Comic Kaseem Bentley returns to his S.F. roots for his debut album.
San Francisco native Kaseem Bentley comes back to his roots to record debut comedy album, ‘Lakeview’
Even when he’s not onstage, Kaseem Bentley’s energy fills the room. But he seems to physically glow — like a Pokemon character or Captain Marvel — while visiting when The he learns San Francisco there might Chronicle’s be some archive, old images of Beep’s Burgers in the photo files. “The most Lakeview thing in Lakeview,” Bentley says of the open-air restaurant on Ocean Avenue that opened in 1962. “If you could send that to me, as a birthday present . ... You never know in San Francisco what’s going to become a highrise, just out of nowhere. ‘What happened to Beep’s? Oh, it’s a condo now?’ ” Hometown humor is at the center of “Lakeview,” Bentley’s first comedy album, coming out on the Blonde Medicine label on Friday, May 3. While it’s not unusual for local comics to mine San Francisco for punch lines, Bentley’s material is a unique and immersive tour of his world. Comedy is found in Bay Area landmarks as specific as the Serramonte Center mall in Daly City, the 5-Fulton Muni bus line and Oakland’s 12th
Street BART Station.
“You guys walk around eating your gentrified burritos. You know, it’s like a burrito with pad thai in it,” Bentley says, riffing on Mission District gentrifiers in a track called “I’m From Here.” “There used to be culture. Now it’s just Chase everywhere. It’s a Chase bank. Burrito shop, Chase. F—ing community center is Mexican Chase. ‘El Chase’ running around …”
Bentley was raised in Lakeview in the 1980s and 1990s, the son of a social worker mother and Muni driver father, who often drove the Mission District lines.
“My dad is hilarious. When I tell stories, it’s only an homage to my dad,” Bentley says. “My dad was one of those bus drivers who acted like it was his bus, like he drove it home at night or something and parked it. … He really loved his job.”
Bentley studied art in college, worked briefly for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and has worked in social services. His start in standup came at one of local comedy godfather Tony Sparks’ open mike nights. Bentley quickly tore through the San Francisco comedy scene — developing a knack for crowd work and riffing, feeding off the energy in loud rooms.
The comedian has spent more time in Los Angeles than the Bay Area recently, performing and writing for TV shows, including “Problematic With Moshe Kasher.” But when he talks about L.A., Bentley still sounds like a disappointed tourist.
“It’s oppressive,” Bentley says. “The sun doesn’t need to be up before you are. And everyone down there dresses like they’re going to the airport. Like the smart person at the airport. In sweats and sandals …”
So he decided to record his album in San Francisco, with heavy San Francisco themes. The performances took place at the Setup comedy club on Hyde Street and were produced by Blonde Medicine’s Dominic Del Bene, who grew up in neighboring Bernal Heights. Bentley and Del Bene shared an interest in rap music, which helped shape the direction of the album.
“I did music journalism when I was in my 20s, and I was always drawn to people who would bring you into their world, especially if you haven’t been there,” Bentley says. “So I said if I do my album, I want to call it ‘Lakeview,’ because Lakeview shaped who I am.”
The album is a showcase of Bentley’s strengths. The first two tracks feature the comedian’s crowd work, as he happily and decisively obliterates a crowd member who interrupts his routine. He ends the set with a deft piece of storytelling: a seven-minute track called “Your Legacy (Keisha),” about a 9-year-old girl who dispenses a lesson in racial stereotyping on the 5-Fulton bus.
Del Bene says he thought it would be a challenge to capture Bentley’s energy and anything-can-happen-at-any-moment spirit on an album, comparing the comedian to a band like the Grateful Dead that needs to be seen live. But Del Bene is proud of the finished product, comparing it favorably to another San Francisco-centric Blonde Medicine release, “The Whiteness Album,” a 2018 performance by political comic Nato Green.
“Even if you do like the food fusion and don’t miss the Mexican taquerias, you can understand why he would,” Del Bene said during a phone interview. “It’s a genuine perspective. He’s putting his heart into it, and you’re seeing Kaseem for what and who he really is.”
During a recording for the Big Event podcast in The Chronicle’s basement archive, Bentley earns his largest laughs in spontaneous moments. He immediately focuses on a large plaster Herb Caen head near the sound mixing board.
“If there’s an earthquake here, I don’t mind dying with you and Herb Caen,” Bentley says. “I’ll die between two white guys. I’ve done it before. I’ve done improv ...”
Asked what’s next, Bentley seems uncertain. He still has one foot in Los Angeles and one in San Francisco. While he is comfortable and confident with his material and abilities onstage, he seems to struggle with the best way to bring it to the masses.
But he still loves San Francisco, speaking with optimism, even as he jokes about the changes.
“Even though there are, like, 18 black people left in San Francisco, I’ll deal,” Bentley says. “I know four of them.”
Del Bene points out that comics hoping to stoke their career generally leave San Francisco for Los Angeles or New York. Which makes him even more proud that Bentley was able to find both truth and humor in his home.
“I’m grateful that we went with a San Francisco-themed record and we’re really leaning into that,” Del Bene said. “It means a lot to have him wear his neighborhood on his sleeve like that.”