more music

come to my myspace page and check out some of my music:

Desdamona's Music

also check out my partner in rhyme:

Carnage's Music

and also, check out B-Girl Be's page. B-Girl Be is an annual celebration of women in hip hop. Coming June/July 2007

B-Girl Be

oh, and my friend and someone who has helped me in many, many ways:

Devine Isis

ok, one last thing - I'm all about promoting things & people that I love so make sure to check out:

Jaqua - for great lotions & other goodies!

alright. that's it for now. I have a show tonight in Duluth, MN @ Pizza Luce. Should be tons of fun. :) It's an ALL AGES show so if you're in the area you should come and check it out.

Peace, desdamona

B-Girl Be Fundraiser in Minneapolis!!!!

11/16/2006
Babalu
800 Washington Avenue N
Minneapolis, MN 55400
US
Cost: $10
Description: if you're in the Twin Cities area you should check out this B-Girl Be show: B-Girl Be presents a night of open mics, b-girl ciphers, and live performances by Twin Cities artists Desdamona featuring Carnage, Maria Isa and Black Blondie with special guests on Thursday, November 16th at Babalu in Minneapolis.

Doors open at 7:00 PM, Show at 9:00 PM. Babalu is located at 800 Washington Ave N in Minneapolis. Hope to see you there!

www.myspace.com/bgirlbe


note* I haven't been working on my blog lately. Not too many people come to read it as far as I can tell and I have a myspace page up where I blog quite often with things that are way more interesting than just posting about shows. I will try and get back here and post from time to time but if you really want to check out what I have going on you should go to my page

I am currently working on my new CD, "Hymn of the Human Spirit". Can't give out the release date yet but if you listen to the Current and other local stations you will here my new stuff prior to the release! I'm very excited about the whole project and can't wait for you all to hear it!

Peace, desdamona

Got a good show coming up soon! Check it out!

"FALL CLASSIC"

Live, September 23rd @ Tiffany's

CARBON CAROUSEL (feat. EYEDEA)
www.rhymesayers.com

ILL CHEMISTRY (feat. CARNAGE & DESDAMONA)

AbZorBR

DJ CRIMINAL (self core records)



Tiffany's
2051 Ford Pkwy
St Paul, Mn
55116
(651)690-4747

21+
Doors: 9pm
Music: Shortly After
Cover.... $7 +


Haven't been keepin up on the blogspot lately. I do have plenty of blogs on my myspace page. Get connected with me if you're interested. www.myspace.com/desdamona That's the best way to keep up with me.

Currently working on a new CD. :) I'll update when I have a release date for everyone.

peace, desdamona

Ways to Find My Music....spread the word

I know I posted this before....but some of ya'll missed it. So, here it is again for the procrastinators. Go to iTunes and search for me

Desdamona: The Ledge
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=79607187

Leave me a review if you feel like being generous with your time.

You can also get my CD at:

www.cdbaby.com/desdamona
or

www.thegiantpeach.com

and you can check my website:

www.desdamona.dunation.com
oh and if you scroll down my page on myspace www.myspace.com/desdamona you can get the latest from Carnage & I as Ill Chemistry. If you click on the moving icon it will take you directly to pay pal so you can get your limited edition CD of Ill Chemistry.

we bout to wreck it!

desdamona

shows shows shows

06/16/2006 08:00 PM - KMOJ 89.9FM Minneapolis
Northside!!!, Minneapolis, MN 55400,US - FREE LISTENING!
Desdamona will be on between 10 - 11pm. Tune in!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
06/17/2006 08:00 PM - The Fine Line - Vixens Against Violence. All proceeds go to Cornerstone. www.cornerstonemn.org
318 1st Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55400,US -
Michelle Dunkirk, B-and...woah man, Kymara, Apryl Electra, Desdamona (w/ DJ Fundamentalist & Carnage), Debra G and more. DESDAMONA GOES ON EARLY!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL AGES!!!! 06/18/2006 07:00 PM - The Fine Line - ALL AGES!!!!
318 1st Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55400,US - $11.50/ advance
Desdamona, Carnage & DJ Fundamentalist play at The Fine Line Music Cafe/ 318 1st Ave N , Minneapolis / $11.50 advance / $13.50 day of / Opening for CAT EMPIRE from Australia www.thecatempire.com / ALL AGES show on sunday JUNE 18 / Doors at 7pm and tickets are $11.50 advance and $13.50 day of show / 612.338.8100


Hope to see you at one of these shows! We'll have ILL Chemistry CD's for sale.....we have printed up a limited number of CD's so get it while it's hot!!!

