Dosh Corrals An Improvised Orchestra For a Throwdown at Palmer’s

 

This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 08/04/25

READ THE COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:

 

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

It’s the Afternoon Cruise. I’m chatting with Dosh, a multi instrumentalist, who is organizing a concert on Saturday at Palmer’s Bar on the West Bank of Minneapolis. This concert is called the Second Annual Throwdown, and given that Palmer’s is closing in mid September, this will be the final one of these concerts, at least at this venue, with this setting. The concert includes sets from little lizard, the Larry Schaefer Memorial orchestra, LA Buckner and Dosh and friends. Dash, thank you so much for visiting jazz 88 again.

 

Martin Dosh 

Hey, Sean, what’s up?

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Nothing much, man, I’m just glad you’re here. Before we talk about this concert, which looks excellent, I want to talk a little bit about Palmer’s. This is a venue that has been open for over 100 years, and it’s coming to a close in a handful of months. Dash, you’ve been a fixture in the Minnesota music scene for a long time. I’ve had the honor of collaborating with you and being friends with you for a long time. What do you think we will miss about Palmer’s presence in the Minnesota music scene?

 

Martin Dosh 

I mean, I think we’ll definitely miss Cornbread every week, which is like, you know, haven’t been down there many times for it. It’s pretty amazing to see him still cooking, so that that kind of makes me sad, and just sort of like the old timers that that frequent there, the regulars who have been going there since the 60s and 70s, and just the, it’s kind of like the last vestige of, like the Viking and just like the sort of West Bank kind of vibe. And, you know, obviously the triple rock closing, however, many years ago, the Nomad closing, 400 Bar closing, so pretty much all that’s left now is just The Cedar, and I don’t see that really going anywhere, but Palmer’s is kind of unique, just in the sort of like clientele too, because there’s, like, my day job, you know, like your your day job is playing awesome music and talking to people, but my day job is I drive a car, car service, 24/7 car service. We do a lot of business at Palmer’s, so probably for a South Side Bar, it’s like, I mean, I don’t know, I don’t go out that much anymore, but it’s kind of like the most diverse bar. There’s always Northside people that come down to go there. It’s kind of this middle meeting point, and it’s just really cool because it’s like, you know, people not know what is playing, but those go down and see, like I wasn’t feeling that punk rock show tonight or whatever. And then I don’t know, it’s just a really cool cross section of just, you know, obviously punk rockers and freaks, but also just like regulars who just come down there because their friends are there.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Now I want to hone in on this relatively new project of yours that’s kind of the centerpiece of this event, which is two sets from the Larry Schaefer Memorial Orchestra. Well, you sent me some of the recording, and we’ve been listening to some of this recording, and this is really great collaborative improvisation.

 

Speaker 1 

 

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

My question is kind of about how Dosh-y it sounds, even though everybody is given a set of keys and able to navigate their own thing. When I was 18 years old, I went to a clinic with Matthew Shipp, this really great piano player, and he said this line that has stuck with me. He said, any great improviser will inspire an approach in spirit that they the people they choose to collaborate with, will react to. So he basically said, If Roswell Rudd hires you, he’s not hiring you to just improvise the same way you would in your bedroom. He’s hiring you to kind of join his system. William Parker, Ornette Coleman, etc, right? There’s a system. And as I was I was checking this out, I go, this all sounds Dosh-y. It doesn’t sound like Dosh by himself, but I can hear your handiwork no matter who’s kind of leading that particular moment. So I wanted to ask you, how do you establish kind of the Dosh universe and then let more people into it, especially as somebody who can be self contained. How do you, how do you get inviting to all these people and make it work?

