Sage Francis – Showbams

Sage Francis spits brutally-honest lyrics with spoken-word flare

February 4, 2015 by Nikki de Martini 1 Comment

Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Nikki DeMartini //

Sage Francis with Jel //
Mezzanine – San Francisco
January 30th, 2015 //

It was a few minutes before midnight when Sage Francis took the stage following a couple different guest DJ sets Friday night at Mezzanine. Scheduled openers The Metermaids from Brooklyn had to cancel due to a blizzard on the East Coast.

It’s been less than a year since Francis’ last show in SF, and the innovative rapper from Rhode Island gave fans a performance unmatched to any other solo hip-hop artist, bursting with his unique sound, style and grace.

He hit the stage wrapped in a Strange Famous flag (as a tribute to his record label) with nothing more than a microphone and a laptop laden with original instrumental beats to carry him through the set.

While a majority of Francis’ setlist weighed heavily on tracks from his older albums than more recent releases like last year’s Copper Gone, he wholeheartedly spit his brutally-honest lyrics with a certain attention-grabbing swagger and spoken-word flare. The captivated crowd felt compelled to dance as they cheered him on throughout his lively and humbly-engaging performance.

Francis has a few more shows lined up in March on the East Coast before he returns to California in late May for a night at Corona’s M15 Concert Bar & Grill. Hopefully it’s not another four years before we hear new music from one of SF’s favorite, off-beat rappers so we can jump back on the Sage train soon.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Jel, Mezzanine, Sage Francis

SF Shows of the Week // GO4FREE to Sage Francis or Rainbow Girls

January 29, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Written by Josh Herwitt //

Win a pair of free tickets to one of our SF Shows of the Week by entering your name and email below.

• Sage Francis: January 30th (FRI) @ Mezzanine
• Rainbow Girls: January 31st (SAT) @ The Fillmore

Sage Francis: January 30th (FRI) @ Mezzanine // BUY TICKETS
Rhode Island rapper and spoken word poet Sage Francis returns to the City this Friday night after delivering positive vibes among politically-charged rhymes at The Independent back in June. Francis, who is a member of the contemporary spoken word movement, has been touring the world in support of his fifth and newest studio album Copper Gone, which he released last year on his very own label Strange Famous Records. Backing up Francis at Mezzanine will be Brooklyn underground hip-hop duo Metermaids, also on Strange Famous Records, and Oakland alternative hip-hop MC/producer and Anticon record label co-founder Jeffrey James Logan, better known by his stage name Jel.

Contest ends Friday, January 30th at Noon.

Rainbow Girls: January 31st (SAT) @ The Fillmore // BUY TICKETS
Bay Area ladies, this one is just for you. This Saturday night, The Fillmore welcomes Rainbow Girls, The Hot Toddies, The She’s and Kendra McKinley for its first-ever all-female show. Hailing from Santa Barbara and Sebastopol, the five gals who make up Rainbow Girls offer a gypsy-inspired mix of stomp folk, rock ‘n’ roll and Americana all rolled up into one sound. Just a few weeks ago, the band released its new song “Step Down From the Mountain,” and fans should get to hear plenty from its debut album The Sound of Light. The Bay Area will also be well-represented at the show, as Oakland indie/surf-pop outfit The Hot Toddies, which is celebrating their 10-year anniversary as a band, SF dream/surf-pop act The She’s and SF singer-songwriter Kendra McKinley will open things up.

Contest ends Friday, January 30th at Noon.

Follow Showbams on Twitter for more contest giveaways throughout the week. Be the first to respond to our contest tweets to GO4FREE to these shows:

• Jukebox the Ghost: January 30th (FRI) @ Slim’s
• Chuck Prophet: January 31st (SAT) @ Great American Music Hall
• Afrolicious: January 31st (SAT) @ The Chapel

Pick the show you would like to attend from the dropdown, then enter your name (First and Last) along with your email. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on the day the contest ends (details above).

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Afrolicious, Chuck Prophet, Great American Music Hall, Jukebox the Ghost, Mezzanine, Rainbow Girls, Sage Francis, Slims, The Chapel, The Fillmore

Sage Francis gives positive vibes among politically-charged rhymes

June 19, 2014 by Marc Fong Leave a Comment

By Marc Fong //

Sage Francis with B. Dolan //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 16th, 2014 //

Paul “Sage” Francis was, per usual, full of high energy at The Independent on Monday. The hip-hop artist appeared in his Sage Francis cape (it’s a flag with the Li(f)e album cover). He wore a ball cap that he took off a couple songs in. He also sported a veil of spiky black hair, which he took off later in the set, revealing his glorious bald head with black sharpie lines that feigned a comb over.

Ever the animated spitter, he crossed the stage what felt like a million times to make sure he addressed everyone. He emits a positive vibe, even though his lyrics are politically charged and thought-provoking. He plays up to and with the crowd, at one point getting lost in the flame of a fan’s lighter, and another fan held up his fake leg at one point.

Touring in support his new record Copper Gone (listen below), it was a pretty rad show, with B. Dalton fully delivering as the opener. One of the most important lessons of the night still lingers in the air: “Slow and steady wins the race fuckface.”