Maia Stern
Director
NPR Tiny Desk Concerts (2008)
Season 2015
Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
Released April 22, 2008
Episode 14 min
None+
Genres: Music
Keywords: tmdb.concert, imdb.concert, tmdb.music, tmdb.irreverent, tmdb.inspirational, tmdb.awestruck, tmdb.joyful
Production Companies: NPR Music
Network: NPR
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S8E1 - Trey Anastasio
The Phish star was in town to put on a huge show, but the songs here feel more personal than that.
Jan. 5, 2015, midnight
S8E2 - Daniel Lanois
The producer presides over an all-instrumental, free-form trio with Brian Blade and Jim Wilson.
Jan. 3, 2015, midnight
S8E3 - Rubblebucket
Even without its confetti cannon, the band brings a fun mix of brass and brash to the NPR offices.
Jan. 20, 2015, midnight
S8E4 - Bobby Bare Jr.
The Nashville singer writes with acidic wit in lines worthy of his old mentor, Shel Silverstein.
Jan. 27, 2015, midnight
S8E5 - John Reilly & Friends
Reilly sings and plays guitar alongside Tom Brosseau and Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark.
Feb. 3, 2015, midnight
S8E6 - Mucca Pazza
With 23 members, the performance-art marching band is the biggest ever to play the Tiny Desk.
Feb. 10, 2015, midnight
S8E7 - Until The Ribbon Breaks
The band strips down its electronic sound with the aid of a spaghetti strainer and a paint bucket.
Feb. 17, 2015, midnight
S8E8 - Zola Jesus
With her huge voice and an assist on trombone, Nika Roza Danilova offers up a curious combination.
Feb. 23, 2015, midnight
S8E9 - Dan Deacon
The Tiny Desk becomes a DJ booth for an office space dance party.
Feb. 25, 2015, midnight
S8E10 - Phox
The Wisconsin band performs three of its warm, accessible songs in the NPR Music offices.
March 2, 2015, midnight
S8E11 - Aurelio
Aurelio weaves intricate layers of acoustic guitar to capture the feel of African and the Caribbean.
March 7, 2015, midnight
S8E12 - Fantastic Negrito
The singer beat out nearly 7,000 other submissions to win NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest.
March 9, 2015, midnight
S8E13 - Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley
The duo plays visionary Beethoven, heartbreaking Janáček and Glass that unfolds like a lullaby.
March 14, 2015, midnight
S8E14 - Punch Brothers
Before the wide-ranging band plays, the audience sings "Happy Birthday" to mandolinist Chris Thile.
March 16, 2015, midnight
S8E15 - Anonymous 4 With Bruce Molsky
The a cappella quartet, with banjo and fiddle, offers popular songs from the Civil War era.
March 28, 2015, midnight
S8E16 - Sylvan Esso
Performed softly in the light of day, these three songs feel fresh and lovable.
March 20, 2015, midnight
S8E17 - Death Cab For Cutie
In a beautifully stark performance, the band plays two songs from Kintsugi and two older favorites.
April 6, 2015, midnight
S8E18 - Beach Slang
James Snyder's euphoric punk anthems become raw and uplifting confessionals in this acoustic set.
April 10, 2015, midnight
S8E19 - Chadwick Stokes
Stokes' songs feel familiar; they're old friends before you're done hearing them for the first time.
April 13, 2015, midnight
S8E20 - Rosa Díaz
The singer's lyrics reflect deeply felt emotions in this performance with cellist Daniel de Jesus.
April 17, 2015, midnight
S8E21 - Jessie Ware
The young English singer brings warmth to electronic music and a swooning quality to her own pop.
April 20, 2015, midnight
S8E22 - DakhaBrakha
The Ukrainian acoustic quartet's music encompasses sounds and rhythms from around the world.
April 25, 2015, midnight
S8E23 - José González
This soft-spoken Swedish singer left an imprint at the Tiny Desk that was gentle and long lasting.
April 29, 2015, midnight
S8E24 - Diego El Cigala
The singer has been called "the Sinatra of flamenco." His expressive style draws on jazz.
May 1, 2015, midnight
S8E25 - Vijay Iyer Trio
Iyer's working band transforms selections from throughout the pianist's deep and varied catalog.
May 4, 2015, midnight
S8E26 - Eskmo
Found objects are percussion instruments in the hands of a man who's part musician, part magician.
