He stood tall, unmistakable among the crowd. At 6-foot-6 (“above sea level”, according to one of his tunes), Michael Franti stands tall among most crowds. His individuality was as much the case growing up as it was amid fans and friends on the night we spoke. He was a conspicuous presence in San Quentin the day before. Video confirms his scope and appearance to be no less distinct as far away as Iraq, Palestine and Israel. Michael Franti, mountainous and dreadlocked, frequently barefoot, and armed only with his words and his guitar, is quite the vision to behold, no matter your point of view.

I was excited to conduct what he told me was his first interview for a Davis publication. We spoke before he took the stage at a benefit concert on the second floor of a restaurant in downtown San Francisco, the city he now calls home. His manager found us a quiet room in which to talk, a rare entity in a restaurant hosting a rock concert. We began the conversation about his remarkable life at its inception.

“I think I had a pretty unique childhood,” Michael recalled. “I was born in Oakland and I grew up in Davis. My family is a mixed family. My parents are white. I have two sisters and a brother who are born from my parents. I've got another brother who's black who was also adopted.”