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NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Season 2014

2014 · 85 episodes

  1. 1. Van-Anh Vanessa Vo

    2014-01-04

    The musician unpacks an array of traditional Vietnamese instruments — and 1,000 years of culture.

  2. 2. Lily & Madeleine

    2014-01-07

    The teenagers play a restrained, homespun mix of folk and pop with undeniably sweet harmonies.

  3. 3. Afro Blue

    2014-01-13

    The Howard University vocal jazz ensemble performs beautiful African-American spirituals.

  4. 4. Robert Glasper Experiment

    2014-01-20

    Members of the Grammy-winning, organic R&B Experiment band jam with singer Marsha Ambrosius.

  5. 5. Angel Olsen

    2014-01-27

    The expressive, powerful singer previews songs from her new album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.

  6. 6. Pixies

    2014-02-03

    Hear the legendary band perform 1989's "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and two new songs — one unreleased.

  7. 7. Fanfare Ciocarlia

    2014-02-08

    The joyous Balkan brass band plays at a pace that would make the Ramones burst into a sweat.

  8. 8. Suzanne Vega

    2014-02-10

    The inventive folk-music veteran book-ends a four-song set with her hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."

  9. 9. Cate Le Bon

    2014-02-18

    The Welsh singer's set conveys loneliness and doubt with just two guitars and an inviting whisper.

  10. 10. Sofia Rei

    2014-02-22

    For about 20 minutes one sunny afternoon, Rei turned a desk into a small Latin American folk club.

  11. 11. Brass Bed

    2014-02-24

    See the band re-create some of its stellar studio effects with a pedal steel and some novelty mics.

  12. 12. Asaf Avidan

    2014-03-02

    Avidan has an album and no U.S. record label to put it out. But he's on a solo tour that's stunning.

  13. 13. Lowland Hum

    2014-03-06

    It's hard to convey the sound of two people in love, but Lowland Hum does that effortlessly.

  14. 14. Jake Bugg

    2014-03-10

    Watch the 20-year-old English singer-songwriter, who has worked with superproducer Rick Rubin.

  15. 15. Diane Cluck

    2014-03-17

    On record, Cluck's elastic voice and fingerpicking are impressive. Live, they jam the senses.

  16. 16. Joseph Calleja

    2014-03-24

    All the world's top opera houses want the young tenor with the old-school approach.

  17. 17. The Haden Triplets

    2014-03-31

    When the sisters cover classic country music together, the result is a treat and a trip in time.

  18. 18. The Both

    2014-04-07

    Singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite from opposite ends of the volume knob.

  19. 19. Tom Brosseau

    2014-04-12

    The North Dakota singer-songwriter possesses one of the most arresting voices in folk music today.

  20. 20. Courtney Barnett

    2014-04-14

    Barnett tells stories like your best friend, provided your best friend is a funny Australian poet.

  21. 21. Usman Riaz

    2014-04-19

    A young Pakistani musician treats the guitar as percussion — with surprisingly shimmering results.

  22. 22. Federico Aubele

    2014-04-21

    The Argentine singer uses his dark, husky voice to produce a specific effect in these three songs.

  23. 23. Quilt

    2014-04-26

    Interweaving harmonies and guitar lines set the tone for these soft, benevolent, dreamy songs.

  24. 24. Johnnyswim

    2014-04-28

    Impossibly telegenic and charming, the band mixes booming intensity with polish and sparkle.

  25. 25. Cian Nugent

    2014-05-03

    The Dublin guitarist runs through a ragtime jaunt, a basement-bar choogle and a sad-sack closer.

  26. 26. Public Service Broadcasting

    2014-05-05

    The duo's sample-laden instrumental music is entertainment as education for the head and feet alike.

  27. 27. Timber Timbre

    2014-05-10

    See the swamp-folk band play a characteristically eerie and mysterious set in the NPR Music offices.

  28. 28. Chvrches

    2014-05-12

    The Scottish synth-pop band turns up with a small arsenal of synthesizers to perform three songs.