May 8, 2015, midnight
S8E27 - Bellows
These are enchanting songs, with the power to drift in your head for days.
May 11, 2015, midnight
S8E28 - Camané
A star in his native Portugal, Camané evokes melancholy with a silky baritone and elegant phrasing.
May 15, 2015, midnight
S8E29 - Young Fathers
Intense, hip-hop-infused poetry is reduced to just the essentials in this two-song, four-minute set.
May 19, 2015, midnight
S8E30 - Jason Vieaux And Yolanda Kondonassis
Watch the Grammy-winning guitarist and acclaimed harpist play music influenced by Africa and Asia.
May 22, 2015, midnight
S8E31 - Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear
The mother-son duo's songs are memorable and singable even days after you hear them.
May 26, 2015, midnight
S8E32 - Frank Fairfield
A young man with an old musical soul has a spellbinding voice and fluid fiddle playing.
May 29, 2015, midnight
S8E33 - Genevieve
See a singer with a powerful voice and extremely encouraging message.
June 1, 2015, midnight
S8E34 - Anna & Elizabeth
If you've never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, breathe deep and soak it all in.
June 8, 2015, midnight
S8E35 - The Prettiots
The clever trio shares its love of everything from Law & Order to old-school girl groups.
June 15, 2015, midnight
S8E36 - Strand Of Oaks
Timothy Showalter's music is filled with bite and sometimes regret, but also a good deal of warmth.
June 19, 2015, midnight
S8E37 - Hop Along
Frances Quinlan's raspy voice whispers one moment, then lets loose a gut-punching howl the next.
June 22, 2015, midnight
S8E38 - Oddisee
The charismatic Brooklyn-via-D.C.-area rapper creates just the right amount of space in his music.
June 26, 2015, midnight
S8E39 - And The Kids
The trio's music is full of life, with dissonant sounds that still feel suited for singalongs.
June 30, 2015, midnight
S8E40 - Christopher Paul Stelling
Best witnessed live, Stelling's music is steeped in tradition yet filled with vitality and soul.
July 6, 2015, midnight
S8E41 - Girlpool
The charming duo performs three of the simple, direct songs from Before The World Was Big.
July 10, 2015, midnight
S8E42 - Songhoy Blues
See a Malian band that fuses African music with Western rock.
July 17, 2015, midnight
S8E43 - Kate Tempest
A celebrated English playwright and rapper deploys storytelling and poetry.
July 21, 2015, midnight
S8E44 - Paul Weller
See the beloved Britpop veteran perform songs from his new album, Saturns Pattern.
July 28, 2015, midnight
S8E45 - Shamir
The singer's disco-infused funk and soul gets stripped down to a lone voice with a guitar.
July 31, 2015, midnight
S8E46 - SOAK
Irish singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson makes the most of a single voice and an acoustic guitar.
Aug. 3, 2015, midnight
S8E47 - Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective
The New Orleans trumpeter's funky new band creates dance music to ward off despair.
Aug. 5, 2015, midnight
S8E48 - Torres
Mackenzie Scott's music channels Patti Smith and PJ Harvey while hinting at further growth.
Aug. 10, 2015, midnight
S8E49 - Restorations
The Philly rock band's big-hearted songs are stripped down to a few guitars and a MiniKorg.
Aug. 14, 2015, midnight
S8E50 - Kacey Musgraves
The country singer plays four songs from Pageant Material, plus the set-closing "Follow Your Arrow."
Aug. 17, 2015, midnight
S8E51 - Son Lux
The trio blows up its sound by adding off-duty, civilian horn players from the U.S. Marine Band.
Aug. 21, 2015, midnight
S8E52 - Caroline Rose
Rose plays music as if she's just met her new best friend: It's fresh, fun and enthusiastic.
Aug. 24, 2015, midnight
S8E53 - Eskimeaux
There's lighthearted, almost childlike beauty in the way Gabrielle Smith puts words to song.
Aug. 28, 2015, midnight
S8E54 - Mitski
Mitski's music is dark and even scary, but glimmers of beauty peek through.
Aug. 31, 2015, midnight
S8E55 - Happyness
If you're a fan of dark, incredibly dry, wry humor, you've just found Happyness.
Sept. 4, 2015, midnight
S8E56 - Leon Bridges
Bridges is easy to love and hard to resist, with purity in his voice that's untouched by modern pop.
