[SHOW REVIEW] Dessa in Staten Island + pics + video!

Let’s ignore the fact that I’m the most neglectful and perhaps laziest contributor on this blog, and cut to the chase. I saw Dessa last night, and I am now going to attempt to convey exactly how freaking ridiculously amazing the show was. My friend Rahel and I initially had concert and bus tickets to see Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Attracted to Gods in Washington DC last night, but we decided that we could, should, and would skip seeing them a third time in a row (after Boston and Philly) in order to see THE Dessa.

Dessa posted about the show only a couple days before the date, so we all conjured up our own elaborate explanations about how this show came about and what the show would be like. Mike and I were holding out hope that Dessa would bring Cecil or Sims or another Doomtree-er out, and we were both convinced that it would be a really intimate setting that would make for a really personal and especially heartfelt performance.

The hypothesizing continued right up until the show started. My cousin Farzana, Rahel, and I arrived at the venue a good two hours ahead of time. As many of you know, I’m not the most mature person in the world so I proceeded to go wild over the fact that patrons were allowed to use crayons to color on the butcher paper table coverings. I colored my best (and still laughable) attempt wings and teeth and made my dream playlist, while Rahel got busy with the Doomtree stamp.



Keeping one eye on our artistic creations on the table and another eye on the door, I soon noticed a woman walking around with a Dessa shirt. I pounced on her, only to find out that she was Dessa’s aunt. This woman was so ridiculously sweet. She was so proud of Dessa, talking about how talented, intelligent, and beautiful Dessa was. It always makes me so happy to see family members talk about musicians. She told us how Dessa grew up with her aunts always harmonizing around her, and how that influences her music today. The pride that family members have, coupled with their insights about a musician, are just so interesting and adorable to me. Plus, this wom an was cheering like crazy during Dessa’s set. Family is the best.

Really though, it was no surprise that her aunt was having such a good time because Dessa’s set was absolutely incredible. I know that I have a tendency to reuse the same extreme adjectives to describe music and concerts, but I only do so because I am genuinely moved by all of these things. It may have been because the venue was a low-key bar, but Dessa performed more of her melancholy, slower songs. Listening to her on Kites, If & When, and on the singing parts of 551 was just mesmerizing. I would have liked to hear songs like Veteran or Scuffle (BECAUSE SALINA SAID SO OVER AND OVER AGAIN!), but I can see why she might have opted not do those. With every song she did, she put every last ounce of herself into the performance. From the way she held the mic, to the way she twitched her mouth or raised her eyebrows, to the way she looked at the crowd, you could tell that she was fully encapsulated by the song. I’ve noticed that Louis Logic does this too, but I think Dessa has absolutely perfected it. Every movement compliments the song, bringing her stories to life with such an authenticity and emotion that you can’t help but be in complete awe. And this is where the song selection makes sense again. They completely lend themselves to a dimly lit, intimate, bare/simple, and ultimately deeply personal performance. And talking to Rahel and Farzana afterwards, they both agreed that that subtlety is what makes Dessa so amazing. From the way she dresses to the way she performs, everything is so stripped down that you’re left just starring at her raw and unbridled talent. I think what made it all even more special is knowing how talented she is, and knowing that small performances like this are going to be so rare in years to come when she gets all the fame, fortune, and fans that she undoubtedly deserves. And if the new material she performed was any indication of what is in store for Dessa, then the world better watch out. The spoken word pieces she performed, and the two brand new songs she performed were just too freaking good.

Given the total sense of admiration and amazement I felt for her performance, it was an absolute pleasure to interview her for Hip-Hop Lovefest’s first ever vlog. I asked her some questions about her professorship, her collaborations with other Minneapolis cats, how she feels about being a female in a male-dominated industry (the creativity of that question really threw you guys off didn’t it?!), and what’s in store for Dessa and Doomtree. So check it out!

Alrighty, that’s all from me. If you can’t get through my beastly novel of a blog post, then this is the short version: DROP WHATEVER ELSE YOU’RE DOING AND SEE DESSA LIVE. IF IT MEANS SKIPPING ANOTHER CONCERT, DO IT. IF IT MEANS TRAVELING TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, DO IT. SHE IS DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY SOMEONE YOU HAAAAAAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE HAVE TO SEE!

PS: Rahel and I decided that we’re going to the Blowout. We have to. For cereals.


Part I



PartII

Photos (courtesy of Rahel!)