livebandstouring.com - Music Gallery

Login

Main Menu

Home

Users Online

No Users Online

New Videos

admin's other videos

Website Search

Recent Concert Reviews

Michael Franti and Spearhead

Artist-Michael Franti and Spearhead
Band Members-Michael Franti-vocals/guitar
             Carl young-bass
             Dave Shul-guitar
             Manas Itiene-Drums
             Raliegh Neal-Keys

band website-http://www.myspace.com/spearheadvibrations
                          http://www.spearheadvibrations.com

Venue:Nokia Theater(Times Square)
City,State-New York City,New York

Time:7pm
Date:10-06-07

By Sean Morse

            Most people that go out to see live music are doing it to realx,have a good time, and just
forget about the stressors of daily life. When you go see a Michael Franti and Spearhead show you get that feeling and a multitude of more feelings. It is an expierence you should try at least once in your lifetime.

            Michael Franti is a political activist for issues concerning social justice. He is quick to bring a tear of joy,sadness,contentment,anger,and many more feelings when you see him live. Saturday night at the Nokia Theater was no exception. The opening band wasa marvelous sound straight from the outback of Australia known as Blue King Brown. They jammed out to some incredible tunes with phenomnal energy
flying thru the sold out Nokia Theater in Times Square. I wasnt able to catch any of the names of their songs but everyone caught my soul with eclectic energy and beautiful beats. They seem to be an up and comer that is on fast track for sucess in the international world of music. They are a must see. If you enjoy Soul,Afrobeat,and Roots music then it is imperative that you give this band a listen. Go to their myspace
here......
http://www.myspace.com/bluekingbrown

            After the phenominal set by Blue King Brown there was a short break. This was at about 9pm. The sold out and excited crowd in the heart of New York City was ready for the group they came to see. But before they were ready to come rock new york city like never before two people had a few words to say on stage. A mother and father of an Iraqi war vet that were part of a group(I didnt catch the name) spoke a bit about how they
like many military families struggled every day with the fact that their son might not come home from the war. They went on to tell us how they were one of the lucky ones to have their son return from duty safely. They said many military families that were not so lucky are now in a contant state of grief due to the current state of the world. After the mother finished speaking it was the fathers turn. He said a few words and ended with saying the powerful Spearhead title song "POWER TO THE PEACEFUL". Support the Troops!

           At about 9:15pm you could see band members Carl Young(bass),Dave Shoul(guitar),Manas Itiene(drums),and Raliegh Neal(keys) making their way into their spots on the dimly lit stage. At the same time you could hear Michael Franti backstage freestyling a mellow rhyme and taking the concert off it's feet. He was in the words of Carl Young "taking us to a whole another mental level". If you weren't ready to get emotional at this point then you never would be.
            Michael and the boys began to blast out classic songs from Bob Marley like "Get up,Stand Up"(tease) and "I shot the Sheriff"(tease). Soon later Spearhead went into their hit songs such as Yell Fire,"Everyone deserves music","Rock the nation",and my personal favorite "Lies,Lies, Lies". "Lies,Lies,Lies" is song about having a your girlfriend lie to you about the suffering around the world. It also brings up points about having problems with "your bank account being too full" and "hoping that the taxman lost his way". This song is so special to my heart beacuse I often feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. "Lies,Lies,Lies" offers you the chance to pretend that "the whole is wonderful" and perfect and everyone lives in peace and harmony. It's a fantastic fantasy but probably not realistic. But who is to blame us for dreaming about it right?

   Sean with Michael Franti after the show

            The Nokia Theater is a capacity of 2,100 but even though it was sold out my date Dani and I were able to make it all the way down to the general admission area right in front on the left side of the stage. At certain points Michael was looking right in our eyes while giving off such positive energy. We were on the position of the stage where guitarist Dave Shul was stationed and he provided incredible jams,riffs, and licks that proved how dynamic of a guitarist he is. I'm so happy he is in this band. At one point he did something I thought was really cool. He was using his corona bottle as a finger slider and going up and down the fretboard while picking away with his other hand. It sounded almost as good as when he was playing normally. The fun part was seeing Carl Young come over and look over Daves shoulder in admiration while the crowd cheered
in enjoyment. Carl Young is the man too. What a duo!!

