Fact: My first 'hip hop' concert was Nelly the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Fact: Having a dozen or so of your entourage aimlessly wandering around the stage while you perform a measly 45 minutes before walking offstage is not 'hip hop'. That's a joke as a performing artist. But to call Sage Francis hip hop also doesn't quite fit the bill. For those of you who don't know about Sage's background, he's a student of the spoken word movement, participating and winning MC battles and poetry slam competitions. Hip hop? I don't think so. I would consider him a lyricist and that was apparent when he flexed his freestyle muscle at Granada Theater last month.
I was very impressed with Sage's performance, particularly his newer material. I enjoyed the incorporation of a live band with this creative lyrics as opposed to his earlier work in which he would use a sample or backing track; I think it makes his songs more dynamic. Standout tracks like "Little Houdini" and "The Best of Times", both from Li(f)e, showcased Sage's diversity from lightning fast lyrics to the down tempo, singer-songwriter rhymes of "...Times". I was very happy to have caught Sage, despite my lack of knowledge of his catalog, because he declared his indefinite hiatus following his current tour. So do yourself a favor and pick a copy of Li(f)e or catch Sage before he hangs up his towel. Pictures and videos of the show are below.
This has become a not so uncommon theme for my site, going to a concert to catch the opening band rather than the headliner, i.e. the Babies, Rain Machine, Male Bonding, Freelance Whales. So not surprising, when I started to line up some shows in Dallas I had the chance to come across the wonderful Middle East, who were opening for Mumford & Sons at the Cambridge Room at the House of Blues.
First off, the Cambridge Room is a great venue space; intimate enough to feel part of the show but large enough to draw a generous crowd for great indie acts stopping in Dallas. I can't comment too much about the sound quality, as I was standing right in front of the left PA's; overall, the music sounded great but I'm sure that it would have sounded better toward the middle or back of the room. Too bad I was standing up front for the Middle East's set, as their music is absolutely amazing. The Middle East wowed the unsuspecting crowd, most of which were in attendance to see Mumford & Sons, with their diverse sound and great musicianship. They drew the most applause after their fantastic performance of "Blood", where many around me were in awe and drew responses like "that was awesome" or "they are really, really good". They were really good.
I'm not gonna lie, I did not know much about Mumford & Sons' music before attending but had heard good things about their live shows. And you know what? They do have a great live show. Their sound is only what I can describe as uptempo folk or folk rock, they really whipped the Cambridge Room into a frenzy with their stirring string playing and simple but energetic percussive beats; I can see why Mumford draws such a following in Texas, as their sound almost translates into an alternative folk or country. They had a pretty solid live set but their music isn't particularly my cup of tea. Overall, a great night of music at a pretty great venue. Pictures and a video of the show are below:
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