Reverse Migration

Last night was just how I'd envisioned my introduction to Minneapolis to be. I'd be invited out by an old friend, the friend would tell funny stories that included our previous adventures together in the Bay Area, and I'd slowly ease in to conversations, confident of my place at the party.

My transition into Minneapolis was not as smooth. I thought I was prepared for the cultural differences. I was never prepared to start completely new, which is something I knew going in and one of the reasons I moved to the Minneapolis.

Try imagining being cool enough to be at the party, but not cool enough for anyone to actually talk to you. I was starving for attention, which only made me less attractive. Who wants to the talk to the guy who tries too hard?

I wanted to stand on my own merits, but I needed an in. Once "inside" Minnesotans will give you the shirt off their back. There are many layers of acquaintance before you prove worthy of friendship. Getting to that point takes time, lots of time, and I wasn't prepared for just how many callbacks I'd need to get the part. The audition felt never ending.

Many of these steps are skipped once someone vouches for you. Last night that happened, as easily as I'd expected it.

My buddy Greg is in town for Christmas from San Francisco. We met six years ago in the Bay Area. Greg was always one of my favorites: a lovable guy with a big heart that you never once questioned his motives. There aren't many people who listen to techno in San Francisco - techno music, not the catchall term like "electronica." Techno is the same vein as Richie Hawtin, Detroit's Underground Resistance, or Minnesotan Woody McBride.

Techno is much more popular in the Midwest. Whenever a techno artist performed in San Francisco, all of the Midwest transplants would come out for the show. Due to our shared love for the four to the floor, I have friends from Chicago, Toledo, Detroit, Madison, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. Techno vouched for me. My new friends and I had a common love. The rest of the details work themselves out.

I don't listen to electronic music as much as I used to. The music still holds a soft spot in my heart. I'll always be grateful for the relationships that formed thanks to techno. I still love dancing to it, just not as much as I used to.

Greg vouched for me last night the same way techno did for him many years ago. Many of those initial barriers were skipped ad relaxed, stress-free discourse was had. I now have New Years plans. I now have the beginning of steps of a friendship, several steps beyond acquaintance.

Doomtree Blowout 3 Review

Doomtree is by far my favorite local, with his infectious smile and hype attitude, I wouldn't pay to see any of them on their own. Not that they are all not talented, but together they can create magic. I first saw them open at Mel Gibson and the Pants record release show a couple years back. The obvious love each of them has for the other reminded me of Quannum MCs - Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Gift of Gab and Joyo Velarde, though Doomtree's style is nothing like the Bay Area's hip-hop heroes - where Quannum is funk fused Doomtree is punk rock.

They all have his or her own style that together - in tandems of twos, threes and sometimes more - mesh perfectly together. Dessa's blend of soul, latin flava and spoken word is a perfect match for Cecil Otter's mix of spoken word, classic story telling MCing. Sims party rocking, big beat energy is a perfect balance for either Mike Mictlan or P.O.S. Mictlan can act as Robin to P.O.S's Batman with utter ease. It's obvious that most of them have been friends since their early teens. Rarely is Mictlan alone on the stage. More often instead he provides the obvious direction to either Sims or P.O.S spitfire delivery.

If I had one complaint, it's that Dessa should have a more active role in the group. Her energy would provide calming to the rambunctious boys the same way Joyo does with the Quannum MCs, minus the overplayed neo-soul that Quannum has been bringing these days. Friday night was no different. It was obvious that at times the boys - Mictlan, Sims and P.O.S - would get ahead of themselves. It appears that nothing could get Cecil Otter worked up into a frenzy. The balance on the stage was not always there. Banging into each other both lyrically and physically transitions and delivery was not always on spot. Dessa would bring something to rein that in.

Beyond the at times chaotic presence on the stage, every other aspect of this group brings it nightly refusing - yes, it feels like a concerted effort - to leave you unmoved. The production by the stable of Doomtree talented beat makers brings out the best in each MCs talents. It was nice to see the Doomtree producers get a moment in the sun, introducing one of the final sets, with a mash up of turntable skills and live on-the-spot drum machine driven beats. It was a perfect prologue to the oncoming MCs.

Minneapolis loves Doomtree and Doomtree loves Minneapolis. Most of the audience had memorized the lyrics - reciting them in conjunction with each MC - even for tracks from the yet to be released Cecil Otter album. Throughout the night, in unison hands would rise forming the Doomtree's winged signs It's as if the audience is a member of an exclusive club that only they, Minnesotans, are aware exists. Doomtree feeds into this with call and response phrases that are true to the Twin Cities. When P.O.S asks "Where you at?" in the track Living Slightly Larger, Mictlan responded, "Minneapolis," which brought a smile to P.O.S's face and an eruption of cheers from the audience.

The mutual affection is not taken for granted by Doomtree. P.O.S's punk roots is obvious in the makeup of the audience, a hodgepodge from of across the board, piercings, mohawks, hip-hop kids, and indie kids all across the board. Like most hip-hop Twin Cities shows, the crowd is mostly white kids from the suburbs. Only this eclectic mix of characters on the stage bring his or her own element to the audience attracting an only in Minnesota vibe.