Michael Franti's Bluesfest Tour Is A Mini-Fest For Yoga Fans

Bluesfest drawcard Michael Franti and his band Spearhead are upping the ante on their already-announced run of Australian sideshows for next April with the revelation that Franti will, for the first time, be bringing his own music and yoga festival, Soulshine, along for the ride.

Soulshine, which will be held during Bluesfest, on April 6, and in separate tour events in Melbourne (April 2) and Sydney (April 5), is a three-act-strong, four-hour-long celebration of good tunes, good vibes and good breathing that features not only Franti & Spearhead but renowned reggae outfit Soja and US-bred troubadour Trevor Hall, as well as an optional, limited-entry, hour-long yoga jam beforehand to make sure you're in as loose a mindset as possible to take in the spectacular on stage.

"A Michael Franti & Spearhead concert is spiritual; it's physical; it's about life and loving life — it's such a wonderful experience," Bluesfest director Peter Noble said in a statement. "We welcome Michael Franti & Spearhead back for an Australian tour for the second time in two years, simply because you can't get enough of the best."

Franti will be backed up more than capably by Virginia-bred reggae veterans Soja, who hit the country fresh from not only having toured here as recently as 2013, but releasing their fifth studio full-length, Amid The Noise And Haste, in the time since. The album yielded a widely praised single, I Believe, which the band co-wrote and performed with Franti and Nahko, of Medicine For The People fame, and it comes following a solid period of performance for the band, who weren't far off releasing fourth LP Strength To Survive (2012) when this record dropped. Still, for such hard-working folks, they promise to be a downtempo, chilled-out prospect with which to follow up your yoga sesh.

South Carolina-bred roots/rock/reggae singer-songwriter and occasional Sanskrit chanter Trevor Hall is prodigious by reputation, having been an able harmonica player since he was eleven years old. His professional career has been similarly precocious, snaring an early spot on the soundtrack for Shrek The Third and joining sold-out tours to rub shoulders with Franti, Nahko, and other heavyweights such as Matisyahu, Steel Pulse, The Wailers, Jimmy Cliff and Colbie Callait. Hall dropped his lauded most recent album, Chapter Of The Forest, this year, five years after his self-titled debut on Vanguard Records helped break him to a swiftly growing audience.

For the serious faithful, the optional hour-long pre-concert yoga jam is available — at limited numbers — as part of the Yoga + Event ticket option, which grants you entry to the bands as well as the chance to practice yoga with a group of like-minded people and, naturally, veteran yogi Franti himself. At Bluesfest, yoga guests will have their session led by Power Living Australia Yoga founder Duncan Peak; Sydney punters are invited to follow their bliss with spiritual spouses and YogaBeyond creators Honza and Claudine Lafond; and Melburnians will meet Power Living Melbourne co-owner Chris Wilson, who'll have you headed to the bands like the ground was made of clouds. BYO yoga mats. All levels welcome.

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If you're not into the yoga side of things, Event Only passes are available too, which grants you all the aural goodness with none of the physical exertion. Tickets for Soulshine Melbourne and Sydney go on sale from 9am this Friday, November 14. Bluesfest tickets are already on sale.

For more information about Bluesfest, see our dedicated event page. If you're interested in catching Franti in the south-eastern capitals or on his wider tour around the country, hit up theGuide or see The Music App.

Michael Franti's Bluesfest Tour Is A Mini-Fest For Yoga Fans

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