NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
Season: 8
Episode: 1
Trey Anastasio
Air Date:05/01/2015
The Phish star was in town to put on a huge show, but the songs here feel more personal than that.
Episode: 2
Daniel Lanois
Air Date:03/01/2015
The producer presides over an all-instrumental, free-form trio with Brian Blade and Jim Wilson.
Episode: 3
Rubblebucket
Air Date:20/01/2015
Even without its confetti cannon, the band brings a fun mix of brass and brash to the NPR offices.
Episode: 4
Bobby Bare Jr.
Air Date:27/01/2015
The Nashville singer writes with acidic wit in lines worthy of his old mentor, Shel Silverstein.
Episode: 5
John Reilly & Friends
Air Date:03/02/2015
Reilly sings and plays guitar alongside Tom Brosseau and Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark.
Episode: 6
Mucca Pazza
Air Date:10/02/2015
With 23 members, the performance-art marching band is the biggest ever to play the Tiny Desk.
Episode: 7
Until The Ribbon Breaks
Air Date:17/02/2015
The band strips down its electronic sound with the aid of a spaghetti strainer and a paint bucket.
Episode: 8
Zola Jesus
Air Date:23/02/2015
With her huge voice and an assist on trombone, Nika Roza Danilova offers up a curious combination.
Episode: 9
Dan Deacon
Air Date:25/02/2015
The Tiny Desk becomes a DJ booth for an office space dance party.
Episode: 10
Phox
Air Date:02/03/2015
The Wisconsin band performs three of its warm, accessible songs in the NPR Music offices.
Episode: 11
Aurelio
Air Date:07/03/2015
Aurelio weaves intricate layers of acoustic guitar to capture the feel of African and the Caribbean.
Episode: 12
Fantastic Negrito
Air Date:09/03/2015
The singer beat out nearly 7,000 other submissions to win NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest.
Episode: 13
Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley
Air Date:14/03/2015
The duo plays visionary Beethoven, heartbreaking Janáček and Glass that unfolds like a lullaby.
Episode: 14
Punch Brothers
Air Date:16/03/2015
Before the wide-ranging band plays, the audience sings "Happy Birthday" to mandolinist Chris Thile.
Episode: 15
Anonymous 4 With Bruce Molsky
Air Date:28/03/2015
The a cappella quartet, with banjo and fiddle, offers popular songs from the Civil War era.
Episode: 16
Sylvan Esso
Air Date:20/03/2015
Performed softly in the light of day, these three songs feel fresh and lovable.
Episode: 17
Death Cab For Cutie
Air Date:06/04/2015
In a beautifully stark performance, the band plays two songs from Kintsugi and two older favorites.
Episode: 18
Beach Slang
Air Date:10/04/2015
James Snyder's euphoric punk anthems become raw and uplifting confessionals in this acoustic set.
Episode: 19
Chadwick Stokes
Air Date:13/04/2015
Stokes' songs feel familiar; they're old friends before you're done hearing them for the first time.
Episode: 20
Rosa Díaz
Air Date:17/04/2015
The singer's lyrics reflect deeply felt emotions in this performance with cellist Daniel de Jesus.
Episode: 21
Jessie Ware
Air Date:20/04/2015
The young English singer brings warmth to electronic music and a swooning quality to her own pop.
Episode: 22
DakhaBrakha
Air Date:25/04/2015
The Ukrainian acoustic quartet's music encompasses sounds and rhythms from around the world.
Episode: 23
José González
Air Date:29/04/2015
This soft-spoken Swedish singer left an imprint at the Tiny Desk that was gentle and long lasting.
Episode: 24
Diego El Cigala
Air Date:01/05/2015
The singer has been called "the Sinatra of flamenco." His expressive style draws on jazz.
Episode: 25
Vijay Iyer Trio
Air Date:04/05/2015
Iyer's working band transforms selections from throughout the pianist's deep and varied catalog.
Episode: 26
Eskmo
Air Date:08/05/2015
Found objects are percussion instruments in the hands of a man who's part musician, part magician.
Episode: 27
Bellows
Air Date:11/05/2015
These are enchanting songs, with the power to drift in your head for days.
Episode: 28
Camané
Air Date:15/05/2015
A star in his native Portugal, Camané evokes melancholy with a silky baritone and elegant phrasing.
