so we will see if we get aired.

The folks at the event were the ones with loot; young good-looking folks with designer wear and cool sunglasses. They party hard and regularly. The tickets for the event were like 85 Brasilian Reais. Not cheap!! PTTP in San Fran is free!! We've got to fix that…. Otherwise we have made a commitment to be here for 5 years doing this and so get you money together and come on down next year same time. I like that!! Nov/Dec in Brasil annually.

So after having the great show for the PTTP Brasil. We did a free show the next day in one of the biggest Ghettos in Sao Paulo, Capao Redando. What an incredible place! It actually sits at one of the highest spots in the city and the police aren't welcome there. Drug lords run the Favela (Ghetto) and they don't really like people coming or going too much. Most folks never leave… but then they actually have most of what they need. We got a chance to walk around. I took some pictures of certain areas but some areas they weren't having it. Mainly, where the older males where hanging out drinking, taking pictures was off limits. But the central area where we performed was a soccer field in the middle of the Favela. No grass, just a dirt field. But they painted the walls around the field for us, and the goals at either end. It was a big celebration for them having a band come do a free show. Many other performers from the Favela played before us and they also had an outdoor boxing ring where they exhibited some of the Favelas finest boxers and Capoera artists. It was wonderful to see. We got there early that day and the weather was beautiful. I played with the little kids on the soccer field for hours. They were so cute!! It was I and 20 little people running around after the soccer ball. I fell a couple times trying to dribble through them… insanity!!! Ha!! Later one of the drivers that took us there brought Michael and I up to his place there in the Favela. His family was watching the Corinthians Soccer match. They are huge fans like many in the Favela. Corinthians is the working class team of Sao Paulo. But they were in trouble, fighting for their lives to stay in the top division. If they lose then they get sent back to division 2. No good!!!
So we watched with them and cheered Corinthians on…. but they lost anyhow. Damn!!! But this family fed Michael and I and offered us drinks and I think that the mom was hitting on me… she wanted my Phone number. HA!!!

Well we then returned to the stage and broke them off some Spearhead and jetted. They show was wonderful and I so enjoy giving them what we have to offer. They don't speak English very well but they got up and danced the whole time. NICE!!!! These people love to dance… Beautiful!! So we had to leave right after we played because the drivers were worried about riots after Corinthians lost. I guess folks where not happy… so we bounced. But we didn't see any drama on the return to the hotel. It was a beautiful Sunday night and I had a few drinks around the corner with a friend of my Brother. Sunday night in Sao Paulo is Pizza night and everyone jams into these pizza places and socializes. Many Brasilian Goddesses everywhere and one's neck begins to ache from looking. WOW!! Brasil!! Sao Paulo has a bunch of Japanese folks here and many Italian decent. You can see it… Not that many Blacks they are I other places in the country like Bahia. But here I'm not black; I'm a mixed brown. Interesting… but to be honest I don't see that many blacks around my hotel, which is in a nice area. But then for that matter the people in the Favela where very mixed. Some looked white most where brown but not dark. There were Blacks but not that many and all have finer hair. Not many kinky haired folks… Just some observations coming from a person who's learning more and more about race and culture everyday.

The air is filled with Romance here, just in the way I see people greet each other. It's very loving… The music is also so important to the life here. The dancing and the traditions are interesting with all the cultural influences. We went to a youth center that has a church on the grounds. The center reminded me of CityKids. What a great energy there and people helping the youth. We were invited to the church for a blessing. So the whole crew went and it was a wonderful experience. The religion is related to the Yoruba beliefs in Africa. It has different names all over the world like in Cuba, Mexico, the US and Puerto Rico. But in Brasil it is called Lucumí/Santería. It was a wonderful service and I love how they use the sense of smell in the service. They have so many flowers and plants everywhere. It brings your senses alive and then there's lots of drumming, singing and movement. Yeah!! Incredible experience!!!

I look forward to our return. It has been a dream of mine to visit this country ever since our neighbors back in Reston named the Todds moved in. There lived in Brasil before coming to our street and they gave me some stuff from Pele. I have the flag to his team here Santos and from then on I've had a special place for Brasil in my heart. Yes indeed… So thank you Michael Franti and Spearhead for this amazing experience. May we return and continue to discover the love and passion that makes Brasil so special.

Obrigado

Currently listening : Brazil Classics, Vol. 1: Beleza Tropical By Various Artists Release date: 25 October, 1990

8:40 PM - 13 Comments - 22 Kudos - Add Comment

East Coast Mountaineering
Current mood: mellow
Category: Travel and Places

Spearhead's Raliegh Ral in the house again. Giving you all the latest in Spearhead adventures. It was a trip back to familiar territory for me. Some of my first shows where at these Festivals last year. Wow!! Full year!! Happy Anniversary to me!!! Now I need a party and a Cake…

We are in a faze of "One Offs" till we finish the new album so this was one of those hit it and quit it trips. We flew out Thursday afternoon arriving later that evening in Asheville, NC. This place is such a surprise to me because of it's liberal vibe. We played the Orange Peel here back in March and we did the Smile Fest a year ago, which is actually the same festival we came to do this time. They changed the name to protect the innocent…


The Asheville Music Jamboree. The word "Jamboree" is funny to me. I don't think that I would usually take anything called a Jamboree seriously, but that's just me. This event was so beautiful and was set up deep in the woods outside Asheville. No cellular service what so ever! But with no cell service you get beautiful surroundings and a break from radiation and constant contact with the rest of the world. It's perfect!! Focus on where you're at and who your with for a change…. There was a great group on before us with such a tight groove and sound. I'm so sad that I don't have their name at the moment but I'll get it later. The moon was full and beaming and we enjoyed a rawkus crowd. Folks were on the sides of the stage grooving like there was no tomorrow. Earlier that day, I visited the Moog factory where they make the legendary Moog Synthesizers, which just happens to be located in Asheville. What a coincidence!! I thank the folks there for their support and for setting up my visit and my testing out the new equipment. While we where playing I was happy to see Miss Heidi from Moog with a beer in hand getting her swerve on, Go Heidi!!!

