02/20/10

Three of indie rap’s finest rolled into town on Saturday night and left a trail of nodding heads and rhythmically-challenged, drunk collegians in their wake. P.O.S., Grieves and Dessa all delivered stellar performances as they neared the halfway point of the Every Never Is Now Tour, aptly named for the title track refrain and central theme of P.O.S.’s last album, Never Better.

Doomtree’s Dessa started things off with an outstanding set featuring several tracks from A Badly Broken Code and fan favorites such as “Mineshaft” and “Veteran.” She is an artist who captures the sound of her records flawlessly through live performance while leaving room for subtle improvisation. The versatile singer-rapper-poet-teacher transitions from battle raps to beautifully-sung ballads and makes it seem natural. A unique cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” punctuated her all-too-brief set to raucous applause. …MORE