NPR Tiny Desk Concerts (2008)

Episodes

1. 1 1. Lucius2013-01-07One minute, Lucius sounds like a '60s girl group; the next might conjure images of Emmylou Harris.
2. 2 2. Black Prairie2013-01-14With members of The Decemberists, the band lends a snappy, lilting quality to songs of alienation.
3. 3 3. Of Montreal2013-01-28Frontman Kevin Barnes uses the intimacy of the NPR Music offices to try out some quiet new material.
4. 4 4. Cantus2013-02-04The a cappella ensemble sings widely divergent songs from American, European and Sufi traditions.
5. 5 5. The xx2013-02-11In The xx's songs, all the calm chilliness in the world can't quite contain an exposed heart.
6. 6 6. Night Beds2013-02-18Winston Yellen's arresting voice propels a lighthearted but deeply affecting set at the NPR office.
7. 7 7. Mary Halvorson Quintet2013-02-25The guitarist brings a decidedly non-standard approach to jazz's standard practices.
8. 8 8. The Lone Bellow2013-03-04The fast-rising Brooklyn trio sings beautiful, heartfelt, impeccably harmonized folk-pop songs.
9. 9 9. Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill2013-03-11Watch one of the best fiddlers on the planet and a subtle guitar master work their magic.
10. 10 10. Efterklang2013-04-08The Danish band ransacks the NPR Music offices looking for sound-making material and new ideas.
11. 11 11. Yo La Tengo2013-04-15To coincide with the release of the band's 13th album, Fade, Yo La Tengo performs an acoustic set.
12. 12 12. Omar Sosa & Paolo Fresu2013-04-22The duo's quietly energetic performance hangs over the the NPR Music offices like a soft mist.
13. 13 13. Father Figures2013-04-29Zany, brainy and danceable, these guys' music mixes rock and jazz like King Crimson at its fiercest.
14. 14 14. Nicola Benedetti2013-05-06Watch the violinist spin out music by John Williams and Bach in sweet, soulful tendrils of sound.
15. 15 15. Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale2013-05-13The veteran country players mix corny humor, musical merrymaking and timeless vocal harmonies.
16. 16 16. Mohammad Reza Shajarian2013-05-20The 73-year-old Iranian icon unleashes torrents of swooping, soaring sound that elicit goosebumps.
17. 17 17. Imani Winds2013-05-29Imani Winds' members shrink Igor Stravinsky down to size in a quintet take on The Rite of Spring.
18. 18 18. OK Go2013-06-03OK Go helps us transport the Tiny Desk from NPR Music's old headquarters to our new facility.
19. 19 19. The National2013-06-10Watch the band perform acoustic arrangements of four songs from its new album, Trouble Will Find Me.
20. 20 20. NO BS! Brass Band2013-06-15An 11-piece brass band turns up the funk and flies the flag high for its native Richmond, Va.
21. 21 21. Billy Bragg2013-06-17One of the world's finest folksingers channels the spirit of Woody Guthrie at the NPR Music offices.
22. 22 22. Patty Griffin2013-06-24Watch the singer-songwriter and her band perform three songs from her fine new album, American Kid.
23. 23 23. Maya Beiser2013-06-29A brilliant cellist with a stunning command of her instrument, Beiser performs at the NPR offices.
24. 24 24. Laura Mvula2013-07-01The U.K. singer performs some of her most intimate material in a short set at the NPR Music offices.
25. 25 25. Cheick Hamala Diabate2013-07-06The Malian musician and his band craft melodies and rhythms that cut across age and ethnicity.
26. 26 26. Skinny Lister2013-07-08The rowdy English folk-punk band brings its barely controlled mayhem to the NPR Music offices.
27. 27 27. Frank Turner2013-07-13Two men with unplugged instruments convey the bawdy rowdiness of a full band.
28. 28 28. Alice Russell2013-07-15When the British singer performs, her emotionally fiery music just gets hotter and grittier.
29. 29 29. Cheyenne Mize2013-07-20The singer, instrumentalist and music therapist plays slinky, forceful songs at NPR Music.
30. 30 30. Guards2013-07-22Hear three sturdy pop songs from In Guards We Trust, performed live at the NPR Music offices.
31. 31 31. Time For Three2013-07-27Hear the "classically trained garage band" perform with staggering technique and contagious energy.
32. 32 32. Dana Falconberry2013-07-29Watch Falconberry and five bandmates perform three delicate songs from her recent album Leelanau.
33. 33 33. Keaton Henson2013-08-03 · 14mHenson's voice is so fragile and hushed, if you were 10 feet away from him you'd barely hear a peep.
34. 34 34. Jim Guthrie2013-08-10Guthrie and his band drove 18 hours round-trip from Ontario to perform three songs for NPR Music.
