Just by looking at the tattooed, dreadlocked Michael Franti, you can tell he marches to the beat of his own drum. By listening to him, you can tell he sings to it, too. Over a fusion of reggae, hip-hop, rock and jazz, his records touch on social-justice issues, war, religion and politics, and though his sunny romp “Say Hey (I Love You)” gave him a crossover hit in 2009, more notable are his provocative lyrics like “You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace,” which made it onto T-shirts and protest signs in the wake of 9/11.
Michael Franti
Tonight @ Miller Lite Oasis, Summerfest, 10 p.m.
