Npr

RADIO STATION	GENRE	LOCATION
WGTE-FM 91.3 (Classical Music and NPR News from FM 91 in Toledo) Toledo, OH	Public	USA
National Public Radio (NPR)	News Talk,Classical,Public	USA
WBHM-FM 90.3 (Your NPR News station) Birmingham, AL	Public	USA
NPR News and Classical Music	News,Classical,Public	USA
KANH-HD2 89.7 (NPR News) Emporia, KS	News	USA
NPR Berlin 104.1 FM	News Talk,News,Talk	Germany
WUMB-FM 91.9 (Boston's NPR Music Station) Boston, MA	Folk,Public,College	USA
KERA-FM 90.1 (Your source for NPR News in North Texas) Dallas, TX	News Talk,News,Public	USA
KUOW-AM 1340 (NPR News and Information for the Puget Sound Region) Tumwater, WA	News	USA
KGOU-FM 106.3 (Your NPR Source) Norman, OK	Jazz,Blues,Public	USA
KCLU-AM 1340 (NPR and Local News) Thousand Oaks, CA	News,Talk,Public	USA
KCPW-FM 88.3 (NPR Utah) Salt Lake City, UT	News Talk,Public	USA
WFSS-FM 91.9 (Your Public Radio Station for NPR News and Jazz Music) Fayetteville, NC	Jazz,Public	USA
NPR 24-Hour Program Stream	Public	USA
NPR Hourly Newscast	News,News Updates	USA
KSKA-FM 91.1 (NPR News and Information) Anchorage, AK	Public	USA

The Suffers: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 17:51
Updated: 27 Oct 2015
views: 1873

The first time I saw 10-piece Houston big band The Suffers, it was at a small venue in Washington, D.C., called DC9. The club was barely big enough to contain all the horns, guitars and percussion, not to mention the undeniable force of the music. October 27, 2015 by BOB BOILEN At first, I couldn't pull my attention away from irrepressible singer Kam Franklin, whose down-to-earth but uplifting presence put a huge smile on my face. But as The Suffers' set progressed, I became increasingly enchanted with the band, which was part Archie Bell & The Drells and part James Brown, with a touch of New Orleans and even Jamaican reggae. It was a perfect mix of power and delicacy, as the band held back at moments only to steamroll me when my guard was down. The group has only two EPs, with an album on the way, and trust me: 2016 will be The Suffers' year. Look for the band on far bigger stages soon enough. Make Some Room is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/make-some-room-ep/id977816481 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Some-Room-The-Suffers/dp/B00V568IJ8 Set List "Giver" "Midtown" "Gwan" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Nick Michael, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; Photo by Julia Reihs/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Beauty Pill: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 15:08
Updated: 23 Oct 2015
views: 273

October 23, 2015 by LARS GOTRICH • Beauty Pill's music is an invitation. In it, life whirs with plunderphonic glee and riffs are funky from the inside out, with rhythms that are equal parts hip-hop and go-go. Conceived, recorded and meticulously tinkered with over the course of eight years, Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are was partly made in front of an audience after member Chad Clark recovered from a viral infection in his heart that nearly killed him. It's one of the year's most stunning records, as well as an argument for letting art rest, live and breathe before it's ready to be known by a listener. With such a deeply textured group of songs, it was hard to predict how the D.C. band would translate in the NPR Music office. But Beauty Pill didn't strip down, nor did it remove anything vital; the band thought about and adapted to the space, even if Clark was a little late arriving due to a lost dog on a highway. Jean Cook's Monome (for lack of a better descriptor, a sampler sequencer) plays a major role in this phase of Beauty Pill; in performance, the samples give levity to the dark and true themes of "Drapetomania!" as Cook bounces and conducts the glowing buttons and Clark defiantly declares, "I want more life, f*****." Clark introduces "Exit Without Saving" as "either a Microsoft Word document or a situation where you feel trapped," pauses to tune, and quickly (even sheepishly) adds, "But you're not!" It's an atmospheric piece of work with guitars on infinite delay, Basla Andolsun's heartbeat-pulse bass line, and a mantra — "You recognize that this is noise, right?" — that takes on its own meaning every time it's repeated. Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beauty-pill-describes-things/id975667258 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Pill-Describes-Things-They/dp/B00UJ1J3DA Set List "Afrikaner Barista" "Drapetomania!" "Exit Without Saving" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Julia Reihs, Colin Marshall; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; Photo bu Julia Reihs/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast:

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Lianne LaHavas NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:20
Updated: 02 Oct 2015
views: 6540

