On Sunday, July 16 (Week #2) at 7PM in Mayo Park, DESSA comes to #rochmn to perform at Think Mutual Bank's Down by the Riverside Free Concert Series! Media Sponsor: THE CURRENT

DESSA is a rapper, singer and essayist whom the Utne Reader calls, “A one-woman powerhouse…with a literary sensibility and an aversion to genre clichés.” As a musician she tours as a solo artist and as a member of Doomtree, the innovative Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective. On stage she's funny and ferocious, but also tender—her live show includes rapid-fire rap songs, heartbreak ballads, catchy choruses, and some charismatic banter fueled by wit and whiskey. She’s landed on the Billboard Top 200 list as a solo artist (Parts of Speech) and as a Doomtree member (All Hands), and has made a career out of bucking traditional genre designations–rapping at Lollapalooza, arranging for full choir, and co-writing classical works for an orchestra. As a writer, she’s contributed to MPR, the Star Tribune, literary journals around the country, has published two short collections of her own, and is currently at work on her first book-length collection of personal essays. Dessa also contributed a track to the Hamilton Mixtape (which reached #1 on the Billboard charts) She splits her time between Minneapolis and New York.

Second Story is a Grunge Folk band from Rochester, MN. The group started when Sterling Haukom (vocals and guitars) wanted to bring his acoustic music to heavie...r levels; adding the subtle intensity of Tim Kline's drumming and controlled chaos of Mike Terrill's bass. Returning to the loud guitars, feedback and solos, Second Story brings the sound of their youth combined with the modern styling of today. While still in the early stages of their life, Second Story has already recorded their first EP and are continuing to kick out new songs. Download their first EP for free at secondstorymn.bandcamp.com/ and follow them on Facebook.