35. 35 35. Alpine2013-08-12The Australian sextet crafts busily impeccable, harmony-intensive pop music with a danceable sway.
36. 36 36. Mother Falcon2013-08-17The 17-member chamber-rock collective uses its size in the service of great, snappy, stirring songs.
37. 37 37. The Front Bottoms2013-08-19The community that's formed around The Front Bottoms speaks to the band's passion and compassion.
38. 38 38. Buika2013-08-26Concha Buika's voice comes from Africa and the past. Watch her perform in the NPR Music offices.
39. 39 39. Steve Gunn2013-08-31Watch Gunn's trio perform a set of hypnotic long-form jams that are perfect for taking it easy.
40. 40 40. Baths2013-09-04Watch Baths' Will Wiesenfeld perform mysterious, textured electronic music in the NPR offices.
41. 41 41. Bombino2013-09-07For our 300th Tiny Desk Concert, we showcase a Tuareg guitarist's fierce, hypnotic, alluring jams.
42. 42 42. The 19752013-09-10Performing solo, singer Matthew Healy doesn't hesitate to transform both his songs and himself.
43. 43 43. Arturo O'Farrill2013-09-14With an eye on both the past and the future, O'Farrill has jazz and Afro-Cuban music in his DNA.
44. 44 44. Shovels & Rope2013-09-16The husband-and-wife duo mixes rowdy folk-rock and rootsy ballads, with the help of a canine friend.
45. 45 45. The Cristina Pato Trio2013-09-21A Galician bagpiper and her trio take Celtic sounds in an entirely wild and wonderful direction.
46. 46 46. Hem2013-09-28Hem makes a homey, fireside kind of music, with songs that feel as if they've always been there.
47. 47 47. Oliver 'Tuku' Mtukudzi2013-09-30The Zimbabwean legend performs songs from the mournful but celebratory Sarawoga for NPR Music.
48. 48 48. Lawrence Brownlee2013-10-05The operatic tenor, acclaimed for his Rossini, circles back to his roots as a singer of spirituals.
49. 49 49. Superchunk2013-10-07Watch the venerable band translate its electric sound to acoustic instruments in an intimate way.
50. 50 50. Valerie June2013-10-12Short of seeing her live and in person, this is the best way to encounter June's heartfelt sound.
51. 51 51. Okkervil River2013-10-15The band performs three songs from a record inspired by the childhood of singer Will Sheff.
52. 52 52. Matt Ulery's Loom2013-10-19The bassist composes beautiful, unpretentious music for an unusual jazz band with accordion.
53. 53 53. Daughter2013-10-21Pretty and melancholy, the Londoners' music conjures a perfect mix of gloom, desire and hostility.
54. 54 54. Typhoon2013-10-26The dozen members of this Portland, Ore. band crammed behind the Tiny Desk for a transcendent set.
55. 55 55. San Fermin2013-10-28The orchestral folk-pop band's little song-worlds burst with ambition, talent and extreme joy.
56. 56 56. Neko Case2013-10-31Watch a Halloween Tiny Desk Concert in which Case performs with Kelly Hogan and Eric Bachmann.
57. 57 57. Ashley Monroe2013-11-03This three-song set in the NPR Music offices captures a nice cross-section of Monroe's appeal.
58. 58 58. Gary Burton2013-11-09The jazz vibraphone pioneer is 70 now, but that hasn't slowed his flying four-mallet technique.
59. 59 59. Debashish Bhattacharya2013-11-12Bhattacharya draws on North Indian classical music, but blues also pours out of his stunning work.
60. 60 60. John Legend2013-11-16The soul singer retains the easygoing grace of a performer fit for any stage — even a tiny one.
61. 61 61. Waxahatchee2013-11-23This is Katie Crutchfield as Waxahatchee, playing intimate music for an intimate setting.
62. 62 62. Kronos Quartet2013-11-25The intrepid champions of new music bring a lullaby, rare blues and a work by Bryce Dessner to NPR.
63. 63 63. The Dismemberment Plan2013-12-02The band exudes playfulness and wry charm throughout these three songs from Uncanney Valley.
64. 64 64. Sarah Jarosz2013-12-07Jarosz and her small backing band craft a careful mix of technical proficiency and poppy warmth.
65. 65 65. Dessa2013-12-09The whip-smart rapper, singer, poet and songwriter performs three tracks from Parts of Speech.
66. 66 66. Christine Salem2013-12-14Salem sings work songs and chants from the maloya tradition on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
67. 67 67. La Santa Cecilia2013-12-16The video here provides just a hint of the L.A. band's dynamic live shows, albeit a spectacular one.
68. 68 68. Preservation Hall Jazz Band2013-12-21The hot and historic New Orleans band brings a tuba-wielding Santa and some original holiday cheer.