October 02, 2015 by SURAYA MOHAMED In 2012, my kids introduced me to Lianne La Havas' debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough? One play and I was hooked; I've been a fan ever since. Her music works for any activity, any emotion. The first time I saw La Havas live, I was unprepared for the experience: Her music touched my heart in a way I'd never experienced before. I cried through the entire performance. Her music was that powerful, with lyrics woven together with beautiful harmonies; it pulled emotions out of me I didn't even know existed. La Havas is soulful yet playful, raw and vulnerable in a commanding kind of way, and her new second album, Blood, is as amazing as the first. In this Tiny Desk performance, she plays two new songs — "What You Don't Do" and "Unstoppable" — as well as "Forget," from her first album. She and her talented collaborators, James Wyatt on piano and Frida Mariama Touray on backing vocals, rehearsed this special arrangement during the sound check just moments before the performance. It's wonderfully intimate, with just guitar accompanied by vocals that embellish without getting in the way. If you're like me, you will never get enough. Blood is available now. iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blood/id986317401 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Lianne-La-Havas/dp/B00X6X3QWC Set List "What You Don't Do" 00:00 "Unstoppable" 04:00 "Forget" 08:41 Credits Producers: Suraya Mohomed, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Nick Michael, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; photo by Jun Tsuboike/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Leon Bridges: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 18:02
Updated: 08 Sep 2015
views: 1764

September 08, 2015 by BOB BOILEN We probably should have shot this Tiny Desk Concert in black-and-white. Listening to Leon Bridges, I hear a sound with its heart and soul rooted in 1962. There's purity in his voice that's unadorned, untouched and unaffected by 21st-century pop. It's just soul. Still, the songs from this 26-year-old Fort Worth singer feel refreshing in the context of the day. Surely there's touches of Sam Cooke's spiritual sound, but Leon Bridges has a way of making the familiar feel adventurous and new. It may be because this is all new to him. He only picked up the guitar around the age of twenty and only began listening to classic soul music after friends told him he sounded like R&B; musicians from long ago. What Leon Bridges has tapped into on his debut album with fellow Fort Worth musicians including Austin Jenkins from White Denim is a universal sound, an undeniably heartfelt sound which transcends age, race and musical tastes. He's easy to love and tough to resist and his performance at the Tiny Desk with his fabulous band is a testament to what it means to sing from the heart. Set List "Coming Home" 00:00 "Smooth Sailin'" 04:06 "Twistin' & Groovin'" 07:30 "River" 12:48 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault, Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Colin Marshall, Lani Milton; Assistant Producer: Elena Saavedra Buckley; photo by Lydia Thompson/NPR

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Andra Day: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 13:19
Updated: 13 Oct 2015
views: 5472

My rule when booking Tiny Desk Concerts is to see artists live before they come to the office. I've heard many a great record only to be disappointed by a live show. But when I heard Andra Day sing "Forever Mine" from her album Cheers To The Fall, I decided to break my rule, sight unseen. When Day started warming up for this set, I could see that she was born to perform. She's able to channel the likes of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday in songs that feel candid and vulnerable, but not understated. Day studied singing in a performing-arts high school in San Diego. A live performance found its way to Stevie Wonder after a chance meeting with his wife. Day was then introduced to songwriter and producer Adrian Gurvitz and then Raphael Saadiq to help her make Cheers To The Fall. This is an unforgettable performance, and she's got a talented backing band to boot. Cheers To The Fall is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cheers-to-the-fall/id996787628 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cheers-The-Fall-Andra-Day/dp/B00Z97XIZ8 Set List "Forever Mine" 00:00 "Rise Up" 03:42 "Gold" 08:00 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; photo by Jun Tsuboike/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Death Cab For Cutie: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 18:16
Updated: 07 Apr 2015
views: 7328

Death Cab For Cutie came as a trio: Ben Gibbard sang, Nick Harmer played bass, and we wheeled in our piano for Zac Rae. This intimate set included two new songs — including "Black Sun," the first single from their new album Kintsugi. The album title refers to the Japanese art of reassembling broken pottery and making the breakage part of the newly formed pot. Death Cab For Cutie, a groundbreaking band formed in 1997, has gone through its own rebuilding of sorts. Chris Walla, a founding member of the band, has left, after contributing music to Kintsugi, but that's his farewell offering. Death Cab For Cutie is still strongly defined by Gibbard's words, and that couldn't be more evident in this beautifully stark performance, which also includes "No Room In Frame" from Kintsugi, as well as two stripped-down favorites from the past. One, "Your Heart Is An Empty Room," is from Plans, while a beautiful love song from Transatlanticism, "Passenger Seat," moistened more than a few eyes in the crowd. Set List "Black Sun" 0:07 "No Room In Frame" 5:13 "Your Heart Is An Empty Room" 9:23 "Passenger Seat" 14:00 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Maggie Starbard, Carlos Waters; Assistant Producer: Emily Jan; photo by Emily Jan/NPR