  29. 29. Iestyn Davies

    2014-05-17

    See the countertenor and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform John Dowland's melancholy songs.

  30. 30. Ages And Ages

    2014-05-20

    The band makes the kind of music that can at least briefly restore your faith in humanity.

  31. 31. Yasmine Hamdan

    2014-05-24

    The Lebanese singer-songwriter is one of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East.

  32. 32. Hozier

    2014-05-27 · 15m

    Andrew Hozier-Byrne wraps his rich, vital, soulful voice around songs rooted in the blues.

  33. 33. Juana Molina

    2014-05-31

    Molina sounds as if she'd been raised by wolves and discovered the world of music on her own.

  34. 34. Simone Dinnerstein

    2014-06-02

    Watch the celebrated pianist make Bach's Two-part Inventions sing and zing.

  35. 35. Marian McLaughlin

    2014-06-07

    A quirky and wistful performer with a string section, McLaughlin makes music like few others.

  36. 36. Eliot Fisk And Paco Peña

    2014-06-14

    A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets.

  37. 37. Rodney Crowell

    2014-06-16

    The country singer-songwriter performs with the ease and swagger of a man comfortable in his ways.

  38. 38. Mali Music

    2014-06-21

    The singer-songwriter and musician performs with unabashed positivity and an uplifting spirit.

  39. 39. Conor Oberst

    2014-06-23

    The Bright Eyes singer performs songs from Upside Down Mountain with help from members of Dawes.

  40. 40. Tracy Silverman

    2014-06-28

    See the innovative player create waves of sound with a six-string violin.

  41. 41. Lydia Loveless

    2014-07-01

    The 23-year-old singer-guitarist performs gritty, countrified blues-rock in the NPR Music offices.

  42. 42. The Foreign Exchange

    2014-07-05

    Watch the Tiny Desk turn into a church, comedy club and neo-soul spot.

  43. 43. Moon Hooch

    2014-07-07

    They call what they make "cave music" — but it's just as powerful at the Tiny Desk.

  44. 44. John Grant

    2014-07-13

    Grant's songs don't mess around, with lyrics that function as darts of retort and thought.

  45. 45. Holly Williams

    2014-07-14

    The singer has a magnificent way with phrasing, not to mention a remarkable country-music lineage.

  46. 46. Marisa Anderson

    2014-07-19

    The guitarist kicks up some dirt with a Rev. Gary Davis deconstruction and a Stratocaster hoedown.

  47. 47. Hamilton Leithauser

    2014-07-21

    In this three-song set, the Walkmen singer demonstrates that he's lost none of his vocal power.

  48. 48. Highasakite

    2014-07-25

    Watch an atmospheric Norwegian band with a yearning sound. Also: See a flugabone!

  49. 49. Saintseneca

    2014-07-29

    In the NPR offices, the Ohio band plays three alternately brooding and stomping songs from Dark Arc.

  50. 50. Quetzal

    2014-08-02

    The veteran East L.A. band's music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.

  51. 51. The Family Crest

    2014-08-04

    The band's seven players are trained in classical and jazz, led by Liam McCormick's powerful voice.

  52. 52. Irene Diaz

    2014-08-09

    With Carolyn Cardoza, Diaz conjures a place where emotions run deep and beauty is unmistakable.

  53. 53. Bob Mould

    2014-08-11

    The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman plugs in for a characteristically loud four-song set.

  54. 54. Ernest Ranglin

    2014-08-16

    Watch a talented, charming guitar legend make magic as his band Avila holds down the beat.

  55. 55. Pacifica Quartet

    2014-08-18

    Watch the group play selections from Shostakovich's cycle of introspective string quartets.

  56. 56. Rodrigo Amarante

    2014-08-23

    A veteran of Little Joy and Los Hermanos, Amarante makes warm, tender music as a solo artist.