Folks had wonderful vibes as we play into the am. What was nice was that there was another band playing after us and so I stayed till about 3 am and dance to them. There were a couple lakes and plenty of space to check out in and around the campgrounds. I should have jumped into the lake that night… I was ready, but it had cooled down by 3am and I was not ready for the consequences of being wet and cold. We left the scene reluctantly and headed back to the hotel. The next morning was a long day of travel to Hunter Mountain NY for the Hunter Mountain Festival. It involved 2 flights and a 2-hour van ride. That may not seem like much but it has a way of wiping you out. Plus we were stuffed on little planes and it just seems to take forever getting on and getting off and then running through the airport and then getting on then getting off.

So then we arrived at the Hotel an Old School 50's vibe spot called Villa Vosilla. It looked like the hotel from the Shining. A bit creepy, but it was to be home for a couple of days. We all hit the bar that night in the place… I would have gone to the festival but it was very wet and I knew it would a mud pit, so the bar it is. The next morning the rain was very present again. We headed to the festival, which was up at the ski resort. This was a good thing cause we had plenty of space to chill and great food all day long. We were in the ski lodge area and the other bands where all hanging out. I vibed with a bunch of guys from the group "New Monsoon". Very very cool dudes. Check em out if you get a chance. We had a spot on the bill at around 7:30pm. It was one of those technical hurry jobs with no sound check before the show. I had to solve a crazy problem with the memory in one of my keyboards. I feel great that I was able to fix it before the show. I guess I've gained a little experience, eh?

We launched in and it was lovely!!! We've been playing lots of the new stuff we've been working on in the studio. The tunes still have some development to go through but they feel great so far and I can feel ownership in playing them. It makes difference… I learned that years ago creating for CityKids Repertory. So the main guy of the Festival Warren Haines came out himself and sat in with us. He plays with the Allman Brothers and has the band Government Mule. This festival is done by him, which I respect totally as well. Just like Michael does the "Power to the Peaceful" Festival in San Francisco every year. But Michael's Festival is Free.. That's NICE!!

So these shows where wonderful landmarks to my Spearhead career. My second show with the band was the Hunter Mountain Festival last year. I thought a lot about how I was back then and how I feel now. What an amazing year of growth and discovery. I could never have imagined things turning out as they have. I really have to be thankful and continue to make the absolute most of this blessing. The writing stage that we are in now also augments my experience in ways that only God knows. I look forward to speaking about all this a year from now with you. I hope I'm still blogging…. Maybe? HA!!! Of you want it, then I will.

Anyhow I thank you for checking in. Till next time, be brilliant and enjoy the summer.

Peace!!

Currently listening : Collection By Omar Release date: 18 March, 2004

11:18 PM - 7 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Beautiful Venues Tour
Current mood: morose
Category: Travel and Places

So FYI…. Spearhead is kinda on a break from heavy touring. As if some of you didn't know. Maybe you've been puzzled by the absence of any Spearhead shows in your area. I'm sorry about this but it's temporary.

You see we have to get things in motion for the new album that should be released next spring. That means a change of focus from the exciting life of travel and adventure to foreign lands and braving new cultures to driving in traffic nasty through San Francisco and the East Bay everyday, and locking ourselves in the studio with out food or water for hours on end until we've created brilliant, timely, message and groove music for everyone to enjoy.

So I'm just having fun with you all, it's really the main reason why I love being in this group is that we all participate in the creation of the music. I've been with so many groups where this has NOT been the case and thus I reveal to you my blessing. As if I hadn't had enough blessings already. So OK OK… that's why we aren't running around the world like we usually do. I've become a consistent member of the Bay area Living. As opposed to the Bay area Dead, but then they're here too… we'll talk about that some other time.

Ok now that we got that straight, let talk about some shows!!

Now I've been behind again and I'm always apologizing for the fact. So I'll stop that and just get on with it.

So………. There is this thing that everyone in the band chats about when it comes to traveling/touring.

Flying or taking the Bus

We never take the train. Sometimes we ride Ferries. Never do we take hot air balloons nor are we beamed there by Scotty from Star Trek. We might drive ourselves but even then we usually have some type of group van option, so we seem to be always in some else's care. That's kinda cool, right?? Dude, just relax and go with the flow… Ahhhhhhhhh….

Most of the band likes to take the tour bus it seems. Dealing with the airport and getting squished into these silly seats on the plane can be truly depressing. Take Michael for instance, he's 6 feet 6 inches tall. Not fun on a plane… But on the tour bus he gets the whole back lounge and so he seems comfy. I however am not the best sleeper on the bus. So I prefer the bed in a hotel when we fly. Plus having your own hotel room with bathroom is the perfect thing when you need some space from people.
Anyhow the issue of checking in 40 pieces of luggage at any airport can be like negotiating with Klingons. On the tour bus we can bring whatever we want so we get to play our own instruments and setups on the shows, which is much better than fighting with airlines and then battling rental gear. So I said all of this cause we took a bus this weekend. We had 3 shows on the west coast so hey lets just drive this weekend.

