Dessa has heard just about every question local music journalists could throw at her in recent years. We thought we'd get her cohorts in the Doomtree collective to ask some instead — the catch being they had to ask questions they've never asked before.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
SIMS
Q: At what age did you realize you were the most serious person in the room?
A: Probably about 5. Adults would say, "She's 8 going on 40." My latchkey supervisor tells me she once came into a room and saw me standing on a crate lecturing about the perils of Barbie, how damaging they could be to young girls. So I was already self-righteous at 7 or 8.
LAZERBEAK
Q: Could you elaborate on why you are known as Coupon Man?
A: [Laughs] I am the member of Doomtree who secures our discount hotel rooms on tour. I get really irritated unless I can be guaranteed we have the lowest basement prices. My iPhone has five apps with which I procure those lowest of low prices.
Q: Now that we've all been in this rap game for a minute, what's gotten easier or harder about being a musician since entering your 30s?
A: I know what I'm doing as an artist much more than I did in the 20s, which still leaves a lot of room for uncertainty. I feel more confident, like I have a vision, like I am daily amassing the skills I need to do this. What's gotten harder: I know this career shortens your bread-winning years. This career is usually condensed into a couple decades, if you're lucky. So I feel like you're erasing your own birthdays trying to get more and more done.
