This summer Michael Franti & Spearhead headlined a tour called Soulshine, marketed with the tagline “Music. Yoga. Tour,” which I was fortunate enough to attend. Also featured were SOJA, Brett Dennen, Trevor Hall, Sonna Rele, and several DJs.

This tour was truly one of a kind, featuring a daytime mass yoga session, paired with live acoustic music. At night, all of the artists joined together for a dynamic, lively, and unforgettable concert. Although the artists had their own aesthetic, they were unified by their passionate performances and message of love. Although a variety of music was played, each artist seemed to be in some way influenced by reggae.

Michael Franti has been performing for years, his earlier music particularly notable for its strong political messages about religion, international conflicts, and violence. More recently, Franti has stepped away from harsher political music, instead focusing on spreading a message of peace and love. His latest album was titled “All People” and featured songs speaking to the acceptance, celebration, and unity of people from all different backgrounds.

SOJA, an acronym for “Soldiers of Jah Army,” have remained one of the most popular reggae and dub bands since the debut of their second full length album in 2006. Their most recent album “Amid The Noise and Haste” was released on August 12th of this year, topping the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Similar to Franti, SOJA have also dedicated much of their music to promoting political messages. The seventh track on Amid The Noise and Haste, “Promises and Pills (feat. Alfred the MC),” addresses the cruelties of war plaguing soldiers long after they return home. Franti was also featured on one of the singles of this new album entitled “I Believe”, which he co-wrote. Nahko, from the group Nahko and Medicine for the People, was featured as another talented artist with a social conscious.

All performing artists featured at this concert were incredible live, putting on a wonderful show that had nearly everyone up and dancing. Franti especially had a strong stage presence. He was also very interactive with the audience, pulling people to sing with him several times throughout the show, serenading a girl on her birthday, walking off of the stage to sing in the crowd, and throwing beach balls to the spectators during one of his livelier songs.

I highly recommend all of these artists. If you’re particularly interested in Franti or SOJA I would also suggest the group Nahko and Medicine for the People (a personal favorite of mine) and Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley, the youngest son of music legend Bob Marley. Trevor Hall has a more alternative sound, infusing Sanskrit chanting, rock, folk, and reggae into his music. Vocally, he is extremely comparable to the artist Hozier. Dennen also has a much different style than the others; his music is very folksy. His voice has a similar sound to that of the artist Passenger. Sonna Rele, recently signed by NE-YO, is clearly more influenced by pop music than the other performers. She possesses an excellent vocal range and considers Michael Jackson and Nelly Furtado great influences.

SOJA, Hall, and Dennen are all currently touring.