Peace,
desdamona

check out these shows!! NOt to be missed!!!

This SATURDAY! - 05/27/2006 08:00 PM - Fitzgerald Theater - ALL AGES!
10 East Exchange (downtown), Saint Paul, MN 55101,US -
MPR/The Current (89.3fm) presents a women in music series. This is the last show of the series. This final show titled, Emerging Voices will feature Joanna James, Haley Boner, Desdamona and more!! 8pm / 2 hour show / ALL AGES / $25

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/mpr/events.eventsmain?action=showEvent&eventID=388688--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRIDAY 06/02/2006 09:00 PM - Club Underground
355 NE Monroe St., Minneapolis, MN 55413,US - $5
$5, 21 / Performancers by: CONDUIT, Desdamona & Carnage as "Ill Chemistry", Rusty P's (Milwaukee), & Red Ponie. VENUE PHONE NUMBER: 612-627-9123.

It's been a while

go to iTunes and search for me

Desdamona: The Ledge
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=79607187


If you're feelin' generous, leave me a review. I would appreciate it. :)


Been busy lately, with some many things...I don't know where to begin.

Check out:

www.myspace.com/bgirlbe
That's one of the things I've been workin' on.


And if you check my page:

www.myspace.com/desdamona
You can read my blog there and check for upcoming shows. Got a big one coming up at the Fitzgerald Theater this month.

Have a great weekend. I'm relaxin'

It's my birthday!!! ALL week long!!!!!!!!

Come down to the open mic tonight! help me celebrate my birthday (actual birthdate: April 14th)

I'm celebrating all week long!

Tonight, April 11th: The Blue Nile
10 pm sign up for the open mic
18+ / FREE


April 13th: The Triple Rock
ILL Chemistry (Des & Carnage - more info on my calendar)

April 14th: Metro State University
6-8pm (also more info on my calendar)

APRIL 15TH (THIS IS THE OFFICIAL DESDAMONA BACK IN THE DAY B-DAY BLOWOUT)
at the Dinkytowner
412 1/2 14th Avenue, Minneapolis
doors 9pm / 18+ / $5
proceeds from this event are going to support B-Girl Be programing.

LADIES FREE til 10:30pm

special guests & performances by:
DJ Stage One & DJ Nikoless

Carnage
Concentrate
Illusions
Try-D
Adam Garcia
Heatbox
Indigo
EMS
and more.....all performers will be doing remakes of hip hop classics! And the DJ's will be expecting you to dance! So will I.

Hope to see you there! There will be the best cake you ever had!

des

And it don't stop

Just got a review from a UK site. Check it!

http://www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/music/themix/715

Support Twin Cities Music

Recently a friend of mine had a flier with his CD information on the front and on the back were all the local radio stations who support local music. He also listed the request lines and wesbites where you can request music!! I thought it was such a great idea that I had to post it here on my blog.

Feel free to contact any and all of these local music supporters and tell them what you want to hear. If you don't think that they have a certain local artist you want to hear tell them! They'll probably pick it up if they get enough requests.



So, here's the list - get those fingers moving people!!! We've got music to HEAR!!

The Current

studio line: 651-989-4893

email: 893dj@mpr.org

Cities 97

studio line: 651-989-9797

jason@cities97.com (Jason Nagel/MN Music - Sundays @ 10pm)

brianoake@cities97.com (Brain Oake/Freedom Rock - Sundays @ 9pm)

Radio K

request line: 612-626-4770/ 1-800-626-4770

request@radiok.org

KFAI Fresh Air

studio line: 612-341-0980

find specific hosts & shows at www.kfai.org

Drive 105

requests: 612-989-9105 / 651-989-9105

fill out requests/contact box on the homepage of www.drive105.com

This is a REAL easy way to support local music. You don't have to buy a ticket or even get up out of your seat!!!

Desdamona on the TuBe

--> three video clips of your performance up already: http://www.searchmode.tv/

Desdamona will be featured on SearchMode TV and will broadcast on Metro Cable
Network's channel 6 @ 9 PM Thursdays & Saturdays on 3/9, 3/11, 3/16 & 3/18

:) Des

Here's some info on some friends of mine that you should check out:

Keston and Westdal's new album "Truth is Stranger" is now available as a high quality download from http://www.kestwest.com/. The album is made up of thirteen tracks fully mastered by Tom Garneau and encoded at 192kbps (as high or higher quality than what will be available on iTunes and other online music sources). The release also includes a recently produced bonus track called "El Amanecer" which was inspired by the instrumental bridge section in "Se Fue". Guest artists include Desdamona, Estair Godinez, and more. High resolution images of the cover design by Hiroaki Kato and complete liner notes are also included.

For a $10.00 (USD) donation via PayPal you will be emailed a link with a session id that will not expire for several days, giving you plenty of time to download all 103 luscious megabytes of music included in the zipped archive of this album, more than two years in the making. Proceeds will be used to manufacture promo CDs for radio and an upcoming international CD distribution. To hear some excerpts before you buy, click on the player in the upper right of www.kestwest.com and thanks for your support!

"Truth is Stranger" download page:
http://www.kestwest.com/tis_dl.html

Upcoming shows for Keston & Westdal:
Thursday, March 2nd 2006 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis, US
Thursday, March 16th 2006 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis, US

Official site:
http://www.kestwest.com

KestWest on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/kestwest

Desdamona's Myspace, Website, and CDbaby:
www.myspace.com/desdamona
www.desdamona.dunation.com
www.cdbaby.com/desdamona

My latest CD is available on itunes.

NEW PICTURES, NEW MUSIC & NEW VIDEO CLIP

check out some new stuff:

www.myspace.com/desdamona

A tribute to Valentine's Day

dissidence resonating in my bones
been alone so long, I'm no longer cold
he's afraid to hold me because I'm so bold
my pride so wide, my walls are 3 fold

if he could fill me like music
we might be the perfect match
if we knew how to do it
our adoration might be latched
together - locked by heart
but neither of us know where to start
and I'm cool - cause if it never starts
it never has to end

persistence waning, unrequited valentine
fate misplaced by my early arrival
patience dying with the turn of time
second guessing - maybe in the next life

I-want-to-tell-him-but-can't-speak-the-words
Why-can't-he-just-read-my-mind?

You don't want to miss this!!!!

Tuesday, Feb 21st at Club Underground
355 Monroe St. N.
(downstairs from the Spring Street Bar)
612-627-9123

9:30pm / $3 / 21+

EMS & DJ Green - their release party is just around the corner but you should come and get a sneak peek!
Ill Chemistry (Carnage & Des)- you know the deal!
The New Congress - gonna make you move, gonna make you move, gonna make you shake that thang!

Metropolis

I'm performing in a show this Sunday, February 19th at
The Southern Theater in Minneapolis
You can get all the details, price, etc at www.myspace.com/desdamona

This performance will be a collaborate effort that features the film Metropolis. Metropolis is one of the most exciting and exceptional works of art that humankind has produced. This epic science fiction film is one of Germany's famous silent movies created by Fritz Lang and liberated in 1927, the period between the two world wars.

Electropolis will be adding the soundtrack of live music for the showing of the film. I, Desdamona, will be providing a spoken word element. Here's what I will be performing.