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Paolo Angeli: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 28:41
Updated: 20 Oct 2015
views: 2305

October 19, 2015 by ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS Paolo Angeli has a whole toy shop aboard his guitar: He's got hammers, pedals, propellers, springs, drone strings and even a couple of cell-phone ringers at his disposal. The base of it all is a six-stringed instrument from his native island of Sardinia, and the seed of Angeli's sonic creations is traditional Sardinian music. But in the same way that he's turned his guitar into something new, Angeli twists and turns that tradition into musical magic, in creations that skim over jazz, experimental, improvisational, classical and punk — embracing all, yet not quite belonging to any. All those toys let him create a palette of super-saturated colors and unbelievably varied textures. Angeli, who's based in Barcelona, describes his set-up as "a one-man band for the new millennium." The setup may be futuristic, but the music he creates is deeply human — warm and full of humor and wit, just like Angeli himself. S'u is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/su/id963217937 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Su-Angeli-Paolo/dp/B00UW4G9OU Set List "Mascaratu" "Corsicana" "Brida" Credits Producers: Anastasia Tsioulcas, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Beirut Full Concert | NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW

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Duration: 75:57
Updated: 29 Sep 2015
views: 157

How does a band return from a recording hiatus that could have permanently displaced it from the audience's eye? If you are Zach Condon and Beirut, you just go about your business and pick up where you left off three years earlier. The group's First Listen Live show at Brooklyn's intimate Bell House on a rainy September night, a concert debuting many of the songs from the brand new No No No, its first album since 2011, showed that Beirut works through its obstacles. Maybe it helps when the initial idea behind a band is ahead of the curve to begin with, no? When Condon's Beirut first came to prominence in 2006, it emerged from Santa Fe with a fully conceived, pan-global folk sound unlike any indie sensibilities popular on the day. Zach's trumpet and flugelhorn playing was informed by local Mexican mariachi horns, his engagement with the Roma brass bands of the Balkans, and modal jazz changes via a percolating bossa nova; he favored timeless instruments (ukuleles, accordions) and images, to the rush of the modern; and the songs his quavering tenor delivered, also traveled the old continents. Live, the group grew into a formidable sextet, heavy on keyboards, horns and harmony, a world onto themselves. At the Bell House, Beirut ran down its entire career before a sold-out audience, and the songs from No No No, the band's fourth studio, fit snuggly alongside the older material, even as it heralded directions new and familiar. "Perth," for instance, featured a touch of the Memphis soul energy, with Ben Lanz's trombone adding a brassy bump; "Fener," a song about a neighborhood in Istanbul, is built around the motorik beat interplay between Aaron Arntz's keyboards and Nick Petree's drums, before dropping down into a great g-funk slink, guided by Condon's Moog. So seemingly apart from Beirut's musical environment, yet, here they were, a natural part of it, making the audience sway endlessly. The hiatus, it seems, simply made full hearts grow fonder. Set List: No No No - 1:31 Scenic World - 4:54 Elephant Gun - 7:27 As Needed - 12:08 Perth - 15:46 Santa Fe - 20:03 Postcards From Italy - 25:17 August Holland - 29:42 The Rip Tide - 33:49 The Shrew - 38:10 Fener - 42:23 Serbian Cocek - 46:08 At Once - 49:44 After The Curtain - 52:44 So Allowed - 56:27 Pacheco - 1:01:10 Gulag Orkestar - 1:04:16 In The Mausoleum - 1:07:41 Flying Club Cup - 1:11:20 Director: Mito Habe-Evans; Producer: Saidah Blount; Videographers: Mito Habe-Evans, Lani Milton, Christopher Farber, A.J. Wilhelm; Audio Engineers: Josh Rogosin; Special Thanks: The Bell House; Executive Producer: Anya Grundmann

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Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 33:50
Updated: 20 Oct 2015
views: 1094