            Some of Michael's and Spearheads new songs are called "I know I'm not alone" and "Time to come home". He played these songs with dignity and honor resulting in tears not only from me but also
from others in the crowd. "I know I'm not alone" is a title track to Michaels movie about his journey into Iraq,Gaza,Isreal and etc. He went there about a year or so ago to find and talk to the people of these countries and see how they were feeling about the war. This movie is a must see. He also manages to find good music in this region and play in the street for children,in hospitals,and even for U.S. Troops serving in Iraq. Many of them enjoyed Michaels company and most said that the only thing they would like is to "come home". You can purchase the movie at the following links......
http://www.spearheadvibrations.com
http://www.myspace.com/spearheadvibrations

            Michael went on to calm things down a bit after getting everybody jumping and having a blast. He went into acoustic songs and talked about some of his expierences. Dani and I walked back to the merch table during the last song where after the show Michael was singing autographs and taking pictures. We got in line and when he finished playing but the line got a bit out of control. However, security did a good job getting it organized despite complaints from disgruntled ticketholders. It's not easy being security but these guys did a great clean up job and everyone got their chance to visit briefly with Michael. It's truly special when an artist decides that they are going to brave a meet and greet before or after the show. It gives the concertgoer a chance to buy merchandise and have them sign it and even sometimes take pictures with them. Michael is a man of the people and he was going to make sure everyone got their chance. Thank you Michael for being you. We love you for it.

            This was probably the best show I've seen all year and definately the best one I've seen at Nokia. I'd like to thank AEG Live for opening this new venue a couple years ago. Nokia has great national and regional acts perform there and I feel privlaged to have seen two shows there.
             On the ride home I felt truly blessed. I really feel someone likes me in the spiritual world to have such great oppurtunites like this one. Thanks Michael and Spearhead,Blue King Brown,Nokia, and all of the spearits. Power to the peaceful!!!!

LBT News

LBT News (18.07.2007)

Hello music fans and welcome to our section entitled LBT news. Here you will find the latest updates and what is new at livebandstouring.com. ALSO BE SURE AND SCROLL

DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE WHEN

CLICKING MENUS ON THE LEFT.

06-28-10

Hi Folks,

Well it's been a long time since our last update but boy have we been busy here at LBT. We did a phone interview with New Orleans Artist Mia Borders. Mia went to high school here in Connecticut. You can view this interview on our youtube channel here..........

Mia Borders Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Og6fyjqdo

We also created a promo video which gives a brief synopsis of some of our youtube videos. You can view the promo video here.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtVMWHgVh8g

And most recently (On 06-26-10) we were out at SphereCamp in Oxford, CT to flim what was a real happening time. For more info on SphereCamp check out www.tryouttoys.com

Check out our SphereCamp Video here......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKaWWhqEjCY

Also congratulations to Jerry Kane who won tickets to see Yes and Peter Frampton at Moehgan Sun Casino and Resort. Jerry answered a trivia question correctly on our facebook page.

Stayed tuned for more info and lots of upcoming concerts on livebandstouring.com. And be sure and check our facebook page at www.facebook.com/livebandstouring

Happy Summer Tours,

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

01-19-10-

Check out this show this weekend......

01-17-10-

Happy New Year Folks......!!!!!

As usual we have much to report this year on the local Connecticut music scene.

We have completed our Artist Interview/Video Shoot with Article 19 on Jan 2nd 2010 at The Space in Hamden. It was a real pleasure to be back at the Space. ( www.thespace.tk )

The Interview with Article 19 is now available on our youtube channel at www.youtube.com/livebandstouring

This Interview marks the Debut of our Production Manager Chris D'Alessandro as the interviewer. Chris is often the person who is filming the bands and developing the footage in the production studio. But this is a first look at her as a interviewer and look to see more of her in Artist Interviews in the future.

Check out these pics from the show..........

We also have a NEW scheduled Artist Interview with Bronze Radio Return at Black Eyed Sally's in Hartford, CT on January 30th at 9pm. Check out Bronze Radio Return on myspace at;

http://www.myspace.com/bronzeradioreturn

Look for more ticketgiveaways this year to the hottest shows in Connecticut, more local music coverage, more Artist Interviews and Video Shoots, and hopefully we will finally get our shopping carts with Music Items up this year. Much in store so be sure and always stay tuned. Same Band Time.....Same Band Channel.

