NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
NR
8.5
2008
Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
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- Cast:
Episode 85 : HMSTR
December. 24,2014
Watch our favorite hamsters play their twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song, "Snow Day."
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Episode 84 : Lucinda Williams
December. 20,2014
She came to the desk a little unsure, and left singing "West Memphis" with intensity and passion.
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Episode 83 : Yusuf/Cat Stevens
December. 09,2014
The singer performs two new songs, as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Father and Son."
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Episode 82 : St. Paul And The Broken Bones
December. 06,2014
The band's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting.
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Episode 81 : Dublin Guitar Quartet
December. 04,2014
Hear the Irish ensemble's fresh take on Philip Glass' propulsive yet intimate string quartets.
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Episode 80 : Sam Amidon & Bill Frisell
December. 01,2014
Amidon weaves his compositions into traditional music, while Frisell adds atmospheric guitar.
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Episode 79 : Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
November. 24,2014
Benatar and Giraldo play three classics: "We Live For Love," "We Belong" and "Promises In The Dark."
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Episode 78 : J Mascis
November. 22,2014
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, one of the world's loudest musicians, performs unplugged and acoustic.
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Episode 77 : Davíd Garza
November. 15,2014
The Austin singer-songwriter joins his stunning voice with that of touring partner Gaby Moreno.
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Episode 76 : Roomful Of Teeth
November. 10,2014
Watch the group sing new music with yelps, yodels and a few fine harmonies.
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Episode 75 : Making Movies
November. 08,2014
A rousing band from Kansas City, Making Movies mixes languages and eras with infectious energy.
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Episode 74 : Sun Ra Arkestra
October. 31,2014
With costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and sci-fi, Ra's band plays a special Halloween set.
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Episode 73 : Banks
October. 30,2014
Known for lavish electronic productions, Banks serves notice as a powerful singer in her own right.
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Episode 72 : T-Pain
October. 29,2014
We asked the King of Auto-Tune to grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects.
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Episode 71 : Danish String Quartet
October. 25,2014
Watch the young, versatile ensemble play folk music from around Denmark and beyond.
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Episode 70 : Anthony D'Amato
October. 20,2014
D'Amato's music can feel Motown-y, garage-y and Springsteen-y, but he sounds sparer here.
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Episode 69 : Ásgeir
October. 18,2014
The Icelandic singer's voice is angelic and yearning, his songs simple and universal.
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Episode 68 : The Bots
October. 14,2014
The band plays with a great rock-duo punch that recalls The White Stripes or JEFF The Brotherhood.
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Episode 67 : Raquel Sofia
October. 11,2014
Sofia has spent most of her career 20 feet from stardom as a backup singer for Juanes and Shakira.
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Episode 66 : Jackson Browne
October. 06,2014
Browne still writes songs with conviction, craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.
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Episode 65 : Ryan Keberle & Catharsis
October. 04,2014
The trombonist's working band established some nifty swing, assisted in absentia by Sufjan Stevens.
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Episode 64 : Bio Ritmo
September. 29,2014
The 10-piece salsa band built its career on dance floors, where it never fails to make people move.
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Episode 63 : Tweedy
September. 22,2014
With his drummer son Spencer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy performs songs from their new album, Sukierae.
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Episode 62 : Luluc
September. 15,2014
Graceful singing and storytelling meet guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura.
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Episode 61 : Justin Townes Earle
September. 08,2014
In advance of his new album Single Mothers, the singer performs two new songs and an old favorite.
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Episode 60 : Jessica Lea Mayfield
September. 06,2014
Mayfield's music has gotten more beguiling as she explores the many contrasts in her hypnotic sound.
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Episode 59 : Trampled By Turtles
September. 03,2014
Known for the speed of their playing, the Minnesotans are about more than just blistering bluegrass.
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Episode 58 : Sturgill Simpson
August. 30,2014
The Kentucky native writes country songs about loneliness, failed dreams, drinking and drugs.
