SPOTLIGHT James Minchin MICHAEL FRANTI A sonic innovator with a sunny disposition—even in the hospital MICHAEL FRANTI HAS LONG BEEN Franti struggled with health problems. theclassic blankets tunes—each back painstakingly on and imaginere-made acclaimed by critics and a devoted cult of He was hospitalized with a near-fatal myselfin such in a amanner sunny place.that the I wantednew recordings to make fans for his fusion of hip-hop with blues, ruptured appendix last summer, just as “Say asound record nearly that would identical bottle to that the feeling.” originals. reggae and soul. But last year Franti and his Hey” was climbing the charts. “I get this CraftingHe brings the faithful the same songs optimistic wasn’t outlook easy; backing group, Spearhead, were surprised text saying the song’s in the top 20 and I toTilbrook his numerous jokes that humanitarian the recording causes. was Franti, more to fi nd a mass audience with the breakout told the doctor, ‘I’m not gonna live to hear it who’sdiffi cult famously than climbing gone barefoot Mount Kilimanjaro, since 2000, a hit “Say Hey (I Love You),” a charming on the radio,’” he says. “We both had a big isfeat an he active accomplished contributor last to year. Soles “We for started Souls, nugget of reggae-pop. “We’ve gone from laugh about that.” aby charitable listening organizationto the original that recording, donates gotold traveling in vans and playing in the street Franti’s new album, Sound of shoesa drum to andthose bass in need.track Heand also built founded things to performing festivals around the world,” Sunshine, is a bright, infectious suite of Sanfrom Francisco’sthere,” Tilbrook Power explains. to the “With Peaceful ‘Up Franti says. “We never set out to have a big songs born out of his extended hospital festival,the Junction,’ an annual ‘Slap event and thatTickle,’ boasts and 50,000‘Is That hit. It’s amazing.” stay. “Every day I’d have to get up and attendeesLove,’ I can’t yearly. tell the This difference year’s betweenfestival willthe An extended tour to support their gingerly walk up to the window,” recalls benew held recording Sept. 11and and the 12.original. “A lot On of the schools other breakthrough smash allowed them to test Franti. He endured those hard times by werehand, being the new shut version down andof ‘Black a lot ofCoffee prisons in out new material. “We saw the reaction pouring his energies into new music. wereBed’ isbeing better built,” than thehe oldexplains. one, because “We want I’m from the crowd,” says Franti, who formed “If the sun was shining, it was gonna educationable to sing to beit with a priority, less strain.”so the festival being the group in 1994. “We’d often head to the be a great day and I’d bring out my aroundTilbrook Sept. 11 readily just shows admits that thethis issuemain JULY/AUGUSTportable studio 2010 after ISSUE the show and make guitar,” he says. “There’d be some days ismotivation an emergency.” behind the projectMMUSICMAG.COM was to regain changes.” But even as his career soared, when it wouldn’t shine and I’d put control of Squeeze’s back catalog,–Blake which Boldt he and Difford decades ago signed away in a misguided deal. “My fi rst choice would be to never look back,” Tilbrook says. “Those records stand as they were, and they are NIKKI & RICH great records. But this is about control. Stephen Large, Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Danny Clifford Difford, John Bentley, Simon Hanson These new masters belong to us. Now, if A California girl and New York guy make someone wants to use them for a movie beautiful music together or an ad campaign, we have the choice to say yes or no.” SQUEEZEAS FAR AS MEA CULPAS GO, “NEXT BEST THING,” THE And new Squeeze material is on its debut single by pop duo Nikki & Rich, isn’t particularly remorseful. way—Tilbrook says he would “go mad” if PainstakinglyOver malt-shop piano and recreating doo-wop backing thevocals, past singer Nikkiwhile looking re-recording the band’s old songs was all toLeonti the tells futurea heartbroken ex it was boredom that led her to stray. he did. The veteran singer-songwriter is “It’s my fault, I’m the one to blame,” she coos, callous and cavalier. intrigued to see how the renewed working “ShameSQUEEZE’S on me andGLENN my man-eating TILBROOK game.” and more self-important. That lasted for relationship between Difford and himself, knowsIn areal thing life, orshe two plays about no suchthe pressure games. A preacher’sa couple daughterof years, and then we drifted who haven’t written together since 1998’s fromof expectations. Corona, Calif., In the Leonti late ’70s, grew when up onthe a strictback diet to earth. of gospel The comparison hasn’t been Domino, will play out. “I think Chris and I can music.London-based “I snuck aband record fi rst once,” came confesses onto the Leonti,an issue recalling since.” a rare Iswarienko Kurt mix and match better now,” he says. “Chris teenagescene, he foray and outside songwriting of spiritual partner sounds. Chris “Now thatThe I look latest back, Squeezeit album, Spot has become more confi dent as a performer, Difford were lauded as “the new Lennon the Difference, shows why Tilbrook and and I’m writing more lyrics, which I used to 16 and McCartney.” “That was a tremendous Difford were placed in such high company. leave entirely to him. We’ve both changed, compliment,” Tilbrook says. “But as a result, Recorded over the past three years, the disc and I think our writing will refl ect that.” our writing got more mannered, more stylized features new versions of 14 of the duo’s –Russell Hall M mag 5.indd 16 8/1/10 7:12:29 PM was such a harmless thing. I snuck the Mariah Carey Christmas and I worked on that song when Whitney Houston was looking for record, which is odd. From there, once I was 18, I had a lot of material for her project, so it was written with her in mind,” Leonti says. cramming to do.” “It was something that I connected with and became possessive Leonti had released two gospel albums of her own by her of—and we ended up keeping it for us.” Velonskis recalls his partner’s early 20s. In 2007, when she met future songwriting partner Rich determination not to part with the track. “She wasn’t having it,” he Velonskis, she was singing backup for country superstar Carrie says with a chuckle. “Which was good. I couldn’t imagine that song Underwood. Velonskis is a New York City-native DJ and composer done by anyone else.” who (under the pseudonym Rich Skillz) has produced tracks for such Excited by the music they were creating, the two christened artists as Eve and Robin Thicke, and his work on Ludacris’ 2006 themselves Nikki & Rich and began recording their debut Release Therapy earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Album. album, Everything, due in late September. Musically diverse When Leonti and Velonskis started writing together—he and loaded with warm-weather jams, the collection draws on handling the music, she the lyrics—they planned on licensing their infl uences old and new. “Music is not a science project,” says material to other artists. One of their fi rst compositions was “Same Velonskis. “It should be whatever you feel, whatever is inspiring Kind of Man,” about a woman addicted to destructive relationships. you at the time.” Lyrically, it would have been perfect for its intended recipient. “Rich –Kenneth Partridge 17 M mag 5.indd 17 8/1/10 7:12:50 PM AS SEEN IN: JUL/AUG 2010 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE.