Doomtree At The Earl

The Bowery Presents: Doomtree w/ Open Mike Eagle, Wake Wednesday February 11 The EARL 8:30pm Doors // $15 ADV Tix: http://bit.ly/DoomtreeATL Twitter: @doomtree Doomtree - http://www.doomtree.net/ Wings and teeth. No two symbols could've been better chosen to represent Minneapolis rap stalwarts Doomtree. The endlessly innovative crew/label has defied categorization from the start, leaving behind convention for what's best described as aggressive transcendence. Through a tireless work ethic, take-noprisoners production, lyrics that never shy from truth, and an always shifting stylistic mix, this family has carved out an elevated corner unto itself. And like most families, as well as the imagery this one employs, Doomtree is as defined by its internal differences as its similarities: Seven artists whose diversity of tastes and consistency of character combine to make the team an unstoppable, honest, creatively vicious whole. It's unsurprising then that Doomtree's origins are a decade deep, dating back to 2001 when a handful of friends fresh out of high school hatched a plan to make a life out of the passion that'd carried them that far. Handmade CD-Rs (the start of their cult-beloved False Hopes series) and local shows (echoed by the annual Doomtree Blowout festival today) evolved into a proper business and respectable home base. In the time since, P.O.S., Dessa, Sims, Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan, Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger have become stars in their own right, but no matter where their careers take them (poetry books, the Gayngs super-band with Bon Iver, records with Rhymesayers, Strange Famous and Frenchkiss), they always come home. While 2008′s full-crew album Doomtree functioned as a group manifesto and (re)introduction to each member's particular charms, 2011 was all about claiming what was already theirs. As rap, flush with new blood, began to get wild again, Doomtree reminded us that they've been doing it for a decade, fusing punk's explosive energy with hip-hop's heady swagger. The WUGAZI mixtape 13 Chambers, mashing Fugazi classics with Wu-Tang bangers, was a perfect palate cleanser for the group's strikingly ambitious No Kings LP. Ready to break new collaborative ground, they stocked up on booze and sandwich fixings, retreated to a Wisconsin cabin and stayed there till they'd created something bold, beautiful and hard. The title of the record is both a call for rebellion and respect: Obey no kings, seek no thrones. Indeed No Kings displays a gang of friends who are fearless in each other's company and beholden to none. At times musical and lush ("Beacon") and at times dark and clanging ("Bolt Cutter"), the beats project the radical power of P.O.S., the inventive classicism of Cecil Otter, the moving moodiness of Paper Tiger and the face-melting heat of Lazerbeak. Meanwhile, Mike Mictlan and Sims trade lithe lines with much swagger over smashing drums on "Punch-Out," Otter and Dessa get bluesy on top of the mournful guitar of "Little Mercy," and P.O.S. leads the amped-up charge for "Bangarang," which celebrates "ten years in our lane." Both fun and fierce, blade-flashing and uplifting, unpredictable and unapologetic, No Kings is the sound of seven people who look different, talk different and listen to different music coming together and simply going full-tilt on an album from start to finish. Wings and teeth—it's the Doomtree way. Mike Eagle - http://mikeeagle.net/ Michael Eagle grew up in chicago listening to alt-rock on q101 and taping underground rap shows on WHPK. He also occasionally snuck and ordered music videos on the Box. He went to college at southern illinois university and battled everybody everywhere and freestyled all the time. He graduated with a degree in psychology but somehow it never occurred to him to go to Scribble Jam. He moved to LA and linked up with Project Blowed. He toured with Busdriver, Aceyalone, and Abstract Rude. He started a rap group called Thirsty Fish with Dumbfoundead and Psychosiz and the Swim Team with Alpha MC, VerBS, Sahtyre and more. He worked as a teacher during this time and usually had a hangover. He put out his first solo album in 2010 with Mush Records. He put out his second LP with Hellfyre Club/Alpha Pup and his third with Fake Four Inc. He's toured with Blu, Aesop Rock, Dessa, Homeboy Sandman, Ceschi, Moka Only, Louis Logic, and more. In 2012 he participated in and co-authored a study with the National Insititues of Health that had him freestyle in an MRI machine to study the brain activity that occurs during improvisational rap. Articles were published on nature.com, wired.com, discovery.com, nbc.com, npr.org and more. The articles have become infamous for the unabashed racism in each of their comment sections. in 2013 he was the first rapper to appear as a guest on Marc Maron's WTF podcast. He's also appeared on the Paul F. Tompkins show, Hannibal Burress's comedy show, the Eric Andre live show, and the WITS show produced by American Public Media. He produced the first "Mike Eagle Show" in January of 2014. It was a night of rap and comedy lauded by LA Weekly 'as something they look forward to seeing more of'. He too thought they could have written something nicer. His most recent work is alongside Busdriver, Nocando, milo, and more under the guise of Hellfyre Club. Their 2013 mixtape "Dorner Vs Tookie" was praised by Pitchfork, the Chicago Reader, LA Weekly and more. He was named Impose Magazine's Rapper of the Year for 2013. The rapper of the whole entire year. His new album is Dark Comedy. Its 45 minutes of attempting to giggle at the abyss. It features raps from Hannibal Burress and Das Racist's Kool A.D. Beats from Jeremiah Jae, Dibia$e, Busdriver and more. Its his first release on Mello Music Group.