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Episode 57 : Nickel Creek
August. 26,2014
The band was made to sing and play around one microphone, so a Tiny Desk Concert seemed inevitable.
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Episode 56 : Rodrigo Amarante
August. 23,2014
A veteran of Little Joy and Los Hermanos, Amarante makes warm, tender music as a solo artist.
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Episode 55 : Pacifica Quartet
August. 18,2014
Watch the group play selections from Shostakovich's cycle of introspective string quartets.
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Episode 54 : Ernest Ranglin
August. 16,2014
Watch a talented, charming guitar legend make magic as his band Avila holds down the beat.
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Episode 53 : Bob Mould
August. 11,2014
The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman plugs in for a characteristically loud four-song set.
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Episode 52 : Irene Diaz
August. 09,2014
With Carolyn Cardoza, Diaz conjures a place where emotions run deep and beauty is unmistakable.
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Episode 51 : The Family Crest
August. 04,2014
The band's seven players are trained in classical and jazz, led by Liam McCormick's powerful voice.
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Episode 50 : Quetzal
August. 02,2014
The veteran East L.A. band's music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.
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Episode 49 : Saintseneca
July. 29,2014
In the NPR offices, the Ohio band plays three alternately brooding and stomping songs from Dark Arc.
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Episode 48 : Highasakite
July. 25,2014
Watch an atmospheric Norwegian band with a yearning sound. Also: See a flugabone!
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Episode 47 : Hamilton Leithauser
July. 21,2014
In this three-song set, the Walkmen singer demonstrates that he's lost none of his vocal power.
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Episode 46 : Marisa Anderson
July. 19,2014
The guitarist kicks up some dirt with a Rev. Gary Davis deconstruction and a Stratocaster hoedown.
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Episode 45 : Holly Williams
July. 14,2014
The singer has a magnificent way with phrasing, not to mention a remarkable country-music lineage.
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Episode 44 : John Grant
July. 13,2014
Grant's songs don't mess around, with lyrics that function as darts of retort and thought.
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Episode 43 : Moon Hooch
July. 07,2014
They call what they make "cave music" — but it's just as powerful at the Tiny Desk.
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Episode 42 : The Foreign Exchange
July. 05,2014
Watch the Tiny Desk turn into a church, comedy club and neo-soul spot.
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Episode 41 : Lydia Loveless
July. 01,2014
The 23-year-old singer-guitarist performs gritty, countrified blues-rock in the NPR Music offices.
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Episode 40 : Tracy Silverman
June. 28,2014
See the innovative player create waves of sound with a six-string violin.
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Episode 39 : Conor Oberst
June. 23,2014
The Bright Eyes singer performs songs from Upside Down Mountain with help from members of Dawes.
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Episode 38 : Mali Music
June. 21,2014
The singer-songwriter and musician performs with unabashed positivity and an uplifting spirit.
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Episode 37 : Rodney Crowell
June. 16,2014
The country singer-songwriter performs with the ease and swagger of a man comfortable in his ways.
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Episode 36 : Eliot Fisk And Paco Peña
June. 14,2014
A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets.
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Episode 35 : Marian McLaughlin
June. 07,2014
A quirky and wistful performer with a string section, McLaughlin makes music like few others.
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Episode 34 : Simone Dinnerstein
June. 02,2014
Watch the celebrated pianist make Bach's Two-part Inventions sing and zing.
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Episode 33 : Juana Molina
May. 31,2014
Molina sounds as if she'd been raised by wolves and discovered the world of music on her own.
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Episode 32 : Hozier
May. 27,2014
Andrew Hozier-Byrne wraps his rich, vital, soulful voice around songs rooted in the blues.
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Episode 31 : Yasmine Hamdan
May. 24,2014
The Lebanese singer-songwriter is one of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East.
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Episode 30 : Ages And Ages
May. 20,2014
The band makes the kind of music that can at least briefly restore your faith in humanity.
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Episode 29 : Iestyn Davies
May. 17,2014
See the countertenor and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform John Dowland's melancholy songs.