Never have I been lost in this city
but instead, the city lost inside of me
just beneath the skin is seeps
it drips, it creeps, it rests in sleep
the sharpness of we pillowed beings
projected onto slippery streets
the juxtaposition of marshmallow memories
against the rust of unyielding dreams
has traced itself under my fingernails
and become embedded in my psyche
this metropolis turns to dust
and spreads wide as the grandest state
inside my heart it pumps and thrusts
a continent it makes
the veins are plucked one by one
replaced by fragile shards
that seemingly reflect our image
and we get wrapped inside the shine
because it's so curiously vivid
These are your brothers staring into the crystal ball of misfortune
never truly seeing reality
the balance split into unequal parts
slashing cuts into the flowering skirt of our mother
she is trying to tell us something but we've convinced her that she has no voice
her children have become assimilated into the steel and smoke
the dead have a silent film stretched across their faces
heart murmurs and celestial mirages
swooning from the stench of the soot
Whose hands built this city?
Whose heart resides here?
whose mind controls it?
overlooked by the centuries
shift change
shift & change
change shifts and the ladies dance for the heartless
the divide becomes a wound too deep to recover
the mother of these poor children, bereaved
and still the kings do not recognize their brothers
the ones standing in the mine fields
these are your brothers
frantically swinging machetes
amputating their own limbs
disconnecting themselves from humanity
but you are made of iron
neither their happiness or their sorrow
can push the wind into your face

dummy

all my friends, they think I'm smart
but I've only fooled them good
with my sarcasm and my witty talk
they're all in the dark
for who I am, or what I've become
is just what I've learned to be
wonder if they'd love to like
the me I used to be
It's not that I'm faking
or being something I'm not
I've just learned to use
all these things I been taught
I used to think that I was dumb
and sometimes I still do
expecially when I'm around
someone as smart as you
you know how to punctuate
and use words that I can't pronounce
and I know that you're super smart
because you never put me down
So, I'm wonderin if you might
want to teach me a thing or two
and even though I'm not too bright
maybe there's something I can teach you too

Desdamona Interview with Kevin Beacham - as seen on www.dunation.com

Rhyme Tissue
by Kevin Beacham

When someone can find the perfect marriage of their talent and their personality it is a beautiful thing. Desdamona has achieved just that. Watching her on stage you get a variety of emotion and passion mixed with a voice that is sultry yet strong. Her words are well chosen and thought provoking. Most often there is a message to the music, a lesson to be learned, but she's able to convey it without being overbearing. The heavy subjects find comfortable balance amongst light hearted humor. Certainly some of these talents are the results of birthright, but have been fine tuned with years of practice and experience. Having mastered her craft on stage, the time had come to repeat the process in the studio. The result is her first official full length CD release titled "The Ledge" which is comprised of powerful spoken word poetry, uplifting MCing & soulful singing. We recently sat down and spoke about her history, what's new, what's in the future and had a few laughs. Here's what she had to say....


K.B.: Let's start with the very beginning of life, where are you originally from?

D: I grew up in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It's on the South East corner of Iowa. It's a little town of about 8,000 people. I lived there my whole life until I was 18 and then I moved to Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa. That's where I went to school for a while and then I moved to Minneapolis in '96.

K.B.: When and how did you first get interested in Hip Hop?

D: I think the first time I really got interested in any of the elements was probably in about 6th grade. Around the time I first saw the Breakin' movies and stuff like that and I already was a dancer so I thought it was so cool and I wanted to learn how to breakdance. Being from a small town there was not a real outlet for it besides that kind of stuff. Lyrically, the first time I started doing things was when I was 14 and a Freshmen and just listening to like the Beastie Boys, RunDMC...all that kind of stuff, anything that I could find.

K.B.: Were there a lot of options for buying Hip Hop where you were at?

D: No. It wasn't really being played that much on the radio there. Really the way that I found it was YO MTV RAPS. I watched YO MTV RAPs every single day. I would literally tape stuff off there and try to make these little mixes on tape...it was so stupid...ha. It's like I wanted to be a DJ. It's funny when I think back about it and how I wanted to be a part of every element of it and I think that's why it's so important to me now. Even though I was never a graffiti artist, I was never a DJ, and I was never a Breakdancer, but I have a love for those things...that's basically how it started. I would go about a half hour from where I lived and there was a bigger town and I would go to the mall and go to the record store. I would just pick things that I thought looked interesting, stuff I saw on YO MTV RAPS, or whatever I could find. I would just buy it. Although I didn't have a lot of money so it didn't happen very often. My Mom would get mad at me because all I would buy is music.

K.B.: At that point were you already doing poetry?

D: Yeah, I've been writing since I was little. My dad was a fourth grade teacher and he always got me into writing and my Grandmother is a Poet and I used to go to her house after school and we would write poetry or paint or whatever. I think that was the reason why when I heard the first rap I was attracted to it.

K.B.: What are some of the Pros and Cons of doing both poetry and Hip Hop, if you see any?

D: People wanna label you a certain way and it gets frustrating. In a way something in you wants to be labeled. Then something (else) is like, 'fuck you, I don't want that'. I think within the Hip Hop community there's like this desperate need, and I don't just mean this for me but for everybody, to be accepted. When you don't feel like you're accepted it makes you angry but it also makes you work harder. It's good and bad on lots of levels. (Also), I think a lot of times spoken word or poetry right now is getting a little over saturated and there's a lot of stereotypes that go along with that too and I try not to follow those things.

K.B.: That kind of goes into my next thing because potentially when you do both and you have had a passion for both from an early start you face several obstacles. I'll say particularly in Hip Hop because I know Hip Hop better but maybe also in the Poet circle as well...one thing is that within Hip Hop people say those who can't become MCs become spoken word poets. There's probably circles of Poets who don't respect rappers. So you personally have those two things, but then you also have, definitely in Hip Hop, the challenge of being a women involved in the Culture. That's a whole other thing so how do you mentally prepare yourself to deal with these obstacles besides just doing what you do...

D: Well, before I moved here I was doing Hip Hop stuff. It was definitely not what I'm doing now, but I was writing rhymes but I've grown so much since then. What I realized when I came here was that it was going to be really hard for me to do that because I kept getting people basically telling me not to do it. I really started doing spoken word because that seemed like that was the easiest way to get involved in it. Every-time I would go to try to work with producers or musicians it was pretty much constantly more like, 'I'm trying to get with you'...ya know, really annoying. It made me feel like no one liked what I did at all and that they were just trying to get with me so I was like, 'Fuck it, I'm just going to erase the music out of it and I'm going to take what I've written in songs and do them as poetry'. It's been interesting because I kind of used that to get in the door. I would do and still do a lot of poetry about Hip Hop so people started to ask me to do Hip Hop shows so I kind of got to come back in to it. I feel like I haven't even fully come back into it yet. I feel like I'm still in between the two.

K.B.: Do you want to settle on one or the other or...

D: I like being able to do both because I think there is a different freedom in both of them. There's (also) a little bit of a different mode of communication...just slightly different. I like being able to play with the two. I want to be able to experiment and not just stick to just one thing.

K.B.: Do you feel with the path you've taken, some of it being conscious and some of it being natural, that for you personally or for others as well that you've been able to beat some of those obstacles?

D: Yeah, sometimes. I could go off on so many different tangents from that, but I think in a way I've been able to do that. (However), It's pretty hard just as a female in general so that on top of being spoken word and Hip Hop...

K.B: ...so you consider being a woman that hardest challenge?

D: Yeah, actually...yeah. It's even weird to say that because I feel like it shouldn't be that way. I think people on the outside don't really get to see what goes down or how people treat you or how people assume certain things about you.

K.B: Then you have some people who are just so used to it that they think it's normal.

D: Or even the way people will treat you and they don't even realize that they are treating you this way but in a way they are stifling you and it's like, 'wow, that's deep that you don't even know that you are doing that'....ha!

K.B: Yeah, it's a way bigger problem than Hip Hop....

D: Oh Yeah, it's way beyond that but it gets a little amplified inside of Hip Hop I think because of the masculine portrayal and the posturing that happens.

K.B: It's just one of the many ways that Hip Hop is a great way to view the world (for the better or worse)....

D: ...cause it's a big magnifying glass...

K.B: It's a lil exaggerated to the proportion of the world, but it's very real (and accurate) within Hip Hop...

D: Right

K.B.: Alright, let's move along to some other things. You were saying earlier that you've been doing this for a long time so why so long before the first official release?

D: I had put out a couple things I did on my own, but honestly money and maybe even a little bit of direction. I think it's good that I waited for as long as I did. I think most people should wait. I don't think you should release something 2 or 3 years into your growth. I guess you can learn a lot from doing that but I think you really need to build a fan base and you really need to build on yourself as an artist and what direction you are trying to go in. I think people think to be an MC you have to put out a product, but it's like, 'No, actually you have to put in a lot of work first'....and everybody has a CD...

K.B.: (whispering)...but who has a good CD?