 

Martin Dosh 

I think it’s just, sort of just the facts on the ground. It’s like, I’m, I’m the one who’s organizing the entire thing and trying to corral everyone and get them involved. And it sort of started, yeah, it just, and I think that not that when we play shows like, everyone is looking to me for direction, because I’m just playing drums. I don’t really have a melodic instrument. But if something seems hung up, or something is just kind of not going somewhere or needs to be moved ahead, oftentimes I’ll sort of like, take the lead and just like, ramp it up, ramp it down, just go totally spaced, totally free, and just try to reset what’s happening. But then, I mean, as the show sort of progress, other people take that lead too. I don’t think that everybody in the band is like looking at me, but maybe they are sort of just knowing that it’s like me that’s organizing it. Just, I don’t know that they want to try to make it Dashi, quote, unquote. But, you know, just simple, pretty at times, cacophonous at times. I think you’re kind of right, but I don’t really, there was no intention on my part to like to do that really.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Can I propose an intention?

 

Martin Dosh 

Sure.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

I think you have great soft diplomacy, like if you were, if you were a country, you’d be one of those people you’d beg, oh, you know what? What does Norway think about? Or whatever? And there’s this sense in which I think when people are in your sphere, they are going to go for the beautiful moment, the collaborative moment.

 

Martin Dosh 

That’s super nice. Yeah, I appreciate that. I mean, yeah, it’s, I think the other sort of aspect of it too, is that the fact that we’ve been able to, this is a be our sixth, our sixth show, I think, you know, one every six months. But it’s like, everybody keeps coming back because they’ll have so much fun. And it’s like, you know, it’s like, sort of like a, you know, bi annual, just picnic hangout.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Dash, you put together quite a cool event. And I also just want to highlight again, the other artists that are on it. L.A. Buckner is going to be there. Dash is also doing a set. And then this lizard group, little lizard who’s in little Lizard?

 

Martin Dosh 

It’s another guy who is shares my day job. But little lizard is my buddy, Shea and his partner. It’s just a two piece, kind of like, it’s kind of like funky dancy instrumental stuff with trombone, drums, samples. It’s It’s interesting stuff. It’s fun.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

The event is going down on Saturday. It is the second annual throwdown, a chance to visit Palmer’s. They’re closing in a handful of weeks. And it’s really, really great that this type of event is happening there. And frankly, I just want to on the air, have the opportunity to tip my hat to Palmer’s, which, again, has been a watering hole for a really big, diverse clientele for over a century, and it’s an amazing thing. We’re sad they’re closing, but we’re glad to have the chance to celebrate some of their musical offerings, and we’re really thankful Dosh, that you came through. We’ll keep on playing some of this improvisation you sent us from the Dakota that you did earlier in January, but a hats off to you for doing this event, and for putting together something like Larry Schaefer Memorial orchestra, you’ve used the word corral, like three or four times, and I feel like that’s code for just enduring tremendous amounts of disappointment on texts and emails. So thank you for doing that to bring us this music. Hey,

 

Martin Dosh 

Hey, can I say one more thing?

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

Oh, yeah.

 

Martin Dosh 

yeah, just regards to the LA Buckner set. So I did a show and I never met him before, but I, you know, heard him on the radio, on your station, obviously, and but we were talking. I was like, Hey, I’m doing this thing at Palmer’s and, you know, explaining the bar, but it kind of explained to you. He’s like, I’ve never been, actually been to Palmer’s. I was like, Do you want to play this show and do a solo set? And he’s like, Well, I haven’t done that. I’ve done a solo show in a while. So this will be interesting, because it’ll be like his kind of first solo show in a while. So he said he’s cooking up a set. I don’t know, but it’s, it should be really cool. You’ll be and he’ll be inside. If

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

If you see the SPD out, you’re in good shape, because he does a solo in his set.

 

Martin Dosh 

Yeah, no, I’ve seen that.

 

Sean McPherson (Jazz88) 

and it’s and so if it’s anything like that, you are in for a real treat with L.A. Buckner on his own. Awesome All right, Dosh, thank you for visiting. Good luck with the show on Saturday over at Palmer’s.

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