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Episode 28 : Chvrches
May. 12,2014
The Scottish synth-pop band turns up with a small arsenal of synthesizers to perform three songs.
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Episode 27 : Timber Timbre
May. 10,2014
See the swamp-folk band play a characteristically eerie and mysterious set in the NPR Music offices.
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Episode 26 : Public Service Broadcasting
May. 05,2014
The duo's sample-laden instrumental music is entertainment as education for the head and feet alike.
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Episode 25 : Cian Nugent
May. 03,2014
The Dublin guitarist runs through a ragtime jaunt, a basement-bar choogle and a sad-sack closer.
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Episode 24 : Johnnyswim
April. 28,2014
Impossibly telegenic and charming, the band mixes booming intensity with polish and sparkle.
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Episode 23 : Quilt
April. 26,2014
Interweaving harmonies and guitar lines set the tone for these soft, benevolent, dreamy songs.
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Episode 22 : Federico Aubele
April. 21,2014
The Argentine singer uses his dark, husky voice to produce a specific effect in these three songs.
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Episode 21 : Usman Riaz
April. 19,2014
A young Pakistani musician treats the guitar as percussion — with surprisingly shimmering results.
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Episode 20 : Courtney Barnett
April. 14,2014
Barnett tells stories like your best friend, provided your best friend is a funny Australian poet.
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Episode 19 : Tom Brosseau
April. 12,2014
The North Dakota singer-songwriter possesses one of the most arresting voices in folk music today.
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Episode 18 : The Both
April. 07,2014
Singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite from opposite ends of the volume knob.
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Episode 17 : The Haden Triplets
March. 31,2014
When the sisters cover classic country music together, the result is a treat and a trip in time.
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Episode 16 : Joseph Calleja
March. 24,2014
All the world's top opera houses want the young tenor with the old-school approach.
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Episode 15 : Diane Cluck
March. 17,2014
On record, Cluck's elastic voice and fingerpicking are impressive. Live, they jam the senses.
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Episode 14 : Jake Bugg
March. 10,2014
Watch the 20-year-old English singer-songwriter, who has worked with superproducer Rick Rubin.
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Episode 13 : Lowland Hum
March. 06,2014
It's hard to convey the sound of two people in love, but Lowland Hum does that effortlessly.
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Episode 12 : Asaf Avidan
March. 02,2014
Avidan has an album and no U.S. record label to put it out. But he's on a solo tour that's stunning.
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Episode 11 : Brass Bed
February. 24,2014
See the band re-create some of its stellar studio effects with a pedal steel and some novelty mics.
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Episode 10 : Sofia Rei
February. 22,2014
For about 20 minutes one sunny afternoon, Rei turned a desk into a small Latin American folk club.
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Episode 9 : Cate Le Bon
February. 18,2014
The Welsh singer's set conveys loneliness and doubt with just two guitars and an inviting whisper.
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Episode 8 : Suzanne Vega
February. 10,2014
The inventive folk-music veteran book-ends a four-song set with her hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."
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Episode 7 : Fanfare Ciocarlia
February. 08,2014
The joyous Balkan brass band plays at a pace that would make the Ramones burst into a sweat.
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Episode 6 : Pixies
February. 03,2014
Hear the legendary band perform 1989's "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and two new songs — one unreleased.
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Episode 5 : Angel Olsen
January. 27,2014
The expressive, powerful singer previews songs from her new album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.
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Episode 4 : Robert Glasper Experiment
January. 20,2014
Members of the Grammy-winning, organic R&B Experiment band jam with singer Marsha Ambrosius.
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Episode 3 : Afro Blue
January. 13,2014
The Howard University vocal jazz ensemble performs beautiful African-American spirituals.
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Episode 2 : Lily & Madeleine
January. 07,2014
The teenagers play a restrained, homespun mix of folk and pop with undeniably sweet harmonies.
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Episode 1 : Van-Anh Vanessa Vo
January. 04,2014
The musician unpacks an array of traditional Vietnamese instruments — and 1,000 years of culture.
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