Episode: 29
Young Fathers
Air Date:19/05/2015
Intense, hip-hop-infused poetry is reduced to just the essentials in this two-song, four-minute set.
Episode: 30
Jason Vieaux And Yolanda Kondonassis
Air Date:22/05/2015
Watch the Grammy-winning guitarist and acclaimed harpist play music influenced by Africa and Asia.
Episode: 31
Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear
Air Date:26/05/2015
The mother-son duo's songs are memorable and singable even days after you hear them.
Episode: 32
Frank Fairfield
Air Date:29/05/2015
A young man with an old musical soul has a spellbinding voice and fluid fiddle playing.
Episode: 33
Genevieve
Air Date:01/06/2015
See a singer with a powerful voice and extremely encouraging message.
Episode: 34
Anna & Elizabeth
Air Date:08/06/2015
If you've never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, breathe deep and soak it all in.
Episode: 35
The Prettiots
Air Date:15/06/2015
The clever trio shares its love of everything from Law & Order to old-school girl groups.
Episode: 36
Strand Of Oaks
Air Date:19/06/2015
Timothy Showalter's music is filled with bite and sometimes regret, but also a good deal of warmth.
Episode: 37
Hop Along
Air Date:22/06/2015
Frances Quinlan's raspy voice whispers one moment, then lets loose a gut-punching howl the next.
Episode: 38
Oddisee
Air Date:26/06/2015
The charismatic Brooklyn-via-D.C.-area rapper creates just the right amount of space in his music.
Episode: 39
And The Kids
Air Date:30/06/2015
The trio's music is full of life, with dissonant sounds that still feel suited for singalongs.
Episode: 40
Christopher Paul Stelling
Air Date:06/07/2015
Best witnessed live, Stelling's music is steeped in tradition yet filled with vitality and soul.
Episode: 41
Girlpool
Air Date:10/07/2015
The charming duo performs three of the simple, direct songs from Before The World Was Big.
Episode: 42
Songhoy Blues
Air Date:17/07/2015
See a Malian band that fuses African music with Western rock.
Episode: 43
Kate Tempest
Air Date:21/07/2015
A celebrated English playwright and rapper deploys storytelling and poetry.
Episode: 44
Paul Weller
Air Date:28/07/2015
See the beloved Britpop veteran perform songs from his new album, Saturns Pattern.
Episode: 45
Shamir
Air Date:31/07/2015
The singer's disco-infused funk and soul gets stripped down to a lone voice with a guitar.
Episode: 46
SOAK
Air Date:03/08/2015
Irish singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson makes the most of a single voice and an acoustic guitar.
Episode: 47
Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective
Air Date:05/08/2015
The New Orleans trumpeter's funky new band creates dance music to ward off despair.
Episode: 48
Torres
Air Date:10/08/2015
Mackenzie Scott's music channels Patti Smith and PJ Harvey while hinting at further growth.
Episode: 49
Restorations
Air Date:14/08/2015
The Philly rock band's big-hearted songs are stripped down to a few guitars and a MiniKorg.
Episode: 50
Kacey Musgraves
Air Date:17/08/2015
The country singer plays four songs from Pageant Material, plus the set-closing "Follow Your Arrow."
Episode: 51
Son Lux
Air Date:21/08/2015
The trio blows up its sound by adding off-duty, civilian horn players from the U.S. Marine Band.
Episode: 52
Caroline Rose
Air Date:24/08/2015
Rose plays music as if she's just met her new best friend: It's fresh, fun and enthusiastic.
Episode: 53
Eskimeaux
Air Date:28/08/2015
There's lighthearted, almost childlike beauty in the way Gabrielle Smith puts words to song.
Episode: 54
Mitski
Air Date:31/08/2015
Mitski's music is dark and even scary, but glimmers of beauty peek through.
Episode: 55
Happyness
Air Date:04/09/2015
If you're a fan of dark, incredibly dry, wry humor, you've just found Happyness.
Episode: 56
Leon Bridges
Air Date:08/09/2015
Bridges is easy to love and hard to resist, with purity in his voice that's untouched by modern pop.
Episode: 57
Sam Lee
Air Date:11/09/2015
The singer found his voice by finding and preserving old British, Irish and Scottish folk songs.
Episode: 58
Watkins Family Hour
Air Date:18/09/2015
With help from Fiona Apple, two Nickel Creek alums gather a band to perform old and new songs.