The gang meets at the rehearsal/recording studio in San Francisco then we packed up and rolled on down to Yosemite National Park in Central California. A 5-hour drive had us in the middle of some awesome landscape. Beautiful mountains and lush forest truly Nature at its most wholesome earthly best. It was called the Strawberry Festival. Evidently it has been running for about 20 years or so and seems to be a very protected and intimate event nestled in the heart of the park. There was a small lake was surrounded by stages, RV's, tents and about 5000 folks and their families. Very interesting how clean everything was. I was very impressed by the labeling, the organization and just the wealth of the folks at this event. What I mean is that everything was nice. Not Corporate! Just nice and well kept, Clean and well maintained. Folks where so happy to have us, many spoke about how they had been requesting Spearhead for this even for years and now here we are.

We had some good hanging time before we were to play. I really loved walking around the lake and kicking the soccer ball. Then later on it started to cool down so it was our job to get things heated up again. We proceeded to break them off a large piece of some "get off your ass and jam". It felt so good… for me all the shows are feeling better and better. I'm also getting time now to focus in on things that I want to make spectacular, becoming more solid and consistent with grooves and parts. This was just the beginning of the weekend. It was Friday and after the show as usual with a tour bus, we have to run. In this case we had a 12-hour drive ahead of us so no time for socializing after the show. Well, not for the crew at least. It takes them about 2 hours to break down. Then we're gone!!

We left at about Midnight so that got us to Eugene, Oregon at around noon maybe 1pm. I slept all right until the AC cut off for some reason and then I started to cook in my bunk. I became so dry and I woke up unable to taste any moisture in my mouth. Luckily I had a few bottles of water in my bunk. I also heard the AC come back on. Thank God!! Later I found out that Carl had gotten up and fixed the situation.

So after avoiding complete dehydration we made it to Eugene, Oregon's Cuthbert Amphitheater. Wow!! What a beautiful place!!! It held about 5000 total outdoors long the Columbia River. Trees upon trees and grass, flowers and folks ready to put on a great production in a space that evidently doesn't see too much activity. Weird, right? I heard it has had its problems but was now on a good track for a future success and we were only the 2nd show there this year. Amazing, what a privileged event to be apart of. This was one of those very very chilled out days for me. The bus ride and near death by "Lack of Moisture" had me just vibing the beauty of the space. I kicked the ball around the grounds that day and oh! I almost forgot there as a group of young people who came early to get some vibe time with the band. So Michael and I came out in to the audience area and sat with some wonderful folks from Eugene. They were in their teens and had seen Michael's DVD "I know I'm not Alone ". They had a lot to ask him about his inspiration for the film and for making music and being active in society. It was a wonderful exchange…. after we moved straight into sound check.

The place sold out and we had us a big rowdy ass party along the river with 5000 fans and it was hella rockin! A funky raw Spearhead show. I can't say I was my technical best but I had a blast! We all enjoyed that one. But again it was play hard, pack quick and get your ass on the road. We had to be in Seattle, Washington in the morning. We didn't get on the road till about 3am, which is typical. We had gone on later and so we just rolled into the Sasquatch Festival in the Gorge of Washington State by around 12 noon. This was a big festival and a big deal for Spearhead. We were on the bill with the freakin' Beastie Boys… hell yeah!! We are just some jam band; it's now time for us to show that we are a force to be respected. We wanted to Rock the fuck out this crowd and make it difficult for anyone else who followed. "Represent", I believe is the term!! But unfortunately this was not our day…

Hey!!! Sometimes the universe has other plans. At around 5pm the wind started blowing hella hard. The edge of the Gorge is where the Main stage sat as it faced the hill. But behind the stage was something ONLY smaller than the Grand Canyon…. Seriously, ONLY smaller! Whoa!! What a freakin' background. Incredible!! So this wind starts to gust up to 50mph. Not good, when your sitting on the edge of a Gorge about 8 miles wide. They stopped all activity on the main stage and we all waited for the wind to die down. We were supposed to go on at around 7 and so in order for us to truly get to play, because at that point there was no guarantee. So we decided to be very very nice and move to a smaller alternate stage and play later. This great for our fans that already loved us so we could relax and play our show. But it was not really the point of us being on this awesome bill with these top name groups and music Legends.

It was disappointing, but one of those things where you have to understand that there is a different plan and you just have to do what you do. I had a great time that day cause my buddy Nadija who lives in Vancouver came down to visit. What a wonderful friend to hang and share the experience with. She'd been a friend for a long time and was so happy to hear that I was now a part of Spearhead. Thanks for the support Nads!!

So you can guest what happened next… we ended up playing longer than the Beasties so I missed them. Damn!!! Oh well, I did see Bad Brains who are from DC so that's cool. Anyhow we rocked it steady and long, like you ladies like it and next thing you know, we were on the road again heading back home. A 16-hour drive and I was so ready to get off that bus when we arrived home. Yes indeed a lot of driving or should I say riding…. 41 hours over 4 days. Interesting.

Well I'm home safe and sound and that's all I can ask.