Till next time,

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

12-26-09-

Hi Folks,

We just wanted to wish all of you a Happy Holiday Season.

As usual we've got alot in store for 2010 at livebandstouring.com.

On Jan 2nd 2010 we will be doing an Video Shoot with Article 19 at The Space in Hamden, CT. Article 19 is opening up for Ryan Cabrera and this show is expected to be sold out.

For more info go to......

www.thespace.tk

www.myspace.com/article19music

Also if your looking for some good time family fun you should go to Toad's Place tonight. Shakedown will be playing with good time family fun artist known as String Band. For more info go to....

www.toadsplace.com

www.myspace.com/stringbandnow

www.myspace.com/shakedownct
www.shakedown.net

Stay tuned for more updates and more to come from livebandstouring.com.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Cheers,

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

11-23-09-

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! CHECK OUT THIS

BANNER AND GO SEE THIS SHOW IF YOUR IN

HARTFORD, CT THIS WEEK......

11-17-09-

Hello,

We added a few videos from Larry's 4th of July Underground Parade and Music festival to our youtube channel. The family photo, the parade, a couple songs from String Band, and one song from Not Here Band are on there and can also be seen on our home page in the far left.

We are currently looking for new bands to interview and film. If you are interested please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Have a great holiday!!

Cheers,

Sean

08-13-09-

Hi,

We are currently developing footage from our filming of Not Here Band at Larry's Fourth of July Underground Parade in Morris, CT. Updates to follow.

We will also be attending Elemental Energy Expo Labor Day weekend Sept 5th and 6th in Monroe, CT. We hope to film bands if they agree to this weekend. Stay tuned for more updates.

Have a great weekend.

Cheers,

Sean

07-05-09-

Happy 4th of July Weekend everyone!!!

Livebandstouring.com is pleased to annouced the release of two artist Interviews. Firstly, check out our Artist/Interview and Video Shoot with Depth Quartet from Corner Pocket on 02-27-09 here........

http://www.archive.org/details/DepthQuartet_262

Also check out our Interview with Shakedown from Toads Place on 06-13-09 here.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__zCYfUcsw4

Happy Independence Day weekend!!!

06-14-09-

We are please to annouced that we have released our String Band Artist Interview/Video Shoot. It can be viewed here.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBytdG5PMOM

We also completed a Artist Interview/Video Shoot last night with Shakedown at Toad's Place in New Haven, CT. That show is currently in Production and will be released soon.

We have another Artist Interview/Video Shoot scheduled for this Friday 06-19-09 with Article 19 at Blue Back Square. Harris Decker from The Truth About Music blog will be conducting this interview.

And with the annoucement of our String Band release we will now have a ticketgiveaway.
Livebandstouring.com is giving away two tickets to Bob Dylan, John Mellancamp, and Willie Nelson at New Britian Stadium on Wed. July 15,2009 at 5:30pm. You must be a registered user to be eligible for this ticketgiveaway. Whoever post on our forums the most will win the ticketgiveaway. Be sure and enter on our ticketgiveaway page also.

Have a great summer,

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

05-26-09-

Livebandstouring.com is proud to be doing alot of Artist Interviews this year. In cooperation with 8thestate.com we have finished the Depth Quartet Artist Interview/Video Shoot. It appears google is no longer allowing uploads. So we are looking into a new format to upload Artist Interviews/Video Shoots. This will take us a long time to figure out. In the meantime we will be uploading clips from the full film on our youtube channel at www.youtube.com/livebandstouring.

We also completed a Artist Interview/Video Shoot with String on 05-02-09. This one was a real pleasure and alot of fun. It is currently in production and we hope to have it released over the summer.

Livebandstouring.com is also proud to annouce that our next Artist Interview/Video shoot will be with Connecticut's Premier Grateful Dead Tribute band known as "Shakedown". We will be at the 06-13-09 Toad's Place gig to film and interview the band. To find out more about Shakedown check out their website at www.shakedown.net.

We've got some other things planned for this year(i.e. shopping cart with products) so stayed stuned for more info on that.