  57. 57. Nickel Creek

    2014-08-26

    The band was made to sing and play around one microphone, so a Tiny Desk Concert seemed inevitable.

  58. 58. Sturgill Simpson

    2014-08-30 · 15m

    The Kentucky native writes country songs about loneliness, failed dreams, drinking and drugs.

  59. 59. Trampled By Turtles

    2014-09-03

    Known for the speed of their playing, the Minnesotans are about more than just blistering bluegrass.

  60. 60. Jessica Lea Mayfield

    2014-09-06

    Mayfield's music has gotten more beguiling as she explores the many contrasts in her hypnotic sound.

  61. 61. Justin Townes Earle

    2014-09-08

    In advance of his new album Single Mothers, the singer performs two new songs and an old favorite.

  62. 62. Luluc

    2014-09-15

    Graceful singing and storytelling meet guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura.

  63. 63. Tweedy

    2014-09-22

    With his drummer son Spencer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy performs songs from their new album, Sukierae.

  64. 64. Bio Ritmo

    2014-09-29

    The 10-piece salsa band built its career on dance floors, where it never fails to make people move.

  65. 65. Ryan Keberle & Catharsis

    2014-10-04

    The trombonist's working band established some nifty swing, assisted in absentia by Sufjan Stevens.

  66. 66. Jackson Browne

    2014-10-06

    Browne still writes songs with conviction, craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.

  67. 67. Raquel Sofia

    2014-10-11

    Sofia has spent most of her career 20 feet from stardom as a backup singer for Juanes and Shakira.

  68. 68. The Bots

    2014-10-14

    The band plays with a great rock-duo punch that recalls The White Stripes or JEFF The Brotherhood.

  69. 69. Ásgeir

    2014-10-18

    The Icelandic singer's voice is angelic and yearning, his songs simple and universal.

  70. 70. Anthony D'Amato

    2014-10-20

    D'Amato's music can feel Motown-y, garage-y and Springsteen-y, but he sounds sparer here.

  71. 71. Danish String Quartet

    2014-10-25

    Watch the young, versatile ensemble play folk music from around Denmark and beyond.

  72. 72. T-Pain

    2014-10-29

    We asked the King of Auto-Tune to grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects.

  73. 73. Banks

    2014-10-30

    Known for lavish electronic productions, Banks serves notice as a powerful singer in her own right.

  74. 74. Sun Ra Arkestra

    2014-10-31

    With costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and sci-fi, Ra's band plays a special Halloween set.

  75. 75. Making Movies

    2014-11-08

    A rousing band from Kansas City, Making Movies mixes languages and eras with infectious energy.

  76. 76. Roomful Of Teeth

    2014-11-10

    Watch the group sing new music with yelps, yodels and a few fine harmonies.

  77. 77. Davíd Garza

    2014-11-15

    The Austin singer-songwriter joins his stunning voice with that of touring partner Gaby Moreno.

  78. 78. J Mascis

    2014-11-22

    The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, one of the world's loudest musicians, performs unplugged and acoustic.

  79. 79. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

    2014-11-24

    Benatar and Giraldo play three classics: "We Live For Love," "We Belong" and "Promises In The Dark."

  80. 80. Sam Amidon & Bill Frisell

    2014-12-01

    Amidon weaves his compositions into traditional music, while Frisell adds atmospheric guitar.

  81. 81. Dublin Guitar Quartet

    2014-12-04

    Hear the Irish ensemble's fresh take on Philip Glass' propulsive yet intimate string quartets.

  82. 82. St. Paul And The Broken Bones

    2014-12-06

    The band's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting.

  83. 83. Yusuf/Cat Stevens

    2014-12-09

    The singer performs two new songs, as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Father and Son."

  84. 84. Lucinda Williams

    2014-12-20

    She came to the desk a little unsure, and left singing "West Memphis" with intensity and passion.

  85. 85. HMSTR

    2014-12-24

    Watch our favorite hamsters play their twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song, "Snow Day."

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