Thanks for the read and I'll see ya'll after September we we've finished the new album.

Peace!!!

Currently listening : Black Market By Weather Report Release date: 04 June, 2002

5:09 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Life on the inside....
Current mood: groggy
Category: Travel and Places

So if I worked for a newspaper, I'd be in some serious trouble… I've been so bad about blogging, but then I can be at times. You all know that… So thank you for your patience.

Where were we…. Ummmmm… Oh Yeah PRISON!

Spearhead went to prison. Yeah… to Prison! Now that sounds a little dramatic but I guess it got you attention.

We had the privilege of going into San Quentin State Correctional facility. Yea the state pen! So Michael Franti and Spearhead have been about going into Prisons for years. This particular show has been on the Band schedule several times before but last minute cancellations have typically been their fate. Well you'll, it's finally our chance to bring some love and light to the folks of San Quentin.

This requires thorough background checks of everybody and a strict examination of all the equipment brought into the prison. Even on this scheduled visit there was the complication of there being a scheduled power grid shut down for the whole prison. Very very weird if you ask me… it was as if the administration where trying to make things difficult for us. Yea yea… so we took a huge generator in with us… HA!!

Everyone met at the prison Gate by 8am on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful day in the bay area. There was a slight concern before going in about there being a prison riot or some crazy revolt or maybe even some sex starved inmate grabbing my ass… how arrogant of me. I had to tell you that because it is such a lesson to me of how much bullshit fear is pumped into my head. There is no reason for any of that crap… I've been in Prison before to entertain with Jamal Joseph, Malik Yoba and CityKids. So why all the concern??? I'm still tryin to figure that one out.

So we got ourselves through security and all the iron gates. Once in the actually yard we where shown some of the early buildings of the prison built around 1850. That's a long time ago… and it's mysteriously about the same time all the slaved where freed. Well I guess they had to do something… Prisoners bring in big money I hear and I guess are the new slave labor for the powers that be. It took me long enough to figure that out… wake up dude!

So we made our way with our escorts around the right side of the old building. We then got our first view of the yard. Whoa!!! About 3000 guys in blue out running around the yard doing whatever and we were heading right for them. The techs had come in earlier and where finishing up their tasks of readying the stage for a good old musical throw down Spearhead style.

We took the next hour and a half to walk around the yard. Running actually was not allowed ever. When the alarm went off everyone was to stop whatever he or she were doing and get down. Very trippy to witness but effective... There seems to be several bands that have formed in the prison and the San Quentin Blues Band opened up for us. I hear they have a couple Rock bands, R & B band, Gospel group and a few others. Music is so powerful here…

So once we got started things went great!! Inmates were dancing around and some came up on stage to sing with us. It was a great time had by all!!! But before the show… it took me a while to relax. All that crap that was in my head form before was nagging at me and my energy was a bit frantic. So as I entered the yard I content to just observe. Michael had a crowd of guys around him chatting. There were also about 15 other folks who where there that did volunteer work at the prison. They all made a special trip to see us perform. Hey it was a free concert for them… kind of cool to see a band you like in a Maximum Security Prison. Cooool!!!!

So I finally got myself into a conversation with and older inmate.
Mr. Daniels… He had been in for 30 years. He still had the picture from being finger printed… he looked so young. He robed a woman of her wallet back in the day. But because he had grabbed her and walked her a couple blocks down the street before taking her wallet he was charged with kidnapping as well. That's why he was still behind bars very easy going brother… seemed very wise and spoke about the vibes going on in and around the place. Man… that brother was an angel. I could cry to think that he was behind bars for so long. He said that one day he came out on the yard, looked up and saw his son being brought on to the grounds in shackles. He was like oh NO!! And broke down into tears… it was his worse nightmare. Luckily he was able to spend time with his son and eventually when his son was released, he never returned. In the meantime Mr. Daniels was 52 years old and was hoping to get paroled in the next couple years. God please bless this man with another chance on the outside… He has paid his debt. He's also earned 3 degrees while on the inside. Nice…

You see, San Quentin is the only prison where and inmate can get a degree in California. None of the other institutions support this. The good people of the Bay area make this possible with all those folks taking the time to come in and give to the prison population. San Quentin could be one of the best places to go when in comes to jailing. What a bizarre thought… But Mr. Daniels was clear that being in San Quentin was what made it possible for him to survive being incarcerated.

I'm still exploring the depths of what I experienced in San Quentin with Spearhead. Thank you Michael and Guerrilla Management for the special view of life to help me appreciate my own. Maybe these folks did things that were and need to learn a lesson, but I bet most of these guys where really just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hanging around a drug dealer or with a friend who murdered someone. I think that any one of us could be behind bars like these brothers, who were so nice to us and appreciative of our coming to visit them.

Man I thank God I had someone looking out for me… at this point I'd like to return regularly to San Quentin and perform. I hope that more people on the outside can take the time to do something for the folks trying to become free again and enjoy the great gift of life. What could you do??? Think about it…

Currently listening : Got the Bug: Bugz In the Attic By Got the Bug: Bugz in the Attic Remixes Release date: 22 February, 2005

3:07 PM - 3 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

New Orleans... are you serious??!!
Current mood: hungry
Category: Travel and Places

New Orleans…… What in the world is going on down there??? From some of the most amazing parties in the US to one of the worse post Hurricane conditions ever seen. And then if that's not enough, to become an even more pathetic display of greed enabled by one of the typical pitfalls of Capitalism out of control.

