Franti spearheads Mountain Fest; Sister Carol is back; Mandatory jams again

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Free concerts, discount lift tickets, mechanical bull riding, ski flicks and gear giveaways are on tap for the 3rd annual Jackson Hole Mountain Festival. The fest began on Monday at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) and will conclude Sunday with the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb at Snow King Resort.
Michael Franti and Spearhead will headline the week’s concert finale at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Clock Tower Stage at the base of JHMR. The Radiators will open the show. Admission is free.

Franti and Spearhead last performed in Jackson during the winter of 2003 at Snow King Ballroom, the same year they released the critically-acclaimed album “Everyone Deserves Music,” and Franti’s acoustic-heavy “Songs from the Front Porch.” Since then, their mainstream popularity has soared.

Spearhead’s eclectic approach to hip-hop is reggae-heavy, but spans funk, jazz and folk. Their fan base has largely been earned through intense touring, and features in political media such as Democracy Now. Franti’s potent lyrics reflect his passion as an advocate for peace, and his documentary film “I Know I’m Not Alone” (see The Goods) finds the bandleader in Iraq addressing the human cost of war. Spearhead’s tunes were also recently featured on a CD that was curated by Tomas Young titled “Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran.”

Franti explained his philosophy in an interview with CBS: “People ask me, ‘What can one person do to change what’s going on with the world?’  I don’t know what one person can do except to connect with other people. In doing that, each of us play our roles,” he said. “My role is as a storyteller and a songwriter. I’m somebody who is trying to keep the spirits of other people up, despite all the chaos and fear around us.”

His righteous political message continues to shine on the latest release “Yell Fire!” (Anti/2006) with lyrics like “Those who start wars never fight them / And those who fight wars never like them.”

From the positive buzz around town, Franti and Spearhead seem to be a natural fit for a majority of local skiers and riders. The band brings a unique energy to stage and engages the crowd in such a way that they become part of the show. Spearhead is comprised of guitarist Dave Shul, bassist Carl Young, drummer Manas Itiene, and keyboardist Raliegh Neil.

Supporting act The Radiators are one of New Orleans’ most popular rock bands. The band has the same lineup as when they formed in 1978, and through the ’80s they earned a reputation for playing intense marathon shows comparable to The Allman Brothers and Little Feat.

The self-described “fish-head music” that The Radiators are known for is a funky blend of rock and R&B often labeled as swamp-rock. Impressively, the band has a repertoire of more than 300 original tunes and more than 1000 cover songs. You can download over 500 of their live shows for free on Internet Archive (www.archive.org).

The SoBe Après Concert Series will feature Yellow Wall Dub Squad with special guest Sister Carol from 3:30-5:30 p.m. today at Nick Wilson’s Café at the base of JHMR. Mandatory Air will play from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday at the same venue.
Yellow Wall Dub Squad is an authentic roots-reggae band that formed in 1999 by English bassist Amlak Tafari. They will also perform later the same day as Sister Carol’s backing band, at 10 p.m. at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village.

Known as “Black Cinderella” and “Mother Culture,” Carol received a Grammy nomination in 1996 for her album “Lyrically Potent.” She has been a strong voice for women on and off stage and has also appeared in several movies and television shows.

Mandatory Air is Jackson’s own eight-piece party band that features the energetic and fine-tuned harmony singing of The Miller Sisters. The talented rock band dishes out ski town classics - B-52’s, Grateful Dead, Aretha, Janice, and Otis - with plenty of flare.
For a complete Mountain Festival schedule, visit www.jacksonhole.com.

Photo by Andrew Wyatt
Michael Franti of Spearhead gets into a groove.

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Franti spearheads Mountain Fest; Sister Carol is back; Mandatory jams again | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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