Eight Gigs: Madi Sipes & the Painted Blue

A lot of neo-soul these days pits a crooner over electronic beats—and, frankly, it seems to lack in the soul department. Not so with Madi Sipes & the Painted Blue, the young San Francisco outfit led by Placerville native Sipes. Her soft, sultry voice guides the trio’s jazzy, dreamy instrumentals that both feel firmly rooted in ’90s R&B and like a window into the genre’s future. If that sounds familiar, you might have caught the Painted Blue at last year’s Sammies show. Since then, the group has been working on its debut full-length, After Hours, which should drop later this year. 2708 J Street, www.facebook.com/madisipesmusic.