D: Right.

K.B.: You just kind of mentioned that even though this is your first album you've done some other things up to this point so what are some of the other projects you've done?

D: I did a little EP called "Resilience" and it was mostly spoken word. It was really low key and really mellow...probably more mellow than I would now do....

K.B: Did it just happen that way...

D: Yeah, It just happened that way. Partially with the musicians that I was working with and partially because I didn't really have a decided direction that I wanted to go so I let it be more collaborative and now I know better. Then there was the live CD that I did. Then there's a bunch of compilations & stuff that I've been on. I've been on "Words Will Heal The Wounds" and Groove Garden "Varietals Volume One". I've been on some Rhymesayers stuff too...Musab, IXL and Brother Ali's first release. I was on the Rosemary records (compilation) "The Evolution Is Outdated". I'm on the Cheap Cologne CD and I'm also on the DU Nation Compilation.

K.B: OK, the album! Of course, the most famous question probably is (switching to my most Hollywood voice) how did the connection with Sly & Robbie happen...ya know...How was it like working with Sly & Robbie?

D: Well, I was writing songs for someone else...more R&B stuff. (For this project) we were working with some people in Philadelphia. I went out there to work on a couple more songs and my friend who is out there, who I write songs with, her husband owns a studio and that's where some of the vocals were being laid. He had heard me here once when they came to visit. My friend was like, "You should do this poem for him" so I did this poem and he was like, "Let's go record some of this stuff". He manages Sly & Robbie and he was like, "Let's just record like 14 different things and I think what I'm going to do is give it to Sly and have him listen and if he's interested then they'll go and work on something. He may not be interested, let's just see". He sent them to him and (Sly) liked it so he started working on some stuff. This was back in 2000 actually. Then we got like 5 or 6 things that we were working on with Sly & Robbie and also a couple of other people out there. Then they came into town with Black Uhuru and I opened up for them. After that nothing happened and we didn't do anything with it either. Then I got a grant from Minnesota State Arts Board and I put some of that money towards helping finish the project, but we really ended up starting over again. I got a bunch of beats from Sly & Robbie and started working on that and then went out there (Philly) to record.The only time I really ever met them one on one was when they were here. The rest was like on the phone or other modes of communication. It was a weird transplant thing like I'd go out there to record then they'd send the stuff to Jamaica and then they'd send it back....

K.B.: Being that you have several different things you offer to music, vocally speaking (singing, poetry or rapping), when you hear a track that someone is giving you how do you decide what you are going to do for that particular song?

D: I don't really decide I don't think...just whatever happens. I might try a couple different things on it to see what feels right. Usually it just kind of happens on its own. I don't make a conscious decision to be like this is going to be me singing or...you know what I mean. Yeah, I don't do that usually.

K.B: Do you feel more comfortable doing one or the other?

D: I'm more comfortable doing poetry or MCing than I do singing.

K.B.: What are some of your favorite album tracks from "The Ledge"?

D: I don't know if I have a favorite track at the moment. I have in the past...um, I like number 11...

K.B.: You can't say #11 for your own release....that should be against the rules...

(cue laughter, as we both laugh thru these next few moments)

D: ...it is #11 you can call it that if you want cause that means people will be like, 'what was #11, what's it called and they'll go look'...

K.B.: OK, reverse marketing or something alright..ha!

D: It's called "Get By" and I am (actually) singing on there.

K.B.: Describe the difference, if you think there is one, in preparing for a live show and preparing for recording a song in the studio.

D: I think it's a lot harder to record in the studio than it is to perform live. I guess (because) it's more of a controlled thing when recording and so it's hard to get the right energy. I guess basically to get prepared for that I make sure I know what I came to do. I think when you walk in and you are not clear then other people can take control and if don't want that then you need to know what's going on. Also, maybe even bringing the right people with you to be listening cause you're not always the best one to be listening. Matter of fact, you are NOT the best one to be listening. Someone who is not just going to say, "Yeah, that's great.". I guess for the live show, sometimes I forget because I perform so much, but what I like to do is go thru some of the songs in my mind before I go up. Sometimes I just go up and just do it, but I feel like I could just get lost in it sometimes so I need to meditate on if for a minute.