So Spearhead gets it's turn at the Big Easy, which ironically isn't that big, and don't seem too easy.

So I'm sorry it took me so long to report on this one. But I think that I'm just now recovering… about 20 days later. Yea, I'm getting old here… where's my Geritol. I knew going in that things were going to be extreme when I learned that our show times where 2am and 3:30am. WHAt!!!! Now who in their right mind starts a show at that time? There have been some reggae artists who my be that late for a 9pm show, but come on! That's crazy…

Well evidently not….

This is how they do it in New Orleans and thus begins our adventure down in the Louisiana Bayou!!

Amos Moses was a Cajun
He Lived by himself in a swam
He hunted Alligators for a livin'
He Just knock'em in the head with a stump.

A country funk song I remembered from my youth that all a sudden comes to mind when I think about going to New Orleans. Well plus the concept of Quadroon, Octoroon, Mulatto as well. But we won't go there… Look those up yourself if you are unfamiliar. Ha!!! It will be interesting case my spell check doesn't recognize them either. Good Luck!! Ask me if you wanna know…

So the band caught a flight as usual out of San Francisco Airport, which feel like home now, and ended up in a humid city and seemed a bit drab as we where taxied to our hotel downtown. We passed the Superdome and everyone got quiet. I can't remember all that happened down here during Katrina, but I seem to remember that folks lived here after the storm and maybe something collapsed on them. So while it's not current events at this point the storm was less than 2 years ago.. A foggy period in my memory.
So we got it late… then band has been here many times, but this is my first. I've had show booked here before but they've all been cancelled. So I was after 20 years finally going to play Tipatina's. In 1987 this was one of our very few cancellations with Stacey Lattisaw. I remember…

The guys where ready to go out and check the vibes… drinking is almost like Ireland here but you also have great food to support your Alcoholism, so we went in search of food. This is a fun time cause everyone in the group is free to hang. We came a day early and our show wasn't (as I said before) till 2am the next night or morning…. However you want to look at it. We hit a place next to the House of Blues finally and had a decent meal. I wasn't blown away yet… but some of us decided to head on over to Tipatina's to check out the scene. A cool little group was getting busy on stage and a great little crowd was giving them love. It was about 2 am and I could see how people truly come here to party and have the booze and great music take their blues away. I actually saw someone that I hadn't seem for many years… figures with all the spirit energy going on down there. He and I had a falling out but it was good to see good old Oakleaf. He seemed at home…

Soon it became late so we taxied home… The driver told us much about his experience with the storm and how he left but was able to return. We drove by huge buildings of apts and pretty vast areas that where abandoned. One place was empty cause the insurance for the builders was too high I guess and no one was allowed to live there. Hundreds upon hundreds of empty Apartments... They look great!! But I don't know… aren't there thousands of folks with no place to live down here? Something fishy is going on.

To be honest I don't understand and I don't know if I ever will. But the energy of folks here seems hollow. The effects of the storm and the lack of love and support after, has folks trying to recover without an ounce of faith. One person said, "We don't trust the Government at all". That's says a lot. The whole situation needs far more research to as what can truly be done to have all parties involved win after the disaster. I wish I could figure this out, but I'm not there… yet! So I came back to the hotel and crashed at about 5am.

This was great cause I know that I needed to push my clock back in order to peek at around midnight to 2am. So I slept late the next day and them had lunch with Manas and Dave at Mother's. A local food joint that brings the classic New Orleans soul food to the public with consistency… it's authentic. I love Jambalaya!!! Gumbo!!! Fried Chicken!! Sweet Potato pie!! Banana Pudding!!! Crawdads!!

You get a line and I get a pole, Honey!!
You get a line and I get a pole, Babe!!!
You get a line and I get a pole
We'll go down to the Crawdad hole
Honey
Sugar Baby

Oh! I forgot the rest…

OK OK…. So I took a nap after eating… Call time that day was 12:30am in the hotel lobby. Carl and I walked to the venue, which was about 10 blocks. The House of Blues… a smaller version but very cool and comfy. Good comfy space and decent food after that came in handy at 5am. An almost impossible time to find food…

So what about the show? Man it's always pretty much the same as always. What a blessing!! Folks are always there in full Spearit vibes on High, giving us everything they got. Really wonderful and beautiful beings bouncing about in front of us. The show was very very full if not sold out. Fans came up stairs after and it was a late late hang with me not getting back to the hotel till about 8am. I had to get up by noon to have food before we where to go visit the Ward that was hit hardest by Katrina. Unfortunately the one thing happened that I didn't think about…. It rained.

It rained and it rained and it rained… by 2pm the streets were flooded in front of the hotel outside, on the news and everywhere you could imagine. We weren't going anywhere!! This was bad cause our one chance to really see the damage in detail was squashed. It was obvious that New Orleans had not even come close to being cured of its problem with large amounts of water being dumped on it. Water was everywhere!!! Can you imagine if another storm came through like Katrina? Whoa!!! That's just wrong….

