Doomtree announces one final, 8-day Blowout

After cranking it up as far as it can go this December, Doomtree's Blowout concert series won't go to 11.

The seemingly unstoppable Twin Cities hip-hop collective — whose members include local music stars Dessa, Sims and P.O.S. — announced Tuesday that it is putting an end to its year-end performance marathon after this year's 10th annual installment. But it fully intends to make Blowout X count.

The shows will kick off Dec. 6 at the newly renovated Turf Club in St. Paul and run for eight days straight in numerous Twin Cities venues, including Icehouse and the Varsity Theater, culminating with a final three-night stand at First Avenue.

While Doomtree's members were all careful to stress that the end of the Blowouts in no way means the end of the line for the group — in fact, their new all-crew album is expected in late January, with a tour to follow — three of the seven had different justifications for why the 10th Blowout should be the last.

"Ten is a nice, round number — and still way more than we ever thought we'd do," said rapper P.O.S.

"Eleven just sounds kind of awkward," claimed his fellow MC, Dessa.

"Eleven makes us seem old," cracked producer/beatmaker Lazerbeak, who went on to provide a more sensible explanation:

Exactly what might replace the Blowout has yet to be determined, along with some of the details of this year's eight-day run. Among the more interesting info still to be announced is what the group is brewing up for Surly Doomtree Day, scheduled Dec. 8, around the time that Surly's $20 million Minneapolis brewery is projected to open.

Dec. 10 will mark the actual 10th anniversary of the first Blowout concert, so that night the crew will perform at the site of that inaugural installment, the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.

"It was really the first time we ever tested what kind of drawing power we had as a group," recalled Dessa, who said she will never forget the sight of the long line outside the club — a sure sign they'd passed the test. "No one was more surprised by that than us."

As the members began launching their solo careers and touring outside the group in the years that followed, the Blowouts became a year-end celebration where the performers could wrap up their individual achievements under the same roof.

"Each year sort of became a new marker of where we were at," P.O.S. explained.

Among the new Doomtree items to be touted at the end of 2014 are the group's limited-edition coffee-table book, "Every Single Day," as well as Sims' seven-song mini-album "Field Notes" (issued last month) and a long-awaited full-length album by the group's Los Angeles-rooted rapper Mike Mictlan, "Hella Frreal" (coming Oct. 27).

"I think they're two of the best things we've ever put out," P.O.S. said matter-of-factly about the Mictlan and Sims efforts.

As for the upcoming all-in-one Doomtree album, expect to hear plenty of tracks at the December shows. Lazerbeak said, "It has some of our catchiest hooks ever juxtaposed with some of the wildest, densest stuff we've done."

Eight days will make this the longest Blowout yet, but only by one day. The group pulled off a seven-night run in 2011. Probably even a bigger endurance test came a year earlier when a big snowstorm left many — but not all — of their fans out in the cold.

"People were coming to the show on skis," P.O.S. marveled of the 2010 shindig, which was quickly renamed Snowout and resumed with an added third day. "It really doesn't get any cooler than that."

"It will be nice to not have the thought that I might be dying at the back of my mind," he said, "but I tried not to dwell on that when I was going through it anyway."

Having the old, high-energy P.O.S. back is just one of a number of reasons the Doomtree members seem unusually optimistic about seeing a good thing come to an end.

Said Lazerbeak, "I think the end of the Blowouts will mark the beginning of a new chapter for us."

Dec. 6: Concert at Turf Club in St. Paul (21 & older, $18).

Dec. 7: Surly Doomtree Day (details TBA).

Dec. 9: Kids Day Blowout, with daytime school activities and an all-ages Triple Rock concert, Mpls. ($15).

Dec. 10: 10-year anniversary concert, Varsity Theater, Mpls. (18 & older, $18).

Dec. 11: First Avenue concert, Mpls. (18 & older, $18).

Dec. 12: Daytime performance at Minnesota Public Radio's UBS Forum, followed by First Ave again (18 & older, $18).

Dec. 13: Grand finale at First Ave (21 & older, $18).

Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658 • Twitter: @ChrisRstrib