Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Here Comes the Sun

Michael Franti is like a harbinger of the season — wherever he goes, summer follows. While the musician’s been known to dabble in everything from punk to rap to hip-hop, the songs on his latest album — aptly named The Sound of Sunshine — are buoyant and spiritually affirming. As American Songwriter put it, “He hones his upbeat, reggae-tinged jam-band songs to a particularly gleaming state, making peers like Jack Johnson and Xavier Rudd seem like mopey goths in comparison.” So “Say Hey (I Love You)” when he sets up stage at the Champlain Valley Expo with his band Spearhead in tow. Saints of Valory open.