Michael Franti & Spearhead

Michael Franti & Spearhead was the headline act with their positive music and “Stay Human” message. “Stay Human means to hold onto one’s humanity, spirit and open-heartedness in a complex, fast-paced and sometimes crazy world,” says Franti. Among the recent, mainstream radio hits for these national recording artists at the time was “Say Hey (I Love You).” Their newest album release was titled “The Sound of Sunshine.” Michael Franti has crossed all sorts of musical and physical boundaries in order to make music for everybody. Always upbeat, everyone will be moving their body to the tune of this group. michaelfranti.com

Cloud Cult

Cloud Cult is a Minnesota favorite that also focuses its musical messages on the bigger picture of life and how we’re all connected. As the New York Times put it, you’ll see them literally fill the stage, “singing kaleidoscopic invocations of the life force.” Very engaging and interpretive, this group usually incorporates art into its live performance as well – a complete show on its own that is not to be missed.  cloudcult.com

Sarah Krueger

There’s something about the human voice that can transcend. Whether it’s transcending into our most primal emotions or back through our past memories, the power in a musical voice can captivate the impenetrable. Pair that with unadorned and relatable lyrics, and you have a foundation that will pull you in. Sarah Krueger, an emerging artist from Duluth, first featured her signature voice with a minimalist americana and pop folk sound in her first effort, Running. The six songs are laced with influences from the cold hillside city in which she lives, as well as a tasteful delve into the most fundamental themes that encompass us all.

Her newest full length album, Dancing With Phantoms, focuses on combining an honest folk-rock presence with gospel and roots undertones to create a batch of songs with more breadth and depth than her previously released songs. It promises a well rounded taste of Sarah’s straightforward and earnest songwriting.

James Moors

James Moors is heralded by Steve Morse, longtime Boston Globe writer, as “Sharing some of the same melodic gifts of Neil Finn, enhanced by a warm-hearted spirit that makes you want to hear more.” Born and raised in Minneapolis and making the Twin Ports his family’s home, Moors lists the songwriting of Shawn Colvin and Martin Sexton as responsible for his current path.

Pete Feigal: An international speaker on mental health who provides a gripping insight into the stigma surrounding mental illness. Spending a lot of time speaking in Israel, Palestine and Central America, Pete has also become one of the most requested speakers on mental illness in our own country.  We’ll look to him for hope, through humor and heartbreak, in eliminating discrimination toward the mentally ill and other members of our community.  petefeigal.com

Xavier Bell: A motivational speaker and the Community Engagement Program Manager at Community Action Duluth. He has fifteen years of experience working with diverse communities to strengthen and develop social assets through positions held in community and faith-based organizations across the country. A leader with a strong message, Bell offers a very forthright analysis of human issues in our community to help spur the positive changes needed. communityactionduluth.org

Sarah Shourd): One of three Americans that were detained in Iranian prison for allegedly crossing the Iran border. She addressed the crowd at the 2011 Bridge Festival to raise awareness around the Free The Hikers campaign to free Shane Bauer (not the festival organizer, but same name) and Josh Fattal. All three hikers are now back in America and Sarah and Shane are now married.