06/07/10

Who said the underground rap scene was dead? On Monday night, a sold-out Belly Up Tavern welcomed Strange Famous Records’ revolutionary-bearded duo Sage Francis and B. Dolan to town with open arms and some of the most enthusiastic call-and-response I’ve heard in years. As B. Dolan relayed the opening line from “Joan of Arcadia,” (”Joan of Arc had a dildo named Jesus made of wood from the cross of its namesake”) audible gasps arose from the uninitiated which quickly gave way to knowing laughter. With a voice like a jackhammer and stage presence to spare, Dolan is a prime example of art imitating life. Having founded the consumer awareness site Knowmore.org in 2005, Dolan uses witty spoken word pieces and boom-bap anthems to illuminate social ills ranging from the fallout from the Bhopal disaster to the political career of Sarah Palin. Obviously this style of art can be off-putting when done wrong, but Dolan knows how to use his sense of humor and the earth-shattering beats of Alias to his advantage.

Dolan’s all-too-brief set was primarily a showcase of the impressive Fallen House Sunken City record, which dropped earlier this year. His juxtaposition of “Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer” with M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” got feet moving to tales of corporate greed and his powerful tribute to Marvin Gaye resonated through the jaw-dropped walls of the tavern. Lest things get too heavy, Dolan had a couple tricks up his sleeve such as the Evel Knievel-inspired stunt jump over a fan which has become a trademark of his performance. With momentum at its crescendo, Dolan closed things out with a brilliant, take-no-prisoner rendition of “One Breath Left” to heavy applause from more than a few new fans. …MORE