K.B: ...so you do a lot of performances and you also have some regular nites as well...

D: Yeah, Tuesday at the Blue Nile...sometimes I perform, sometimes I don't (she hosts the nite weekly). Thursday night at Bunkers with the New Congress, but I just sit in with them.

K.B.: With doing so many performances how do you keep yourself intrigued by performing?

D: It's the one and only thing that I'm like kind of probably addicted to. I don't get tired or bored with it. Plus a lot of people who have seen me in so many different...like, I'll be with a DJ. I'll be with a Beatboxer. I'm by myself. I'll be with a band. I'll be with one musician. You know what I mean...

K.B: It's a variation and you can do the same songs and pieces, but the dynamic changes.

D: Yeah, totally.

K.B: Also, on shows, I know you do a lot of shows locally but what other places have you been and how's the reception been in other cities?

D: Lately I've been in Iowa, Nebraska, Winnona, St. Cloud. I've been getting a good response and selling a lot of CDs that way. I think it's kind of refreshing for people cause they are not used to seeing it. From the response people are giving me is that it's different or I'll get (people who say), "That's what Hip Hop is". Which makes me laugh because a lot of people here don't feel like what I do is Hip Hop. It's all perception. Also, comparing here to other places, I get a great response out of town and lots of guys will buy my CD, but here my response from guys is funny. They'll come and be like, "My girlfriend loves your stuff". (more laughter). Then they buy my CD. I don't know if they are lying to me and they feel stupid buying it or what it is. It's like "I'm buying this for my mom"...

K.B.: (mocking the guys) "This CD is not for me, No. Maybe I'll hear it in passing...." (the laughter continues)

D: I'm not kidding. Like 90% of the time that's their response.... Then in other places dudes are the first ones to buy it. I think partly...I don't know, I don't even want to go into why I think that.

K.B.: Fair enough. Perhaps you've said to much...

D: I will say too much if I continue on...

(we have to take a moment to try and get serious again....)

K.B.: Do you usually write to the music?

D: I usually don't write to the music. Every now and then I do. Actually, that's not true. Sometimes I'll go out and listen to live music and I'll be writing there, so in a way I'm writing to music, but it's not the music that I'm going to end up doing it to. Then a lot of times it happens when I'm in the car and trying to write and drive at the same time... With the singing stuff, the chorus usually comes before I get the music and the melodies and stuff come after because that's a little bit harder to do without the music.

K.B: Do you have any particular rituals to help you write?

D: No, I write when I'm inspired.

K.B: What inspires you?

D: Going to see live music. Different kind of stuff than what I do. That's what inspires me, seeing other people perform...people that are good performers. Obviously life inspires me, but it comes thru when I'm just sitting and I'm quiet and listening to somebody or something. It can be one thing that somebody says that is like, 'Yeah, that's it'.

K.B: What do you listen to...musically?

D: The last CD that I bought was this guy Amos Lee. He was just here (recently) at the Fine Line. He's sort of more like a male version of Norah Jones. It's kind of mellow which is weird because I don't usually like mellow music but he's a good song writer. That (question is) hard because I feel like a lot of times I'm not listening to music because I'm in it so much. I go out to see local people. As for CDs, Amel Larrieux. The Roots..I love the The Roots. I like Talib Kweli & Common...that sounds so typical I hate saying it. I like Jill Scott. I've been kind of being introduced to some new things just listening to The Current (89.3 Twin Cities) because I don't like a lot of stuff. I don't love everything. There's some people who just love all kinds of music and I don't. I mean I like stuff from the 80s. I like Pop Music. Some of it I like, Some it I don't but I have a fascination with it sort of. I just don't have to buy it because I can hear it all the time.



K.B: Looking back...and we kind of covered this but not completely I don't think, but early on was there anyone particular that was more influential?

D: I can't think of anything specific, but a lot of Women in Hip Hop have been pretty influential to me. All the regular suspects.

K.B: Like who, I'm curious to know... (as I apply the pressure for names..ha!)

D: Queen Latifiah. MC Lyte. Monie Love even. Lauryn Hill when The Fugees came out with their first CD. A lot of people don't like that CD, but there was something there that I like....