Episode: 59
Gina Chavez
Air Date:22/09/2015
The Austin singer-songwriter performs with intense openness, directness and warmth.
Episode: 60
Joan Shelley
Air Date:25/09/2015
As technology rules the day, here's a reminder that a single voice can carry deep emotion.
Episode: 61
The Internet
Air Date:29/09/2015
The R&B band might just be the oddest thing to come from the hip-hop collective Odd Future.
Episode: 62
Lianne La Havas
Air Date:02/10/2015
The singer is soulful yet playful, raw and vulnerable in a commanding kind of way.
Episode: 63
Deqn Sue
Air Date:05/10/2015
She came so close to winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest, we just had to see her play.
Episode: 64
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Air Date:09/10/2015
The trumpeter presents his emotionally charged, jazz-hybridized "stretch music" in performance.
Crew
Guest Stars
Name: Elena Pinderhughes
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Braxton Cook
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Lawrence Fields
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Dominic Minix
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Kris Funn
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Corey Fonville
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Name: Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah
Character: Self
Department: Acting
Episode: 65
Andra Day
Air Date:13/10/2015
Day's songs feel candid and vulnerable, but not understated.
Episode: 66
Oh Pep!
Air Date:16/10/2015
The band's clever, thoughtful music fits in everywhere from Nashville to its hometown of Melbourne.
Episode: 67
Paolo Angeli
Air Date:19/10/2015
The Sardinian guitarist has a whole toy shop aboard his instrument.
Episode: 68
Beauty Pill
Air Date:23/10/2015
In Beauty Pill, life whirs with plunderphonic glee and riffs are funky from the inside out.
Episode: 69
The Suffers
Air Date:27/10/2015
The 10-piece band can barely fit all its horns, guitars, percussion and energy behind one desk.
Episode: 70
Diane Coffee
Air Date:02/11/2015
Conjuring David Bowie, Diane Coffee's Shaun Fleming swaggered and shimmied behind the Tiny Desk.
Episode: 71
Chris Stapleton
Air Date:05/11/2015
With his wife Morgane, the country singer-songwriter sings patient, detailed songs of devotion.
Crew
Name: Morgan Walker
Role: Producer
Department: Production
Name: Josh Rogosin
Role: Sound Engineer
Department: Sound
Name: Jacob Ganz
Role: Producer
Department: Production
Name: Morgan Walker
Role: Camera Operator
Department: Camera
Name: Lani Milton
Role: Camera Operator
Department: Camera
Name: Mina Tavakoli
Role: Producer
Department: Production
Episode: 72
My bubba
Air Date:06/11/2015
My bubba is a duo of women whose quirky, delicate, sweetly sung folk songs are a delight.
Episode: 73
Aurora
Air Date:09/11/2015
At 19 and on the cusp of her first album, the Norwegian singer performs with a sense of discovery.
Episode: 74
Rahim AlHaj
Air Date:13/11/2015
The oud player's wordless music tells powerful stories about life's blessedness and fragility.
Episode: 75
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Air Date:17/11/2015
At the Tiny Desk, Rateliff's body-shaking Southern-style soul takes on a more laid-back sound.
Episode: 76
The Wild Reeds
Air Date:20/11/2015
Great singers aren't easy to come by, so finding three in one band is something special.
Episode: 77
Youth Lagoon
Air Date:23/11/2015
Trevor Powers' new songs are expansive and self-assured, a transition reflected in this performance.
Episode: 78
Teddy Abrams
Air Date:30/11/2015
Hear a young conductor, composer and pianist play Beethoven and his own jazzy pieces.
Episode: 79
Protomartyr
Air Date:04/12/2015
The Detroit band's loud, screeching, grousing rock can be profound, poetic and bewildering.
Episode: 80
The Oh Hellos
Air Date:08/12/2015
The nine-piece band bursts with anthemic joy, even as its songs convey darkness and loneliness.
Episode: 81
Land Lines
Air Date:11/12/2015
The Denver band's mysteriously swirling music is singular, new and adventurous.
Episode: 82
Shakey Graves
Air Date:14/12/2015
When the singer breaks out his guitar and suitcase drum, a rush of adrenaline hits the room.
Episode: 83
Son Little
Air Date:18/12/2015
A modernistic bluesman with a taste for electronics appears with just his acoustic guitar.
Episode: 84
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Air Date:21/12/2015
Watch the soul star perform "Silent Night" and two originals — one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah.