ARISE Music Festival

Revolutionary music may seem hard to come by in these days and times. Long gone is the era of artists like Bob Marley, The Clash, Stevie Wonder and Patti Smith getting airplay and bringing their messages to the masses. But that doesn’t mean that the revolution isn’t still brewing in the hearts and minds of many people around the globe. For Mike Love the revolution is still brewing, and he is using his music to spread the message worldwide. ARISE Music Festival 2016 is very excited to collaborate with Mike Love.

Meet Mike Love. One of reggae music’s rising stars.
Born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii to a musical family that spans generations, Mike Love brings a multitude of influences to the table, all tied together by the common goal of making the world a better place. These influences will help diversify the ARISE Music Festival line up.

Love grew up in Kalama Valley about 5 minutes from Sandy Beach. Love identifies himself as a spiritual person, but not religious. Music has been an integral part of Love’s existence since before he can remember. Love always remember singing, just singing wherever and whenever, no matter how bad he felt it sounded, he just always loved to sing. Love played a few different instruments and finally settled down on the guitar at around 16. Soon after, he started writing songs, many horrible songs. He wrote at least 50 before he actually produced one he was proud of.

His main musical influence came from family and friends. Love feels so lucky to have been raised in a musical family, growing up watching his Dad and Grandpa write songs, it really had a big impact on him.

Mike Love also feels heavily influenced by the beautiful land he was so lucky to be raised in. The islands that he calls home are filled with such diverse beauty and mystery, that you can’t help but develop a poetic nature from living there. The beautiful forests, the deep carved valleys, the rivers that run to the sea. The immensely powerful ocean, with its healing energy, and the long sandy beaches and rock cliffs. Love feels like growing up there has given him a perspective that you just can’t get in most places. It manifests itself in the lyrics that repeatedly show up his my songs, reflecting on Mother Nature and her gifts, and our responsibility to protect Her.

Over the past few years Love’s fan base has grown immensely and the support has driven him to work harder than ever, musically. Love has crafted a live show that continuously draws in new fans, and keeps the old ones coming back again and again.

Through the grassroots method of releasing his albums independently, on his own Love Not War Records label, and performing 250 plus shows a year, Love has built an ever growing following for his unique and inspiring music.

He has toured with many artists in the circles of conscious, roots music, including Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, Nahko and many more. Over the past few years he performed to enthusiastic audiences at the California Roots Festival, Wakarusa, Wanderlust and the Montreal Jazz Fest, just to name a few.