{"id":601,"date":"2011-05-06T14:06:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-06T21:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/?p=601"},"modified":"2015-01-12T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T17:36:57","slug":"report-from-the-show-big-ups-to-minnesota-hip-hop-with-doomtrees-dessa-sims-and-laserbeak-at-bottom-of-the-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/2011\/05\/report-from-the-show-big-ups-to-minnesota-hip-hop-with-doomtrees-dessa-sims-and-laserbeak-at-bottom-of-the-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Report from the show: Big ups to Minnesota hip hop with Doomtree’s Dessa, Sims and Lazerbeak at Bottom of the Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sorry, folks, I forgot my new camera at home and was reduced to taking crappy photos with my not-at-all-smart phone, so this is the best picture of Dessa and special guest Aby Wolf that you're going to get.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

San Francisco has been a favorite tour stop for the Doomtree family for as long as there’s been a Doomtree. At least that’s what the Minneapolis alternative hip hop crew’s star female player, Dessa<\/a>, told a packed crowd at Bottom of the Hill<\/a> on Thursday, and there was every reason to believe her\u2014the prime exhibit being the adoration the crowd showered on her, fellow MC Sims<\/a> and DJ Lazerbeak<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There was the exuberant dude in the front row who knew every word to every song. There was girl who kept shouting, “I love you, Dessa!” at every opportune moment.<\/p>\n

Dessa, headlining for the first time\u2014an indication of just how well-received her debut LP A Badly Broken Code<\/em> has been received, and not just by yours truly<\/a>\u2014nestled herself in the exotic spot where “female rapper” and “torch singer” overlap.<\/p>\n

Performing with a sharp-dressed, three-piece band lent an entirely different aura to her songs. It has also affected her ability to read her audiences, she admitted. When you sing a ballad with a band and you absolutely nail it, the crowd reacts with a “hmmm,” she explained, pursing her lips and nodding. When you absolutely blow it, the crowd reacts with a “hmmm,” she said, with the same expression but a slight variation in intonation.<\/p>\n

“And it’s fucking indistinguishable!” she said.<\/p>\n

Some other highlights from the show:<\/p>\n