Doomtree is an indie hip hop collective and record label based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The collective has seven members: rappers P.O.S, Dessa, Cecil Otter, Sims and Mike Mictlan, and producers Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger.[1] The collective is known for incorporating a wide range of musical influences into their work with lyrical complexity and wordplay, and their annual "Doomtree Blowout" events held in Minneapolis venues to showcase their group performances and the Twin Cities music scene.[2]
Doomtree | |
|---|---|
 Doomtree performing at First Avenue in 2010 (left to right: Cecil Otter, P.O.S, Mike Mictlan, Dessa, and Sims) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, alternative hip hop |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Doomtree Records |
| Members | Dessa Cecil Otter P.O.S Sims Mike Mictlan Paper Tiger Lazerbeak |
| Past members | MK Larada Turbo Nemesis Tom Servo Beautiful Bobby Gorgeous |
Early beginnings
The name "Doomtree" is a made-up word that doesn't have a meaning, according to P.O.S, who says that it has come to represent "my people and my life's work so far."[3] When Dessa was asked about the name, she said "Initially it was a proposed name for a Cecil and P.O.S. record. The name followed us when we all lived together in a big rundown house a few years ago. Whether it was the fault of architecture or some sort of cosmic wormhole, dead pigeons always showed up on our doorstep."[4] The group was originally named "False Hopes" when it was just P.O.S and Cecil Otter, but after consideration, it was traded off to be the name of a series of releases (there are 15 total) by Doomtree members (such as Cecil Otter's or Doomtree's debut).[5]
Members of Doomtree have described the group's formation as a gradual process.[6] The initial lineup saw P.O.S and MK Larada, friends from high school, making songs with other local artists such as Cecil Otter and Beautiful Bobby Gorgeous. The beginning of the name began when P.O.S and Cecil Otter first envisioned Doomtree to be an in house production team.[7] Soon enough Sims and Lazerbeak, fellow Hopkins High School alumni, followed. Mike Mictlan, having also attended high school with P.O.S, became an official member when he moved back to Minneapolis from Los Angeles.[8] Dessa joined after having a chance encounter with P.O.S, who was living down the street from her at the time along with Sims, Turbo Nemesis and MK Larada.[9] Sims and Dessa were said to be the last to join the collective.[7] After its final formation, members MK Larada, Turbo Nemesis, Tom Servo, and Bobby Gorgeous gradually drifted away from the group.[10] MK Larada is responsible for Doomtree's famous "Wings and Teeth" logo.[11]
Musical career
Doomtree's first official album Doomtree was released on July 29, 2008.[12]
Their second official album No Kings was released to critical acclaim on November 22, 2011.[13][14]
In 2012, Time magazine listed the crew as one of "11 Great Bands You Don’t Know (But Should)" in 2012.[15] December 12, 2012 was proclaimed by Mayor R. T. Rybak as "Doomtree Day in the city of Minneapolis" in conjunction with the opening night of the Doomtree Blowout 8 show at First Avenue.[16]
Doomtree's documentary film, Team the Best Team, was also released as a DVD in 2012,[17] and also as a digital stream and download in 2013.[18]
In December 2014, Doomtree had the final installment of the annual Blowout concert series,[19] which the crew hosted for 10 years.[20] In October 2015, Doomtree curated the first Doomtree Zoo festival at the CHS Field.[21]
The next year Doomtree released their third group album All Hands.[22]
Distribution
While P.O.S and Cecil Otter have released solo albums on other record labels (Rhymesayers Entertainment and Strange Famous Records, respectively), each of the group albums and the majority of the collective's solo work are released on their own label, Doomtree Records.[23]
Doomtree has also formed a publisher, Doomtree Press. In 2009, it put out Spiral Bound, Dessa's first book of poetry and fiction.[24]
Officially, the CEO of the label is Dessa,[25] but the label is run by the entire group, with outside help from friends such as Ander Other, Doomtree's "Intern/Merchant/Graphic Designer/Webmaster/Video Editor/Social Media Agent/Librarian." [26]
Style
As a group, Doomtree's sound reflects being a collective of many members with unique individual musical influences. Officially classified as hip-hop, the influences of jazz, punk rock, blues, rock, and soul can be detected throughout their music.[2] Doomtree is known for having "tangled, multihued and pointedly intellectualized lyrics"[27] with "cerebral rhymes and moody beats."[28]
Members
Current
- Dessa: rapper
- Cecil Otter: rapper/producer
- P.O.S: rapper/producer
- Sims: rapper
- Mike Mictlan: rapper
- Paper Tiger: producer/DJ
- Lazerbeak: producer
Former
- MK Larada: producer
- Turbo Nemesis: producer/DJ
- Tom Servo: producer/DJ
- Beautiful Bobby Gorgeous: producer
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release date | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| Doomtree | July 29, 2008 | CD, vinyl, digital download |
| No Kings | November 22, 2011 | CD, vinyl, digital download |
| All Hands | January 27, 2015 | CD, vinyl, digital download |
EPs
| Title | Release date | Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| False Hopes | December 16, 2007 | CD, digital download | 12th False Hopes album and the first to feature all members of Doomtree (14 tracks) |
| False Hopes 13 | December 9, 2008 | CD | Accompanied by Doomtree Blowout DVD |
| FH:XV (False Hopes 15) | December 6, 2009 | CD, digital download | |
| Affiliyated | March 4, 2011 | Digital download | Remix of Gayngs Relayted |
Singles
| Title | Release date | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| "Bangarang" | May 28, 2012 | Digital download |
| ".38 Airweight" | July 29, 2014 | Digital download |
Other
| Title | Release date | Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doomtree Blowout | December 9, 2008 | DVD | Accompanied by False Hopes 13 |
| Team the Best Team | December 11, 2012 | DVD, digital download | Documentary film |
| Doomtree: Every Single Day | August 21, 2014 | Book |
Doomtree Blowout
Beginning in 2005, Doomtree has performed in annual group shows ("Blowouts") at local Minneapolis, Minnesota venues.
