Minneapolis-based rapper Dessa is familiar with sharing the melodic tales and ails of love through spoken word and song, and her fans are anxious to listen. Best known for her collaborations with indie, hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is poised to make her City Winery Chicago concert debut April 12.
Windy City Times: What is the music scene like in the Twin Cities? Dessa Darling: In Minneapolis, if you ask someone on a date, you might suggest going to a concert performed by a local artist. That's not true in every American city—and it's important.
People in this city spend money on live, local music, which is part of the reason we've got such great live, local music. Also, genre is a permeable construct here.
You mind find a rap act, an indie-rock band and an electro-pop outfit on the same bill. Some markets wouldn't tolerate that range; they'd walk out snickering. I think our genre flexibility makes Minneapolis fertile grounds for innovation—unexpected new combinations of sounds, feelings, voices, and aesthetics.
WCT : You are one member of the Minneapolis- based hip-hop collective Doomtree. What has been the most surprising thing about joining a collective?
Darling: I joined Doomtree before I even had a career as a musician, so working as a part of the collective is all I've ever known. I'm grateful for Doomtree every day, however. I don't know how truly solo musicians muster the optimism and energy to sustain themselves. When this job is good, it's intoxicating. When it's bad, it's spirit-crushing.
WCT : How does the creative process work in Doomtree? Does ego ever play a role, or are you overall supportive of one another's efforts?
Darling: Doomtree exists only to support its artists and the art they make. When we're working on a collective project, the producers make music together and the rappers write together. When one of us embarks on a solo project, the collective's infrastructure supports the effort— Paper Tiger helps with design, Lazerbeak manages manufacturing and I help write copy for the press releases. Nobody wants to see a Doomtree solo project succeed as much as the other members of Doomtree.
WCT : "Call Off Your Ghost" is a hauntingly genuine tune in which you share: "You once said if we were careful that we could do this all our lives, although one of us got clumsy and both of us got wise." Who did you write this song about?
Darling: I wrote that song about an ex who I was eager to get over, but wasn't quite sure how to expedite that process.
WCT : Have you ever had to be cautious about sharing intimate details through your work or is it par for the course with your exflames and loved ones?
Darling: As a general rule, I try make sure that my friends, family members, and romantic partners are not publicly recognizable in my songs—at least not when the content of the song is sensitive. They might recognize themselves, but the general listener would not. Privacy can be tricky to navigate when writing true and candid lyrics. Happily, I've got permission to violate at least one person's privacy: mine.
WCT : In the song "Skeleton Key" you say that you've "never met a locked door yet." Can you elaborate? Surely you've had to kick some down along the way!
Darling: The complete line is, "I haven't met a locked door yet that I couldn't beat; on this chain around my neck, I keep my skeleton key." I wrote that lyric with a fictional character in mind: I imagined an itinerant lock pick, traveling from town to town, practicing a trade that had been handed down in her family for generations. I realized only later, "Oh, hey, I actually travel from town-to-town in the service of my job." Seems like my imagination laid a pretty thin veil of fiction in what turned out to be more autobiographical than I had intended.
WCT : You are preparing to embark on a Midwest tour. What are you most looking forward to?
Darling: I'll be touring with my full live band. I'm particularly excited to play the City Winery in Chicago—I love convertible venues that have table seated and standing room. They provide an opportunity to play the space in several ways: sometimes as a hard-drinking rap show, sometimes as a listening room, sometimes as a comic.
Dessa Darling will play City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph St., on Saturday, April 12 ( $25 reserved; $20 standing ). Tickets are available by calling 312-733-9463,
stopping by the box office, or visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago .
