For Michael Franti, the word “soulrocker” represents much more than just the title of his ninth studio album. In many ways, it also describes the role he’s played as a creative leader and positive force behind the genre-defying, signature sound of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a group that has promoted social and political consciousness and positivity for 25 years.

“I believe a soul rocker is a person who lives from their heart, who has compassion for all and has a tenacious enthusiasm for music, for life and for the planet,” Franti says, speaking from a dressing room in Flagstaff, Arizona, shortly before leading a yoga session with fans prior to the show. “Right now is a time in the world where there is seemingly so much chaos, division and violence, and this record is really dedicated to speaking to some of those issues, but with an eye for positivity.”

Co-produced by Jamaican “studio magicians” Stephen McGregor and Dwayne Chin-Quee, Soulrocker champions the themes of good vibrations, consciousness and intention that Franti’s fans have come to expect, while also expanding into new territory with dancehall riffs and electronic flourishes—including a few bass drops massive enough to pull the candy kids away from the silent disco to the festival main stage.

“I wanted to include electronic music, in part because I personally like that style of music, but also because I get bored doing the same thing,” Franti explains. “After 25 years of making music, I constantly have a creative chatter in my mind about the next thing I’m going to do.”

A Bay Area native, Franti’s upbringing in a diverse and politically active environment contributed significantly to his perception of the world, exposing him to a variety of people and sounds. All of these elements entered his “musical bloodstream” and led him to pursue music as a career. The sheer variety of sounds available to Franti led the developing songwriter to create music that sampled a little bit of everything—from hip-hop to punk to jazz to Latin. He was also interested in the political ideas swirling around him.

“The Bay Area is a hotbed for activism, and it’s also a place of cultural hybrids—where you can experience everything musically,” he says. “In a place where there’s really so much diversity compared to other parts of the country, people have to get along with all different groups of people. It’s a really great challenge that all of us face, and as Bay Area residents, we have this opportunity every day to learn how to better get along with one another.”

In a time of intense political divisiveness across the nation, from the 2016 presidential campaign to incidents of police brutality, getting along can seem like a distant reality. Yet Franti’s unapologetically upbeat lyrics work to stay above the fray. He sings about compassion, love and taking care of one another. His refusal to give into negativity—though he sometimes feels helpless—is something he strives for every day.

“When you practice positivity daily, it becomes easier to go to a positive place as a default mode, so you don’t see everything like it’s a problem, but you do see everything as an opportunity to do things differently,” he says.

As a person who considers his strongest musical attributes to be “writing words, sitting with the guitar and coming up with melodies,” Franti says finding the lyrics to grapple with the troubling rhetoric emerging in American culture and society can be difficult for him—and often bittersweet. He has traveled the world and seen people deeply hurt by these issues, yet he’s equally moved when he sees them demanding change in their communities.

“The mainstream media has sort of set things up where you’re either a Black Lives Matter person or a Blue Lives Matter person, which totally underestimates the capacity of the intellect of everybody, as well as the capacity in our hearts to hold compassion,” he says. “There’s been so much name-calling and straight-up bullying, frankly, but at the same time I see people who are out there every day saying this is not what we want our country to be, and I see the positivity out there despite the appearance of chaos.”

Franti’s upcoming performance at the Mountain Winery with indie pop songstress Zella Day is sure to be an example of that positivity. After all, the biggest joy in making music is sharing it, he says.

“I make music because I care about people and the planet. And mostly I hope that my music helps people make it through challenging times.”

Michael Franti & Spearhead
Aug 21, 7:30pm, $50-$90
The Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Whenever possible, Michael Franti is barefoot—even when he’s with the Dalai Lama. During their recent laugh-filled chat, Franti held hands with His Holiness as the cheeky, gentle spiritual leader poked fun at Franti’s dreadlocks and tribal tattoos before speaking on the importance of sympathetic action.

“You have to take your compassion and bring it out into the world, and do acts of compassion,” Franti says, recalling the lesson. “Try to relieve suffering wherever you can, and whenever you can. That’s when we become whole as human beings.”

Franti’s genreless, world pop is a cross between the feel-good vibes of Jack Johnson and the irresistible beats of the Black Eyed Peas. He radiates with sincere desire to see a better world, using catharsis as his tool.

“I think in order to get to happiness, you have to shed whatever is holding you back from that,” Franti says. “You have to give voice to your sadness, your fears, your uncertainties. And then when you let go of those things, you have this space to become happy again.”

Franti is the Irish-German-French-African-and-Native-American adopted son of a Finnish family from the Bay Area, the place he credits for broadening his world view.

“San Francisco is kind of like the land of misfit toys,” he says. “Different cultures, political perspectives, sexualities, races and religions all live in this tiny little peninsula that can’t grow out. You have to live side-by-side with people.”

After college at USF, Franti formed two groups: punk jazz poets The Beatnigs, and industrial spoken-word rappers The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. Eventually, he landed at the front of Spearhead, a collective that treats the world’s musical idioms like raw materials for a sonic collage.

“I look at music like paint,” Franti says. “You have all these different colors and you can throw in bits of torn-up magazines, combine it with sticks and wood and things that you found, and computerize all of this. I just love great storytelling to a beat.”

Franti’s main guide in music-making is his family. He was 20 when his first child was born. It was “scariest and greatest thing to ever happen to me,” he says. He overcame his initial anxieties, and embraces the responsibility of being a father.

“When I’m gone, five or six months out of the year, touring, I want them to be able to say I wasn’t just out writing songs dissing other artists, [about] shooting people, or how much money I’ve collected,” he says. “I want them to think that dad was writing about things that meant something to him, and meant something to the world. They’ve been that compass for me.”

One of his biggest songs, “Say Hey (I Love You),” which was featured on the 2010 World Cup playlist, is an exuberant world anthem stuffed with jaunty piano bursts, glowing verses about street life, and a joyous hook in praise of his fiancee, an emergency room nurse. Its contagious optimism transcends language.

“That’s really why I like John Lennon and Bob Marley so much,” he says. “They were able to write a song about how much they loved their woman, their children, and put it right next to a song about how deeply concerned they are about the world. When you’re able to move freely through those, it makes the songs really more universal.”

At a recent show, Franti recalls a parking lot dance party with about 50 fans where they grooved to everything from Johnny Cash to Calvin Harris to Public Enemy.

“When people are really celebrating and letting go, the genre doesn’t matter so much as the feeling in the music,” he says. “I hear it when I hear celtic music, I hear it when I hear hip-hop, when I hear reggae, when I hear Afro-pop, in folk music, in jazz, I hear it everywhere. All the roots music from around the world.”

During one international tour 15 years ago, Franti took off his shoes to kick a soccer ball with some barefoot children. His feet were so tender afterwards he could barely walk. When he returned to San Francisco, he decided to go on a “shoe fast.” His initial plan was that it would only last a few days. He’s yet to break it, save for popping on flip-flops in restaurants and airports.

“In part, it’s solidarity with people who can’t afford shoes,” he says. “Part [because] I just like to be barefoot. It feels great. The last thing is: I just have really big feet, so it’s hard to find cool shoes. I just go with the coolest style of all.”

Michael Franti & Spearhead play The Mountain Winery on Aug. 18. More info.