K.B: ....reviewing that [Fugees] album was the first thing I ever wrote for a Hip Hop publication...

D: Oh really, wow. My favorite song on there is "Some Seek Stardom". I love that song. Just how she rhymes and she can sing. Every once and a while I'll do one of her verses from that song as a tribute or whatever...

K.B: What do you consider some of your biggest achievements in music? I was doing some research at your Myspace page and there's all kinds of stuff on there but I figured we didn't need to cover them all since they are there for everyone to see already (www.myspace.com/desdamona) so I thought I'd just have you point out the ones that stand out to you.

D: I guess being able to work with Sly & Robbie in a way is a pretty big achievement because most people would not have the opportunity to work with them or someone of that caliber or history. I feel like that was a gift. (Also), that I came from a little tiny town and didn't know anybody or anything and now many people know who I am. It's not about them liking me or not liking me. It's just that I've done something that people notice.

K.B.: Speaking of which, why did you move here?

D: I moved here to be a songwriter actually.

K.B: Why here?

D: Just being from the Midwest it's the closest big city. What happened was I was working with some musicians here already and so my friend and I just packed up and were like let's go. It was like what the hell are we doing. My parents were like freaking out. They were like "Minneapolis for music?", but Minneapolis has a very rich music (history). If it wouldn't have been for my friend I just wouldn't have come here. It was pretty much her initial thing like, "Let's go".

K.B: What are some upcoming things with you?

D: Doing some stuff with Carnage right now. We are going to do a project together. He and I perform a lot together (where) he does the Beatbox. We're going to do some of that but we're also going to do some songs together. It's kind of cool because I think we both kind of push each other a little outside of where we might usually be. We're very different but we have good chemistry. I'm trying to do some other things that I don't have completely mapped out just yet. Obviously there will be another project in the near future. This coming year I'm trying to just tour as much as I can. I've been out of town a lot to do poetry, but that's never what I wanted to do. I always wanted to do music and poetry, but I never had the money to do that. Lately the opportunities have just been coming. I've had to work really hard to get them, but I'm trying to get some things together so I can just like tour for a year. Obviously not non stop. I think that's what I need to because I've been here for so long and I've pretty much done what I can do. Not that I can't continue to do it (too).

K.B: Any goals or aspirations outside of being an artists?

D: (after a brief pause, she answers sort of bewildered)...not really. (we both burst out into laughter)

K.B: You looked like you don't think that is even possible?

D: That's probably what I was thinking because I don't do shit else but this. My first thing (I thought) was I want to publish someting....put some stuff in a book form, but that's still (being) an artist.

K.B: Well, I guess I'll say how do you want use your art in different ways and evolve?

D: I want to do that (the book). I want to get overseas. I want to collaborate with more people. I want to become better and expand what I'm doing and be able to see the growth from this CD to the next to the next... I do this full time, but my goal for this coming year is to perform more. Just get better and better and be able to support myself at a higher level then what I can do now.

K.B: Any closing words of wisdom for aspiring artists?

D: Don't expect anything. Just do it. If you can't do it (just because) you love it then don't do it. Half the time you're not going to get what you want.


Desdamona’s “The Ledge” is out now. You can also see her every Tuesday night at the Blue Nile.
Kevin Beacham, hosts “Redefinition Radio” on 89.3 FM The Current, Saturdays from 11:00PM-12:00AM…

a new poem

sound tracks back
rewind fast
forward blasts
my soul is interrogated by the sounds
deliquent freedom flutters past
balancing on saxophone riffs
it drifts
sifts itself through me
taking the reverberation of my voice
trickery complete
by the ultimate thief - the melody
soothing, she steals the song from me
seizures seize me out of my body
experience eliminated
lost archives of lost lives
translated and misconstrued through lost time
myth made from true lives
from real to fake in the blink of an eye
synergy between elemental instruments
holding tight to all that came and went
bent, they straighten shit - recreate it
into sound symphonies
from righteous to melancholy

who does sound belong to?
Who owns the copyright?
Cause I've been makin a lot a noise and I probably owe somebody some money.

In the night I stole the silenced voice from it's cloistered existence
and I gave it my name & permission to speak
freely

inspired by local Minneapolis music makers, Electropolis
Desdamona