Anyhow, the folks of an Organization called "Common Ground", instead came to us and did a presentation of the situation in New Orleans at our hotel. As water seeped under the side door and a mound of towels kept it at bay. Crazy! A few wonderful folks made it clear with their testimony that the situation in New Orleans had some seriously negativity surrounding the handling of the Katrina Disaster and it's aftermath. It was great to see their energy and commitment to working out solutions and we were so thankful for their decision to come to us in light of the circumstances. So much irony in one place and time…

So after it was nap time and them food search again. I went back to Mother's. Turnip greens and other goodies later and I was back to the hotel for another nap. It was starting to dry up outside and the next thing I knew night had returned and I was this time preparing for a 1am call time in the hotel lobby. Taxi then I was in the back room at Tipatinas. Many cool photos of past artists and intense vibes floating throughout the building. It wasn't the cleanest place to visit, but it certainly filled quickly for our show and the energy fixed all of that. Can you believe we started walking down to the stage at about 3:20am? Amazing!!!

It was a bit of a challenge sound wise, which I expected, but we figured it out and went on with the show. Folks where very excited and we soon fell into our customary exchange of energy with them as the night rolled through and the sun began to rise to from the right of the stage. Michael noticed this and soon had half the crowd following him out the side door to greet the new day. That was beautiful! Really!! It was like new energy came to drive us and support us in this bringing of love to the folks of New Orleans. Sunrise is a powerful thing... it was oh so good to see.

After the show I spent time outside just watching the neighborhood get themselves together and on to their obligations for the day. I enjoyed the folks hanging after the show still drinking smoking and whooping it up. I still had a little wine on my glass at 9am by 10:30am I was in my hotel room for a nap. Check out was noon and we were scheduled for a 2:30pm flight back west. Ouch!!!

I was hoping to sleep on the flights back to the Bay area, but life does what life does. Our flight was delayed in New Orleans. So we missed our connection in Denver. So we had to flight an extra leg from Denver to Phoenix… instead of arriving home at 7pm we landed at SFO at around 1am. Ouch again!!! But at least we were home….

Thank you New Orleans!!!

1:56 AM - 5 Comments - 9 Kudos - Add Comment

Copper Mountain show
Current mood: mellow
Category: Travel and Places

Well everybody.. Spearhead is officially working on a new album. That's great news in the name of creativity, but it means that we will be playing out less. Sorry… so shows will be fewer and not too far from home. So I guess that leaves us somewhere beautiful and close to home. While there are many choices we seem to have a romance developing with Colorado…

Now maybe it has always been there and I'm just now realizing. We had a date with the folks of the Copper Mountain resort and the last weekend of the 2007 ski season was one hell of a celebration. Folks were having their close to final runs down the mountain and we were rocking it out under the main lift. 60 degrees and sunshine was the forecast and we gave them 2 plus hours of love and life in conditions I could never have imagined, and at 9600 ft altitude.

But unlike Breckenridge I came 4 days early to acclimate and so my trip actually began in Boulder.

A nice little town and college community outside the main ski resorts in Colorado. Everything seems to be with in a 2 to 4 hour drive… Nice life if you ask me. Plus the folks of Boulder seem to be truly about getting out and moving their collective asses. With the wonderful space and enchanting scenery, people here have no excuse for not getting out and getting their lungs filled with the crisp mountain air. But I have to say that when the air decides to become cold, it does just that. Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Then again I guess spring is just now coming around the bend. Ok Raleigh Relax….

I'm not sure if I'm of the fabric of people who could handle this environment year round. But this visit was so wonderful that I may have to put myself to the test maybe just one time… so that I will truly know.

There are a few wonderful area folk that I'd like to shout out… Thank you Brigitte, Tom, Lauren, Cheryl, Peter and especially Marjy for looking out for me during my visit. I look so forward to our next adventure in the Rockies. We have at least 2 more visits to Colorado this summer and maybe another before the years end. Colorado folks love them some Michael Franti and Spearhead and I'm quite comfortable with that… yes indeed..

In the words of my Governor…

"I'll be Back!"

11:42 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Finally! The Last 5 Shows...
Current mood: mellow
Category: Travel and Places

Well Hello Folks!! I'm back…

Hope you all are getting things in order for enjoying the spring and the coming of summer. Spearhead has been on a break for a couple weeks after finishing an amazing run across the southern United States.

I have to say that this last run was the smoothest for me thus far… It has been a real task getting into tour shape. Not so much that it is hard work physically, It's just so easy to underestimate the task at hand.

WE"RE FREAKIN" MUSICIANS FOR GODS SAKE!!!

While I still have work to do on that front, I'm feeling good about the adjustments I've made already…

Aaaaaahhhhh…. as I pat myself on the back.

Remember… I'm just a musician….

Ok OK…. So I'll stop being silly. I need to finish the last 5 shows of the run.

We had 2 days off after 2 shows in one day in Florida. Whoa… that was a long ride after Ft. Lauderdale to Savannah, Georgia. Then the next day in Charleston was off too. But the show in Charleston was next. So the area was pretty cool. The weather was great!!! Dave and I took a long walk to get BBQ. I think that I wanted it one last time. It became a theme of the tour since coming through Texas. I have to say the stuff we got that day was my favorite of the trip. Others have their own opinion…. You'll have to ask them. I think that Dave, Versace, Stephane, Jesse and maybe Antonio and Carl participated. The Spearhead BBQ tour!! Oh, Tina eat it a few times too…
So Charleston had "Dub conscious" opening for us from here on out. They're a group out of Athens, Georgia that sounds great and area very cool. I like having opening bands. It's great to have others experiencing the travel with you. This band had it's own bus and traveled with a pretty large entourage…. NICE!! The show was very cool; the place had a large walk up that night. Meaning that the early ticket sales were modest but the night of the show the place filled to capacity. Almost sold out!!! People were packed in… the area has many students walking around and it's share of construction going on. It's Prosperous!! But the venue was a freakin Dump!!! What gives!!! I wouldn't even go pee in that place and I have a Penis!! So it must be nasty!!!