And as always..........whenever we release a Artist Interview.......we have a ticketgiveaway. So.......once Depth Quartet's Artist interview is released on our site(via youtube).......we will be giving away another hot set of tickets to a local area show. So always be sure and come back to LBT.com and post on our forums to win free tickets. Only registered members are eligible for ticketgiveaways.

We hope you all are having a great summer!!! There is a ton of great shows out there this year. Enjoy the music!!!

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

05-02-09-

Tonight at Avon Old Farms Inn in Avon, CT is "A Grateful Dead Jubliee" w/Big Rhythum Wine, Legion of Jerry, and String Band. It starts at 5pm till about 2am. This is a incredible place and it's also rumored to be haunted. Perhaps Jerry Garcia's spirit will appear a the Inn. In the spirit of the recent Dead Tour Livebandstouring.com will be doing a Video Shoot/Artist Interview with String Band. We will have the clips available on our youtube channel a few days after the show. Come on down and enjoy the fun with us. $7 at the door.

04-24-09

The short cuts from the Depth Quartet show at Corner Pocket in Orange, CT on 02-27-09 are now available on our youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/livebandstouring

Some of the clips can also be viewed on the left panel of our website.

DO YOU NEED A TICKET FOR THE DEAD IN HARTFORD ON SUNDAY?

DO YOU NEED A MIRACLE EVERYDAY?

If so look for livebandtouring in and around the venue lots at the XL Center on Sunday 04-26-09 after 4pm. We'll be giving away miracles to some lucky folks. You better know your dead facts though. Or at least show some enthusiaism for livebandstouring.

See you on tour!!!!!

04-04-09

On 03-29-09 we did a Artist Interview with Uncle John of Weslyan Universities Radio Program Dead Air (88.1 FM WESU Middletown, CT). Dead Air is live every Sunday at 7:30pm. For more info on Dead Air visit this link.....

http://www.deadair881.net

You can view this interview on our artist interview page here.......

http://livebandstouring.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=39

The Dead Air Interview can also be viewed on our youtube channel here.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMsS6C3vGRs

The Depth Quartet Artist Interview is now 90% done. Some last minute tweaking is taking place and the final product will be ready. Thanks to www.8thestate.com this video will be like nothing you have ever seen before from Livebandstouring.com. We will also be having a ticketgiveaway this month when the Depth Quartet Interview is debuted. It will be a jamband related show in the spirit of Depth Quartet. Only members registered with livebandstouring.com will be eligble for this ticketgiveaway. Posting on our fourms will also be required to win. Stay tuned for the official annoucement on this ticketgiveaway.

Bring on summer tours!!!!!!!

The Crew at Livebandstouring.com

3-20-09

Hello out there. The Depth Quartet video shoot/Artist Interview is currently in production and about 75% done. We should definately have it finished by early April. The interview was conducted by Walt B. of the jam band "In the Dark" and included Scott Murawski and Greg Vasso. This will be featured in the in Artist Interview section of our site and will include the entire Depth Quartet performance. We will also have clips on youtube channel which you can view here.......http://www.youtube.com/livebandstouring

Check out these pics from our Artist Interview with Scott Murawski and Greg Vasso of Depth Quartet......

02-10-09

Hello music fans!!!!! Livebandstouring.com is back........!!!!!! And we have great news. Livebandstouring.com with the help of http://www.8thestate.com will be doing a filming(and hopefully an artist interview) with Depth Quartet on Feb.27th,2009 at Corner Pocket in Orange, CT. Show starts at 9pm. Depth Quartet consists of Scott Murawski(of Max Creek,The Bill Kreutzmann Trio,and the Mike Gordon Band),Greg Vasso, and Justin Kolack. Check out their website/myspace at http://www.depthquartet.com

Also performing this night will be out old friends Legion of Jerry which we will also film. Be and sure and check out Legion of Jerry at http://www.legionofjerry.com

We will also be doing another ticketgiveaway once the Depth Quartet Artists Interview is produced and up on our site. So be sure and stay tuned to our site for that.

So come on down to Corner Pocket on Feb.27th,2009 at 9pm and watch us work,drink good beers and liquors, and jam out and rock out to some great tunes.

