By: Andrea Myers
Here at HowWasTheShow, we spend a lot of time canvassing local bars and clubs in search of promising up-and-coming local acts. Until now, we have equated the idea of a live show with a concert seen and heard in person; but as many a local scenester will tell you, there are other ways to get your live local music fix. Some don’t even involve leaving the house. Minnesota is home to a slew of great local radio programs, and on Sunday night this homebody decided to tune into Drive 105’s Radio Homegrown for live sets by new local super group Alpha Consumer and longstanding hip-hop notables Doomtree.
The show started out with an introduction by Dave Campbell, who recently took over all hosting duties on the show following the departure of Homegrown founder and longtime co-host Mei Young. Campbell brought two guest hosts in for the evening: former HowWasTheShow contributor and current Pulse of the Twin Cities music editor Steve McPherson, and lapsed Homegrown hip-hop correspondent Maximum Velocity, who was appearing on the show for the first time in over a year to assist with the interviews.
Alpha Consumer began their live segment with a song called “Don’t Forget to Dream” off their debut album, due out this Saturday. The song was a decidedly dreamy, poodle skirt rock song that featured '50s-inspired arpeggiated chords and Jeremy Ylvisaker's gruff, nearly-spoken, vocal line. When they finished their song, Campbell declared that the band had "an unworldly combination of raw talent and good looks," and a haphazard interview ensued. The conversation began traditionally enough with questions about the band's roots (all three members are extremely active in the local scene, contributing to such notable acts as Fog, Happy Apple, Mark Mallman's band, and Fat Kid Wednesdays, among many others), but the band and the co-hosts were soon off on a tangent about what kind of car each member drove and who in the group most resembled a member of ELO. One of the greatest things about Homegrown is that you never know quite what to expect, and interview segments have a flow more similar to a group of friends hanging out and shooting the shit than to a hard-nosed journalist prying for specific answers.
Following their interview, Alpha Consumer opted to play a recorded version of their song "The Son of the CEO of the Rubber Suit Company," which Ylvisaker explained was about a hypothetical company that polluted the air in order to profit off the rubber suits they sold and all of the sociological implications of that kind of metaphor. "I suddenly got very sad," Campbell said, and it sounded like he was only half joking. The song started and was surprisingly upbeat with fun, wandering guitar riffs and a catchy melody.
Without much ado, the show shifted gears and Campbell introduced the members of Doomtree who were to perform in studio: P.O.S, Dessa, Lazerbeak, Sims, Mike Mictlan and Cecil Otter. Dessa was called on to talk about the Doomtree Blowout, happening this Saturday, which will feature performances exclusively from Doomtree members all night. "For the first blowout, we almost did it as a way to test our draw," explained P.O.S. The show ended up selling out and leaving a huge line of fans out in the freezing cold for part of the night, proving Doomtree's popularity with Twin Cities hip-hop fans and guaranteeing another successful blowout in the future.
The members of Doomtree took turns rapping new material, with P.O.S kicking things off on "Rap Song #1." Many of the performances were informal and at times the rappers started giggling in the middle of their songs, making for an unexpectedly intimate feel for a radio program. The crew took turns explaining their songs and making fun of each other, and it was more like a jam session than any rap show I had ever heard before. With a special 90-minute time slot for this particular show, Doomtree was given the chance to perform four separate songs, which were sandwiched between a few local recordings by The Autumn Leaves and Off with Their Heads.
For a podcast of Homegrown's live performance and interview segments, go to radiohomegrown.com.
Location Info:
Drive 105
Artist Info: Alpha Consumer, Doomtree Collective
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