Sept. 8, 2015, midnight
S8E57 - Sam Lee
The singer found his voice by finding and preserving old British, Irish and Scottish folk songs.
Sept. 11, 2015, midnight
S8E58 - Watkins Family Hour
With help from Fiona Apple, two Nickel Creek alums gather a band to perform old and new songs.
Sept. 18, 2015, midnight
S8E59 - Gina Chavez
The Austin singer-songwriter performs with intense openness, directness and warmth.
Sept. 22, 2015, midnight
S8E60 - Joan Shelley
As technology rules the day, here's a reminder that a single voice can carry deep emotion.
Sept. 25, 2015, midnight
S8E61 - The Internet
The R&B band might just be the oddest thing to come from the hip-hop collective Odd Future.
Sept. 29, 2015, midnight
S8E62 - Lianne La Havas
The singer is soulful yet playful, raw and vulnerable in a commanding kind of way.
Oct. 2, 2015, midnight
S8E63 - Deqn Sue
She came so close to winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest, we just had to see her play.
Oct. 5, 2015, midnight
S8E64 - Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
The trumpeter presents his emotionally charged, jazz-hybridized "stretch music" in performance.
Oct. 9, 2015, midnight
S8E65 - Andra Day
Day's songs feel candid and vulnerable, but not understated.
Oct. 13, 2015, midnight
S8E66 - Oh Pep!
The band's clever, thoughtful music fits in everywhere from Nashville to its hometown of Melbourne.
Oct. 16, 2015, midnight
S8E67 - Paolo Angeli
The Sardinian guitarist has a whole toy shop aboard his instrument.
Oct. 19, 2015, midnight
S8E68 - Beauty Pill
In Beauty Pill, life whirs with plunderphonic glee and riffs are funky from the inside out.
Oct. 23, 2015, midnight
S8E69 - The Suffers
The 10-piece band can barely fit all its horns, guitars, percussion and energy behind one desk.
Oct. 27, 2015, midnight
S8E70 - Diane Coffee
Conjuring David Bowie, Diane Coffee's Shaun Fleming swaggered and shimmied behind the Tiny Desk.
Nov. 2, 2015, midnight
S8E71 - Chris Stapleton
With his wife Morgane, the country singer-songwriter sings patient, detailed songs of devotion.
Nov. 5, 2015, midnight
S8E72 - My bubba
My bubba is a duo of women whose quirky, delicate, sweetly sung folk songs are a delight.
Nov. 6, 2015, midnight
S8E73 - Aurora
At 19 and on the cusp of her first album, the Norwegian singer performs with a sense of discovery.
Nov. 9, 2015, midnight
S8E74 - Rahim AlHaj
The oud player's wordless music tells powerful stories about life's blessedness and fragility.
Nov. 13, 2015, midnight
S8E75 - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
At the Tiny Desk, Rateliff's body-shaking Southern-style soul takes on a more laid-back sound.
Nov. 17, 2015, midnight
S8E76 - The Wild Reeds
Great singers aren't easy to come by, so finding three in one band is something special.
Nov. 20, 2015, midnight
S8E77 - Youth Lagoon
Trevor Powers' new songs are expansive and self-assured, a transition reflected in this performance.
Nov. 23, 2015, midnight
S8E78 - Teddy Abrams
Hear a young conductor, composer and pianist play Beethoven and his own jazzy pieces.
Nov. 30, 2015, midnight
S8E79 - Protomartyr
The Detroit band's loud, screeching, grousing rock can be profound, poetic and bewildering.
Dec. 4, 2015, midnight
S8E80 - The Oh Hellos
The nine-piece band bursts with anthemic joy, even as its songs convey darkness and loneliness.
Dec. 8, 2015, midnight
S8E81 - Land Lines
The Denver band's mysteriously swirling music is singular, new and adventurous.
Dec. 11, 2015, midnight
S8E82 - Shakey Graves
When the singer breaks out his guitar and suitcase drum, a rush of adrenaline hits the room.
Dec. 14, 2015, midnight
S8E83 - Son Little
A modernistic bluesman with a taste for electronics appears with just his acoustic guitar.
Dec. 18, 2015, midnight
S8E84 - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Watch the soul star perform "Silent Night" and two originals — one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah.
Dec. 21, 2015, midnight
Network: NPR
Episode Runtime: 14 min.
Season Runtime: 20 min.
Released: April 22, 2008
Last Air Date: June 2, 2025, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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