Sage Gentle-Wing

"Sage Gentle-Wing is definitely in the top 1 or 2 % of ALL the acts I've featured on my show over the years and that includes national acts! As a singer , songwriter, and guitarist respectively, Sage is a huge talent. The industry needs to find out about this guy!"

-Dave Stafford'Friday Folk Off
KKUP Santa Clara 91.5FM' - DJ quote:

Local singer-songwriter, Sage Gentle-Wing, makes a brief though insightful guest appearance in the film Have You Seen Clem?
His cameo appearance is a teaser as his music reveals a complex character that needs to be described, not just labeled.

Moreover, Gentle-Wing possesses a quality that transcends the term local. Cosmic seems far more appropriate. He is one of those unheralded, yet exceptionally rare individuals who embody the talented “little guy.” In this topsy-turvy, convoluted world of ours, the so-called little guy often turns out to be a mega-monster in talent and musical craftsmanship. If you’re a cognoscente who savors creative troubadour soul quality, chances are you already know Gentle-Wing. If not, you should.

There is a poetic or perhaps spiritual irony in an artist like Gentle-Wing. The world is full of technical entertainers but very few artists. Artists pay a heavy price for their creativity and often appear to be operating in a vacuum of popular approval. On the other hand, technical entertainers must cater to popular approval since their eyes are on the net reward. After all, it’s their targeted audience.

Unlike a technical entertainer, an artist is a creative and enlightened soul, willing to forsake filthy mammon for his or her passionate pursuit of art. The world labels the artist eccentric, perhaps even nuts, but that’s because the artist has a different set of standards from the mainstream – standards that regularly contradict the world’s. Moreover, their standards are uncompromisingly high. Artists spend a lifetime wrestling to conform their work to seemingly unobtainable vision.

So, rather than giving the world what it wants, the artist goes about creating to satisfy an inner spiritual longing. There is soul satisfaction in this, though an artist might himself be living out of a van for being so “impractical.” But, like a prophet of old, an artist stands as a testimony of what is real.

Though the work of the artist is often marginalized, or even worse, totally ignored, an artist continues on a creative crusade. Occasionally, the world might discover and embrace the artist. But almost immediately, it begins to counterfeit the real thing, as if it can control and manipulate something as allusive as creativity

Artists like Gentle-Wing are rare. And though it’s easy to view them as victims of the system, they are far from it. They are champions and defenders of creativity. In a way they are paying a price for all of us who love to experience the true creative genius in music.

- Lyle Duplessie - San Diego Trobadour





- Lyle Duplessie- San Diego Troubador

Wood & Wires

Hearing a name like Sage Gentle-Wing and figuring he was a protégé of smooth jazz feel-good Tuck (of Tuck and Patti fame), one would expect light, airy fare. But Gentle-Wing is an impressive, soulful guitarist and singer, fully aware that grit and gristle are worth their weight in guitar scales. For his show on March 7 at Lestat’s he’ll be previewing the hobo documentary film that includes his music, titled Have You Seen Clem? Further east, guitar legend Paco de Lucia updates Flamenco with modern, almost folk artist’s take on the art at Calif. Center for the Arts, Escondido, March 7. The native of southern Spain comes from a family of pros, mastering Flamenco by the time he was 11 and going on to play with the likes of Chick Corea. In case you missed City Beat’s big feature last week, 2002 U.S. Fiddle Champ Jamie Laval will scorch the night Celtic on March 3 at Dizzy’s. Two standing engagements have become should-see events: The Biddy Bums, a local acoustic duo with good humor and inspiring chops play every Thursday at Lestat’s and Jenn Grinnels, a redhead with a voice that could shake people’s internal organs loose, holds court with Sean O’Donnel (of Reeve Oliver) every Monday at The Blarney Stone Pub in Clairemont. Jack Johnson fans might want to check out Donavon Frankenreiter, a mellow acoustic cat who – surprise, surprise – is also a pro surfer. Bubbletoes worked with Frankenreiter on his new album, and the newbie’s been booked for the 2004 Bonnaroo Festival in Australia. He’s opening for O.A.R. at Jenny Craig Pavilion on March 4. (If we were mean, we’d suggest exiting before O.A.R. gets the frat party started.)

Troy Johnson- San Diego City Beat
- Troy Johnson

2004

Four years ago Sage Gentle-Wing was walking across the street in Austin, Texas, with a guitar strapped to his back and a political song in his mind he titles “Free Tibet.” He was stopped by a couple of men in the middle of the street and asked if he was homeless.

One would think a musician on his way to a writing contest who had just gotten back from a tour in New Zealand would have taken offence. But, Gentle-Wing isn’t your typical musician.

“I told them I was living in my van.” Gentle-Wing said, “I couldn’t talk to them because I was trying to win some money.”

Gentle-Wing did end up winning the contest and then later talked with the two men who stopped him on the street. They were filmmakers making a movie tilted “Have you Seen Clem?” and were interviewing street musicians and the homeless. Gentle-Wing approved and sang his song “Angel Down” in a parking lot of a coffeeshop down the road. The segment was a part of a multitude of shots the filmmakers were shooting across 27 states.

The movie follows two men, each with their own hidden agenda. Clem used to be a successful businessman until a banker screwed him out of $10 million. Now as a destitute man on the street, he hatches up a plan for revenge, which includes a trip halfway across America. Along the way, Clem meets a homeless man whom he somewhat employs to help him. On their trip, they meet up with various homeless people and street performers.

It’s been described as a “Docu-dramedy” since it fuses together the three genres – documentary, drama and comedy – into one crazy film.

The project has been four years in the making and since the Gentle-Wing has traveled the country in his van doing various gigs. At the time of this interview, Gentle-Wing was still living out of his van.

“Yeah, the filmmakers gave me the film and some CDs to sell to help me out,” Gentle-Wing said. “I’ve showed the film wherever I can.”

Prior to the screening Gentle-Wing will play a quick 45 minute set of some of his songs and talk about his experience doing the film. The albums he was given are a collection of the street performers (and a couple choice transients that had some interesting, though irrelevant, things to say) and will be sold at the event.

It’s easy to label Gentle-Wing as homeless or even a bum, but it would be more accurate to call him a wanderer. Even his last name points to that description.

“It means walk gently upon the earth with winged feet,” Gentle-Wing said.

There is talk of foreign and even domestic distribution for the film, but until those dreams become a reality, Gentle-Wing will be wandering the Earth with a guitar on his back and a film about homelessness in America in his van.

You better catch him while you can.


- Eddie Shoebang – College Times


- Eddie Shoebang-College Times

Sage Gentle-Wing Rocks
event of the week - A Fiesta For Children Celebration

Until recently, a lot of music festivals were about voting and now that Election Day is past us, it’s nice to see something people really care about. You can listen to a plethora of bands as the raise awareness and money for groups aiming to prevent child abuse. Some of the performers set to be at the festival are Horticulture. The Wild Angels Band, and CT’s favorite traveling singer/songwriter Sage Gentle-Wing. That’s right. In you show up to the office to tell us we rule, you’ll be a favorite, too. As of yet, Sage is the only one giving us props and that is why he gets love


- Eddie Shoebang – College Times





- Eddie Shoebang-College Times