Live And In The Flesh
Sage Francis - May 15, 2010
Kapacity Entertainment in Ottawa had been starting to bring through some pretty serious Hip Hop acts to the city around this time. A few of us caught a Brother Ali show down at the Ritual Nightclub the month before this, which turned out to be just the beginning of some pretty amazing small club shows. Ritual appeared to be the new place in town where bands would come through to play who hadn't quite made it big just yet, or were riding the underground scene. Most Hip Hop shows had been staying south of the border and we were lucky if we were able to catch them in Toronto or Montréal. Kapacity and Ritual had begun to change all of that. With a capacity of between 500-1000 people, you were guaranteed a nice, intimate show whenever you were able to catch a live act down at Ritual.
This Saturday night show down in Ottawa would only take it to another level. While we were waiting out front for the doors to open we were greeted by Sage Francis as he walked up and down the lineup of attendees thanking everyone for making it out to his show, another advantage of a smaller show. There was a an all-star lineup on the bill and we were ready to experience some true Hip Hop talent. The fact we had even met the guy before getting into Ritual had us fired up! Sage was coming through in support of his latest album, Li(f)e. This tour would prove to be a bit different than most as he was backed up by a live band who were going by the name Free Moral Agents, a psychedelic, jazz, hip hop group based out of Long Beach, California.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Isaiah "Ikey" Owens (former keyboardist of The Mars Volta) was heading the group. Not only were Free Moral Agents backing Sage up, but they were also given the opportunity to play some of their own material to start the night up. We were finally settled into the venue near the end of one of the bars a few feet away from the stage and we had a perfect view of everything. Ikey tore up the keyboard just as he was known for during the times I had seen him perform with The Mars Volta, his hand dexterity was amazing! Sadly we would lose Ikey to a heart attack just four years later. I'm so thankful to have been able to witness such an incredibly talented artist. I'm sure he's jamming pretty hard with the likes of Hendrix these days.
Free Moral Agents had wrapped up their set and we were introduced to one big burly dude with bad-ass handlebars sporting an Evil Knievel suit. We had no idea what to expect from B. Dolan, and he was intense to say the least! Strange Famous Records had been busy taking over the world, and B. Dolan had become Sage's right-hand man. One thing you could count on with these independent labels and the artists they represent was that you were guaranteed passion! B. Dolan poured his heart and soul into his performance, giving it 110% to win over some new fans. B. would interact with the crowd often which provided him with quite the stage presence, everyone was loving him. The full house was chanting along as he belted through his hard-hitting Fallen House Sunken City material. He even brought a fan up on stage to help perform a daredevil stunt which would involve B. Dolan running and jumping over the brave individual. You could tell he had been paying his Hip Hop dues out on the road night after night in these small clubs, honing in on his craft. I was impressed with how hard he came out that night, enough to make sure that I picked up his album to show him the support.
Another advantage of hitting up these small club shows, is the opportunity to meet the artists after the show wraps up. Most artists will hang around afterwards at the merch booth to talk it up with their fans and show a bit of appreciation. Is it weird to want an artist's autograph while you're well into your twenties? I always found it a bit awkward asking, but I do love being able to add things like signed records to my collection! I bit the bullet and chatted it up with B. Dolan and let him know how much I enjoyed his set. I love when I'm introduced to new artists at all of these small club shows. They provide the opportunity to check out similar talent that you may not have given the time of day. Watching videos on the internet doesn't even come close to providing their talents justice, the impact that you get from an artist while you are in their presence is indescribable. Great showmanship, fantastic crowd engagement, some nail-biting Evil Knievel stunts, B. Dolan was simply a true performer all around!
Sage Francis was gearing up to hit the stage, toupée ready, glasses on, some sort of Clark Kent type of charade. Certainly wasn't expecting it and I thought it was a pretty good way to get things started up. I had been looking forward to seeing Sage for quite some time and I'm so happy to have been able to catch him down at an Ottawa gig. I could understand why he decided to bring along a live band to back him throughout this tour. The dynamics that Free Moral Agents brought worked so well with him up on stage that night. They pumped a live element into Sage's set, which was heavy on the Li(f)e tracks. Most if it was new to me and it was all flowing pretty tight. Free Moral Agents helped turn it into so much more than just an MC with a laptop.
There weren't too many classic tracks played that night, although we did get Sea Lion right out of the gate and Specialist, they were pretty great to see live. Hell of a Year and Broken Wings were definitely up there for highlights of the night as well. Wrapping it up with Crack Pipes along with the suitable farewell track The Best of Times made for a perfect outing with ol' Uncle Sage. He was on mark all night, bringing the intensity whenever it was needed and laying it all out there with his most personal album yet. These artists get up there night after night, opening up their hearts and souls to complete strangers and move along to the next city expected to not get caught up within these raw emotions. I can imagine life on the road being a never-ending battle for these guys. The smaller these shows are, the more real these artists seem. I commend them for it.
Sage wrapped up his set and dried himself off side-stage with a towel before making his way over to the merch booth to join B. Dolan. These two guys were genuine to their craft, and genuine to their fans. More than a decade into the game of hitting the stage night after night, they continue to stick around and talk it up after their shows. It didn't matter how big the crowd was following the show, they managed to make it around to each and every one of us who were interested in hanging around for the chance to meet them. Hoping to catch these two again sometime soon just to see how far along they have come with their incredible talent.