06-29-08

Check out our new Artist Interview/Video Shoot with Legion of Jerry at the Westville Artwalk in New Haven, CT from 05-10-08 here......http://livebandstouring.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=39

With the release of this video and in the spirit of Jerry Garcia we would like to annouce our new ticketgiveaway for 2 pavillon seats to see The Allman Brothers with Ratdog at the Dodge Music Center on 08-20-08 at 8pm.
To be eligible register with livebandstouring.com and then go to our ticketgiveaway page and fill out the form. Increase your chances of winning by posting on our fourms.

06-05-08-
We have a new ticketgiveaway for Gov't Mule at Ives Concert Park in Danbury, CT on Sat. July 26, 2008 at 5:30pm. You must be registered with livebandstouring.com to be eligible for this ticketvgiveaway. Once registered login and click on the ticketgiveaway menu and then click on the ticketgiveaway form at the bottom of the page. Fill out all required fields and hit submit. Post on our forums to increase your chances of winning. This ticketgiveaway will end on June 20th so enter today.

NOTE; for those that tried to enter the ticketgiveaway between June 3rd and JUne 5th before 6pm and could not register we apologize. The issue is fixed now and you should be able to register and enter just fine now. We apologize for any inconvinence this may have casused.

05-20-08-
We conducted a Artist Interview/Video shoot with Connecticut local band Legion of Jerry at the Westville Art Walk in New Haven, CT on 05-10-2008. Legion of Jerry is a Jerry Garcia Tribute Band that does mostly JGB tunes but also a few more songs in simliar genres. Check them out at http://www.legionofjerry.com or at http://www.myspace.com/legionofjerry

The video shoot/Artist Interview is currently in production. We took some average quailty video with a second camera which can be see on our youtube channel here..........http://www.youtube.com/livebandstouring

Stay tuned for full coverage of the Westville Art Walk Legion of Jerry show.

We've also got another deadhead type ticketgiveaway coming very soon. Remember those who post on the forums will have the best chance of winning tickets. Keep checking back for more updates on this.

04/28/08-
Livebandstouring.com has scheduled a interview with Legion of Jerry on May 10th for the Westville Art Walk in New Haven, CT in front of Delaney's Tap Room. Legion of Jerry is a band that does Jerry Garcia band songs as well as other songs from various artists. The name Legion of Jerry comes from a band Jerry Garcia was in called Legion of Mary. You can listen to tunes from Legion of Jerry at
http://www.legionofjerry.com or on their myspace at http://www.myspace.com/legionofjerry
Come on down and enjoy the fun. Delaney's Tap Room has a ton of beers on tap.

We are working on setting up a ticketgiveaway for another national act at a major Theatre in Connecticut. More details to come soon. Those who login and post on the livebandstouring.com forums have a better chance at winning ticketgiveaways.

More later,
Sean

04/08/08-

Hello again music fans. We are currently working on setting up a video shoot and artist interview with a local CT band for May. Stay tuned for more updates on that.

We will try to conduct more artist interviews and video shoots this year in Connecticut. Anyone interested in taking part in these interviews/video shoots as an artist/band or as a reporter/interviewer contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

There should be another ticketgiveaway coming soon as well. Always be sure and login/register for ticketgiveaways.

Be sure and visit our forums to post info about your band,find out contact information,tell us about your favorite bands and write your own concert reviews.

This is just a small hint of what's to come this summer from livebandstouring.com. Stay tuned.

03/01/08-

We at Livebandstouring.com have decided to give it another college try and stick it out a bit longer. We've decided websites take time to develop and can often take years to reach their true capabilities.

But we can't do it without your help. We want to hear from you. What is it that you would like to see happen at livebandstouring.com??? What do you currently enjoy about LBT.com? What can we do to make things better for your expierence with our website? Please give us some feedback at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . All those who give feedback will be entered into a drawing for a prize to be announced at a later date.

Also we have reinstated our message boards. So feel free to post away. As you may know some of us that work on Livebandstouring.com work for venues in Connecticut so this is a good place to get your band noticed. Feel free to post your bands youtube videos or links to your website. Objectionable material will be deleted and spammers will be pursed via applicable internet piracy laws.

So were sticking around here at LBT.com. There will be ticketgiveaways again this summer, a new product line, and more artist interviews. But we really need your input to give us a reason why we should keep going. Send all feedback to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stay tuned for more updates and be sure and login to be eligable for all ticketgiveaways.