So usual we played, packed up, and jetted!!!

In the morning I woke to my Aunt and Uncle waiting outside the tour bus for me… Oooops! I told them that I'd have lunch with them. I crawled out of my bunk, brushed my teeth and went out for coffee with them. What a nice day…. That helps a lot! Ashville was cool… I didn't get a chance to really look around but the vibe was very chill. Infact there was huge billboard near the venue (the Orange Peel) that said, "Impeach Bush!" Plainly said, folks here are done with him and they feel he should pay. I smiled!!!

The show had been sold out since a week after the tickets went on sale, which means these folks really really wanted to see us. We want things to be like this…. So Michael asked us to play with him outside before the show for folks who where unable to get in. We did an unplugged set, Carl, Manas, Michael and yours truly on Guitar. Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell Dave…. HAa!

So we had about 60 folks jammin' outside. The night had almost fallen and the air was buzzing with Spearhead vibes. We've GOT to do that again… The show inside was Ram Jammed!! Folks were dancing all the way down the hall in the way back of the room. I could see them barely from the stage. It was loud and folks were cheering about everything we did. NICE!!! So we as usual completed the 2 ½ hour show, packed up and Jetted. Next was Norfolk, VA.

A beautiful day again!! Incredible!! But the real blessing here was the Norva. The venue (Norva) was the most comfy backstage I've ever seen!! Now… it was great backstage in Belgium at the Pukkel Pup festival, cause it was like our own world for the artist. But the Norva was ridiculous!!! A private Basketball court, a 10 person hot tub, great food all day long, Pool tables, Ping pong, video games, 3 very comfy sitting rooms and all of this was very very clean!!! …. I smile.

We did our regular smashing show that night. March Madness had started and so I checked out some of the games that day before the show next door. I like College Basketball!! Especially during March Madness… My boy Rob came out and I got to catch up on the events in his and his family's life. I went by his house to meet his children Simon and Laila. It has been years since I've seen them. Those two where ready for the world!! I love me some crazy Midgets…

So the next morning had us heading to DC finally…. My home. I was raised in Northern VA outside of DC.

The show there had sold out as well… I couldn't believe it!! DC represented big time!!!! The 9:30 club is a good size venue too…. I think 1700. But wouldn't guess after all the great weather we've had the whole tour, IT FREAKIN' SNOWED!!! And it got cold…

Oh well you can't win them all. We'll just have to get a little closer to the people jammed in the club dancing to the music.

But the best thing was having my loud and crazy family at the show. It has been many, many years of me practicing in the basement with my loud high school bands and them worrying about me starving to death as an unemployed musician. They finally had a spectacular event to attend with their son doing what he has always loved doing… My uncle, Aunt, cousins, Mother, Brother and Father where at the show. They watched from the balcony off the dressing room stage left. So at the end they must have had a great time, cause I could hear my Mom laughing at full volume while we were doing the quiet section of the song "One Step Closer". I said SHHHHHHH!!! Mom!

I felt like an after school special… That was actually hilarious!!! They were having a ball… awesome!!

The people of DC made me proud that night!!! Thank you for being one of our top shows!!

So that night was late. Folks were hanging out and around the venue till about 3 am. The snow and cold weather had us all huddled back on the bus by about 3:30am. In a couple hours we were on our way to the last venue. The Ram's Head Live in Baltimore, MD. A short ride for us had the bus in place behind the venue. Things were definitely feeling like the end. Our sound check was about 30 sec. Folks were tired, or at least starting to let their guard down. Packing was on everyone's mind. Plus the realities of life off the road and back home were coming to haunt all of us. What do I need to take care of first? I left a bunch of things on the bus this time… shoes, shirt, socks, scarf, a book and who knows what else.. Poor Danny Love has to clean up after all of us.

He's the bus driver, a really really great guy!! I hope he drives us next time!!! I believe he'll be back… he usually drives for Bob Dylan and Taj Mahal. Cool Dude!!

So I don't want to forget Baltimore's show. SO this is the competition in terms of venues in the DC area for the 9:30 club. So I've heard different views of the 2 places. Some like 9:30 more and others the Ram's Head…

So nothing against 9:30 but I enjoyed watching the folks dance at the Ram's Head. The environment was a little more interesting in terms of its setup… ok ok ok

Whatever you think of the places the people that came out to see our shows were simply marvelous, wonderful and made me feel so good. Thank you Julie, Jenna, Brenna and Ana… very cool ladies I met during our regular after show meet and greet. A couple buddies from DC made that show and we had a crazy good time back stage as well…

The tour manager had to gather us and get us on the bus to leave for the hotel. Dulles airport was our point of departure, which was scheduled to happen in a bout 4 hours. The ride to the hotel was gonna be an hour, so that gave us an hour and a half in the hotel before heading to the airport. Just enough time to repack, nap, shower then bounce.

But I stayed in DC. I'm still here now… this is the perfect time to visit fam and rest.

So we will be working on the new album now… and so touring will be less and writing will be the focus. Please, remind me if necessary to shoot you all a little note about what's going on. I plan to get deep into it…. WOW!! A highly awaited phase of my Spearhead experience. Michael Franti writes his ass off. I hope to learn all I can…

So please excuse me Ladies and Gentlemen, Raliegh's headed back to school.