| Blowout | Date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blowout 1[29] | December 10, 2005 | Varsity Theater | |
| Blowout 2[30] | December 2, 2006 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 2 Jr. | December 16, 2006 | Triple Rock Social Club | "Under 21" show |
| Blowout 3[31] | December 14, 2007 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 4[32] | December 6, 2008 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 5[33] | December 5, 2009 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 6[34] | December 10, 2010 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 6 | December 11, 2010 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 7[35] | December 4, 2011 | First Avenue | Curated by Sims |
| Blowout 7 | December 5, 2011 | First Avenue | Curated by Mike Mictlan |
| Blowout 7 | December 6, 2011 | First Avenue | Curated by Dessa |
| Blowout 7 | December 7, 2011 | First Avenue | Curated by P.O.S |
| Blowout 7 | December 8, 2011 | First Avenue | Curated by Cecil Otter |
| Blowout 7 | December 9, 2011 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 7 | December 10, 2011 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 8[36] | December 14, 2012 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 8 | December 15, 2012 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 8 | December 16, 2012 | First Avenue | |
| Blowout 9 | December 12, 2013 | Triple Rock Social Club | All Ages |
| Blowout 9 | December 13, 2013 | First Avenue | 21+ |
| Blowout 9 | December 14, 2013 | First Avenue | 18+ |
| Blowout 9 | December 15, 2013 | First Avenue | 18+ |
| Blowout 10[37] | December 6, 2014 | Turf Club | 21+ |
| Blowout 10 | December 7, 2014 | Surly Doomtree Day | All Ages |
| Blowout 10 | December 8, 2014 | Icehouse | 21+ |
| Blowout 10 | December 9, 2014 | Triple Rock Social Club | All Ages |
| Blowout 10 | December 10, 2014 | Varsity Theater | 18+ |
| Blowout 10 | December 11, 2014 | First Avenue | 18+ |
| Blowout 10 | December 12, 2014 | First Avenue | 18+ |
| Blowout 10 | December 13, 2014 | First Avenue | 21+ |
See also
References
- ^ Ali, Reyan (March 4, 2015). "Doomtree". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Parker, Chris (March 15, 2012). "Boise Gathers Around the Doomtree". Boise Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ Ali, Reyan (November 4, 2010). "The Gang's All Here: Minneapolis' slept-upon hip-hop crew head out on their first full tour". Salt Lake City Weekly.
- ^ "Music: Merchants of Doom". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
- ^ "Wings And Teeth - An Interview With Doomtree | RESPECT". respect-mag.com. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ Abjekt (August 30, 2006). "Doomtree Interview". Caught in the Crossfire.
- ^ a b "P.O.S. of Doomtree". URBAN BEAN COFFEE. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ Bernard, Adam (August 12, 2008). "RapReview Feature for August 12, 2008 - Doomtree Interview". Rap Reviews.
- ^ Scholtes, Peter S. (March 3, 2004). "Doomsday!". City Pages.
- ^ "DOOMTREE on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ "Doomtree Talks No Kings And Their Famous Wings And Teeth Logo « Listen Up Denver!". Listen Up Denver!. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
- ^ Inveigh (April 2, 2010). "Doomtree - Doomtree". Sputnikmusic.
- ^ Koski, Genevieve (November 22, 2011). "Doomtree: No Kings". The A.V. Club.
- ^ No Kings by Doomtree, retrieved 2017-02-05
- ^ Locker, Melissa (August 7, 2012). "11 Great Bands You Don't Know (But Should)". Time.
- ^ Fischer, Reed (December 13, 2012). "Doomtree Day in Minneapolis is Friday, proclaims Mayor Rybak". City Pages.
- ^ Fischer, Reed (November 7, 2012). "Doomtree to release documentary, Team the Best Team DVD". City Pages.
- ^ Tardio, Andres (December 8, 2013). "Doomtree Releases "Team The Best Team" Documentary". HipHopDX.
- ^ Fagerberg, Jerard (December 15, 2014). "What Does the "Last Blowout Ever" Mean for Doomtree?". City Pages. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Thompson, Erik (December 12, 2014). "The Best Twin Cities Concerts This Weekend: 12/12-14". City Pages. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Warner, Ryan (October 5, 2015). "Our likes and dislikes of Doomtree Zoo 1.0". City Pages. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "All Hands, by Doomtree". Doomtree. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- ^ Parker, Chris (March 15, 2012). "Steady As She Grows". Colorado Springs Independent. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ Behm, Jon (January 13, 2009). "Dessa 'Spiral Bound' Review". Culture Bully. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ "Dessa the CEO". Minnesota Business Magazine. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
- ^ "ANDER OTHER (Doomtree) | First Avenue". first-avenue.com. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
- ^ Ali, Reyan (February 14, 2012). "Hip-Hop Collective Doomtree Lands In Philly This Week". Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ Brickner, Sarah (February 11, 2010). "Doomtree's Brain Fruit". Eugene Weekly. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
- ^ "Doomtree Blowout". Doomtree. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Wrapup". Doomtree. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Blowout 3". Doomtree. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "89.3 The Current and Vita.mn present DOOMTREE BLOWOUT IV". First Avenue. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Blowout V". First Avenue. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Announces Blowout 2010". Reviler. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Blowout Week at First Avenue". First Avenue. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Blowout 8". First Avenue. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Doomtree Blowout 10". Doomtree. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
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