Michael Franti & Spearhead set to release new album on Anti

Michael Franti & Spearhead will be releasing their next album on Anti- Records. Yell Fire! will be in stores on July 25th and features songs inspired by Franti's visit to the Gaza Strip. The non-USO green zone tour inspired both songs on the album, recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and San Francisco, but also a documentary film, I Know I'm Not Alone. However, the singer/songwriter promises that the album features "his most uplifting set of songs to date."

The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance.

The Kingston session featured "Riddim Twins" Sly and Robbie, percussionist Sticky Thompson and Spearhead bassist Carl Young and guitarist Dave Shul. The engineering of the album was handled by Mario Caldato, Jr (Beastie Boys) and Robert Carranza (Jack Johnson) while mixing was taken care of by Brian Malouf (Ziggy Marley, Pearl Jam).

The band will be touring in support of their Anti- debut and followup to Stay Human, as well as Franti's solo album Songs From the Front Porch and slam-poetry release Live at the Baobab. Those dates are available below. Franti's has a long history in political music, starting with his punk rock band the Beatnigscontinuing on with the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy before he settled into his role as singer/songwriter with Spearhead.