Michael Franti can’t be summed up in just one word.  He’s a musician, world-traveler, activist, celebrity, survivor, artist, and ambassador.  And most importantly, he has found a way to bring all of these aspects together to use his influence for good.  You can see him at the Power to the Peaceful Festival in Golden Gate Park on September 11, but don’t expect him to stop there.  He told us,

“It’s not what any individual does one time, whether it’s really good or really bad, it’s what an individual does over a lifetime or career in the public eye.”

Learn how his near-death experience changed his perspective (and his music), what item he would save from his burning home, and how he is changing San Francisco, the United States, Bali, East Timor, and the world with the power of music.

How can music be a vehicle for change, social justice, and, inspiration?

Music can do three things. It can highlight social issues that are not very well known. It can also raise money for particular issues. Perhaps most importantly music can serve as an inspiration to help people believe that change is possible, and inspire them to work through hard times to make that change come to life.

If you could choose any place in the world, besides San Francisco, to hold a free concert, where would it be?

I would love to play music where people don’t have access to it, so any place where there’s need for music. I’ve played in a lot of prisons and schools and on the streets in cities in developing nations. In the past few years I’ve spent a lot of time in Bali. I would love to do a concert there, but really anywhere I go I’m happy to play for whoever wants to listen.

Finish the sentence: “Social justice begins with…”

“Social justice begins with…” the belief that all people have a right to basic needs, the freedom from tyranny and threat of violence, the freedom of self expression, access to clean food and water, safe homes, and religious freedom and the opportunity to pursue their dreams for themselves and their families.

There’s been a backlash against charitable celebrities. How can ordinary citizens tell which celebrities are truly altruistic?

It’s not what any individual does one time, whether it’s really good or really bad, it’s what an individual does over a lifetime or career in the public eye. It’s easy to become skeptical of someone who appears to be opportunistic or has had a series of public scandals and is trying to refashion their image, but ultimately I believe that any act of generosity or appeal to others to help the greater good is a step in the right direction. No artist should do it with the expectation of something in return.

You had a near-death experience when your appendix ruptured. In what way did that episode change your perspective on life?

It gave me a deeper appreciation for simple things that I often have taken for granted, like seeing the sun for the first time in the morning, or hanging out with my friends, or eating a really delicious piece of fruit. The same week my surgery took place I had my first song ever go into the top forty after more than twenty years of making music and while this was a really exciting thrill in my career, it paled in comparison to just being able to live another day and be surrounded by the people I care about the most.

As a CARE ambassador, how do you share your passion for the organization’s mission?

CARE is determined to help people in need help themselves and what makes CARE unique is that it’s not an organization that provides handouts, rather CARE provides a helping hand enabling farmers to grow for themselves and individuals to start businesses through microfinance and providing girls in developing nations access to education and the opportunity to become powerful leaders in their families and communities.

The PTTP Festival is one of the largest free musical, art, and action events in the county. What do you think the majority of the 70,000+ attendees will gain from the experience?

PTTP is a day when we remember September 11th as a day to volunteer to make the world a better place. We bring together over 100 different social justice organizations, everything from youth gang prevention to environmental causes and veterans groups, and help people to plug into ways they can have a direct impact on the world.

The Global Action Forum & CARE Celebration the night before the festival will feature a video from your recent trip to East Timor for CARE’s Peace and Conflict Resolution Programs. In what ways did this trip have an impact on you?

East Timor is a place I had heard a lot about in the news as their struggle for independence had made international headlines, but it wasn’t until I went there that I realized that for most people independence was not just a political struggle, but a day to day struggle for existence. I learned that something as simple as a 40ft by 40ft plastic tarp to collect water during the rainy season meant the difference between having access to irrigating crops during the dry season and starvation.

If your house were on fire, what is the one thing you would grab?

After making sure my family was safe and I had taken photos that were irreplaceable, there wouldn’t be anything I couldn’t let go of. The most important material possession that I have is my passport because it allows me access to places in the world that people in many nations do not have access to, but my passport is very easily replaceable.

You’ve dabbled in a variety of musical styles. What is one genre you will never attempt?

I don’t think there is a genre that I would “never” attempt. There are many that I’m sure I would not do well at attempting. I’m not a huge fan of classical music, so you probably won’t see me writing a symphony any time soon.

Your new album “The Sound of Sunshine” comes out September 21st. What should listeners expect?

Well, most of the songs were written after my appendix surgery, so most of the songs are songs of upliftment. It’s a very upbeat record that is intended to help people get through difficult times by laughing, dancing, and connecting with people they love the most through music.

Listen to the 30 second audio sample of new song, “Hey Hey Hey”, which will appear on the upcoming album THE SOUND OF SUNSHINE.

Can you suggest one way in which others can give back in their everyday lives?

A lot of times people ask me what they can do to help others and my response is “do what you can”. One time I met a woman who owned a hair salon and she had a woman come in one day who was undergoing chemotherapy and she cut this woman’s hair and spent the afternoon talking with her about her situation. After that she decided she was going to dedicate time each week to taking care of the hair needs of women who are undergoing chemotherapy. This may seem like something really small, but it was the thing she knew how to do best and so she gave of her best. Each of us have to figure out what it is we know how to do and figure out a way to apply it to helping others.

Join Michael Franti at Power to the Peaceful!

The annual Power to the Peaceful Festival, featuring CARE Ambassador Michael Franti and more than 50,000 music fans, will take place in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, September 11, 2010. The night before, on Friday, September 10, at 8 pm, CARE and Michael Franti will kick off this Festival with the second annual Global Action Forum & Celebration at the Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco. The evening will feature the screening of two short films, one about Michael’s recent trip with CARE to East Timor and another about a girls’ education crusader from Mali. The films will be followed by an intimate conversation with top experts in global women’s issues and an acoustic performance by Michael Franti.

Visit www.care.org/forum for more information and to buy tickets.

http://www.powertothepeaceful.org/