Currently watching : South Park Vol. 1 Release date: 21 October, 1998

9:24 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The shows I missed...
Current mood: thoughtful
Category: Travel and Places

So I'm sorry that i neglected to Blog about Birmingham, Mobile and Atlanta... os let's do a quickie.

The Birmingham shows near a huge hospital.... something like 22nd and 5th where the cross streets. It was a long ride from Fayetteville. We jumped out of the bus looking for internet and coffee. Starbucks!!! The venue was actually hightech and had a great grand piano in a huge open hall. So I sat and played for about and hour and a half. I really enjoyed it. I worked on some indepenence of hands stuff and I had a good time with the dynamics of the instrument and the room. The piano is so moody!! I'm gonna have to have one in my new place in Cali...

So the build was great in it's setup, but!!! The PA was crazy!! So after all that hard work in designing the building, they screwed up the PA. It was all floated way up high in the ceiling and pointing straight into the walls.... Nightmare!!! Always get and expert to design and setup your sound. The room had no definition... feedback was an issue and thus the sound was a mess. Energy was great!! the place was packed!!! 3 levels of balcouny with people dancing and waviing their arms all over. I went out with some folks after to a lounge and had a nice hang. We were there til 6am when we headed to Mobile.

Many folks followed us and I saw familiar faces. The place in Mobile had a great PA but was a dirty dirty old bar type spot. Where as Birmingham was a very clean theater/business space. The band had played in 5 years ago doing a freee show... The area since then had changed. Manas said that it was straight up ghetto before. He wouldn't even walk the streets then, but now? Regentrification had occured and things where poppin and crackin in Mobile. Shops and a park and food and people... white people everywhere. It was a miracle!!! A brand new Government center... I had a nice jog through the area and got me a new Kango at the one store still there from before. Tina called it the Pimp store.. it was all the crazy Zoot suit wear and Stacy Adams shoes and Pimp hats galore!! The most hats I had seen in one space probably ever... almost everyone got something from there.

The show that night was small for us... about 400. But very enjoyable... Michael was funny and we took many Left turns for fun and explored things musically.

After the show I saw Funk Face and HR from Bad Brains play across the street at the same venue Spearhead played years earlier. FunkFace was very fun to watch... I hope to catch those again soon.

SHOUT OUT to them!!!

We partied hard those 2 nights and then we hit Atlanta!!! So you know we had to stay strong. I had a long jog and got lost... I got back to sound check a little late... oooooops!! But things were cool. The band opening up was a strong black Rock group that sounded awesome. They reminded me of my days playing with Tamar Kali in NYC. Their lead female singer Trina knew Tamar.... figures!!! This world is so freakin small.

They smashed it!!! She sang her ass off!!

Then we came inand kicked the wall out!!! I like it when that happens. I felt like we had our formula working. I feel the crew had us sounding great!!! so I felt great!! I was hyper after the show, so I kicked the ball with about 15 fans outside after the show for about 2 hours. We then left imediately for Florida.

No wonder I've been sleeping these last 2 days.... I forgot all the energy we put out for the last 6 shows in 5 days plus 43 hours of bus travel. WOW!! OK...

So these next 5 shows are gonna be cake... I've got 5 hours til sound check... I'm gonna walk around Charleston.

Later

8:36 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Easy goings...
Current mood: full
Category: Travel and Places

Not really too much to report... after the long long day of shows and travel on Sat to Florida and back we have had 2 days off and nice hotels in Savannh, Georgia and Charleston, South Carloina. Today, our second day in Cahrleston, we start back up with a show tonight.... but I got to keep my hotel room for once... NNNNICE!!

I was starting to feel a little sore throat but now I'm back to normal. Savannah, Georgia had a beautiful riverwalk similar only in name to the one in San Antonio. But a much nicer place to jog. More space... a bit funkier too. Folks seem very nice but they also seem to keep to their kind. Not to adventurous in the company they keep. But a very clean, picturesque place to visit and have wonderful seafood! I guess I need to do some search on the history of Savannah. It is so close to the North and South Carolina border. Our drive the next day from Savannah to Charleston was just over 2 hours...

So we then enjoyed another day of rest and relaxation... usually I try to run around and see as much as possible. But I've been sleeping and chilling...

I don't know folks in these areas... I wish I did. Perfect time for catchig up with friends... Michael's brother Charlie was with us these last 3 or 4 days. The best time to visit us. Hotel's each night and we have time to play and socialize. Most of all RELAX!! Let your body heal.. my back was beginning to tweak.

So 5 shows left!!! I can see the end of this run coming into view. The big show of this run should be Friday at the 9:30 club in DC. My home...

It has been sold out for a while and my family is all coming... friends and folks from the area really represented. Plus the 9:30 club has a great reputation for being on point. So we should sound great and be on time. Smooth going in and coming out. Not to belittle the other shows coming up. Ashville was sold out before DC. They are gonna be crazy!! Plus the NORVA theater in Norfolk is suppose to be a very fun place to play. The back stage is suppose to have everything a band could want and more... we will have to see.

So I'm on teh 11th floor at this hotel in Charleston and I can see a soccer field on the otherside of the parking lot area. Real soccer goals with netting and everything... plus no one on them... now's my chance..

Later

8:12 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment