After receiving a flurry of mail from fans across Western North Carolina, Michael Franti & Spearhead have added a second concert to their date at the Orange Peel on Thursday, Feb. 26, the band’s manager said. Tickets sold out fast for the evening concert—but those who missed out now have the opportunity to attend an early, all-ages matinee show, starting at 5 p.m.
Making the deal even sweeter, ticket prices are $17 for the matinee (versus $25 for the evening show). Bring the whole family and be prepared for an all-ages, soul-shake-down party.
As Michael Franti described in an Xpress interview: “About four years ago we started doing ‘family matinees,’ we call them, because a lot of our fans were saying, ‘You know I’ve got kids who are like 6, 7, 8 years old and I take them to school everyday and we listen to your music in the car and then when you come to town they always get mad (at the parents) cause they can’t come to the show.’ So we started doing these family matinees and we thought Asheville would be a really good place to do them. When the first show sold out real quick we said, rather than do a second show that’s just a regular show, let’s do a family matinee.”
Reggae, hip hop, rock, funk and folk artist Michael Franti and his band Spearhead are known for their socially conscious and uplifting music. Though the band’s albums are virtually absent from mainsteam media sources, Michael Franti & Spearhead have earned a global reputation for their impressive body of independent work, which includes six albums (released between 1994 and 2008). Franti, a musician, poet and activist, gained international acclaim for the album Yell Fire (2006) which was inspired by his travels to Israel, Baghdad, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while making a documentary titled, I Know I Am Not Alone, a film that explores the costs of war.
Keep an eye out for the Xpress exclusive interview with Michael Franti, which will be published in the Feb. 25th issue of the Xpress and will be online at www.mountainx.com.
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