October 09, 2015 by PATRICK JARENWATTANANON Artists don't usually tell long, rambling stories at the Tiny Desk, and if they do, those stories don't usually make the final cut. But this one felt different. It was about the time Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, a young black man, says he was stopped by New Orleans police late at night for no reason other than to harass and intimidate him. And how his pride almost made him do something ill-advised about it. And how he finally channeled that pent-up frustration into a piece of music whose long-form title is "Ku Klux Police Department." "K.K.P.D." was the emotional peak of the septet's performance, though it wasn't a new tune. That's notable, because Scott stopped by the Tiny Desk on the very day his new album came out. It was played by something of a new band, though: Flutist Elena Pinderhughes, saxophonist Braxton Cook and guitarist Dominic Minix are new, younger additions to the group. It had new textures, too: Drummer Corey Fonville (another new member) used a djembe as a bass drum, and also brought a MIDI pad so he could emulate the sound of a drum machine. The effect was something like an evocation of African roots, juxtaposed with a trap beat. The first two numbers were, in fact, from Scott's new album Stretch Music. That's his name for the particular type of jazz fusion he's up to: something more seamless than a simple collision of genre signifiers; something whose DNA is already hybridized and freely admits sonic elements which potentially "stretch" jazz's purported boundaries. (You may note that he showed up in a Joy Division sleeveless T-shirt and gold chain.) It's sleek and clearly modern, awash in guitar riffs, but also bold and emotionally naked. Scott is particularly good at getting you to feel the energy he sends pulsing through his horn, and he never shies away from going all-in on a solo. The least we could offer was to let him explain himself in doing so. Stretch Music is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stretch-music-introducing/id1024394279 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01399S7GC?keywords=christian%20scott%20stretch%20music&qid;=1444351505&ref;_=sr_1_1&sr;=8-1 Set List "TWIN" "West Of The West" "K.K.P.D." Personnel Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, trumpet; Elena Pinderhughes, flute; Braxton Cook, alto saxophone; Lawrence Fields, piano; Dominic Minix, guitar; Kris Funn, bass; Corey Fonville, percussion Credits Producers: Patrick Jarenwattananon, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographer: Morgan Walker, Nick Michael, Cameron Robert; Production Assistant: Julia Reihs; photo by Julia Reihs For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Hozier: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 15:11
Updated: 28 May 2014
views: 874086

Andrew Hozier-Byrne's voice is so rich, so vital and so soulful, I'm certain I'll follow his music for a long time to come. The 24-year-old Irishman, who performs under the name Hozier, opens this set with the brilliant and instantly grabby song "Take Me to Church," about passion, sex and religion. Hozier's music is based in the blues, and you'll hear the singer-guitarist's love for Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker during the second song he performs here. His band — piano, guitar, percussion — steps aside for the swampy "To Be Alone," in which the blues provide a starting place for his high, yearning vocals and deep questioning. Hozier has just two EPs out, and both have me yearning to hear more. --BOB BOILEN Set List "Take Me To Church" "To Be Alone" "Cherry Wine" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Olivia Merrion; Production Assistant: Alex Schelldorf; photo by Alex Schelldorf/NPR

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Oh Pep!: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:48
Updated: 16 Oct 2015
views: 3528

October 16, 2015 by BOB BOILEN I've seen Oh Pep! four times in three cities in the past month, and needless to say, the Melbourne band's music is infectious. Oh Pep gets its Oh from Olivia Hally (vocals, guitar) and its Pep! from Pepita Emmerichs (violin, mandolin). These Australians fit well in Nashville during an Americana music festival, as they played fiddles and mandolins alongside guitars, bass and drums. Their harmonies are sweet, with lyrics that are thoughtful, deep, funny and poetic. Hally and Emmerichs told me they used to sit in their bedrooms back home watching Tiny Desk Concerts, so this day at NPR was a bit surreal for them, as they'd already traveled thousands of miles. Thankfully, Oh Pep!'s performance harnessed that surreality for a performance filled with magic. Living is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/oh-pep!/id556867036 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Living-Oh-Pep/dp/B01172A8GU Set List "The Race" "Doctor Doctor" "Tea, Milk & Honey" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; photo by Jun Tsuboike/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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T-Pain: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 13:48
Updated: 29 Oct 2014
views: 7174865

T-Pain's fingerprints are all over pop and R&B; and hip-hop. He wasn't the first musician to use Auto-Tune as an instrument — he noticed it on a Jennifer Lopez remix, and remembers "Deep" well — but it was, as he says, his style. For a while, in the mid-2000s, he lived at the top of the charts. He dominated that brief moment of our lives when ringtones were a thing. He was celebrated as an innovator, and he happily took his talents where he was invited, which was everywhere. But somewhere along the way, somebody got it twisted. "People felt like I was using it to sound good," says T-Pain, in an interview that will air on All Things Considered. "But I was just using it to sound different.” He just turned 30, but T-Pain has already done enough to drop a greatest hits album next week. We asked him if he'd grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects to show what's really made his career: his voice, and those songs.--FRANNIE KELLEY SET LIST "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')" "Up Down (Do This All Day)" "Drankin' Patna" CREDITS Producers: Frannie Kelley, Maggie Starbard; Editor: Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Colin Marshall, Maggie Starbard; Production Assistant: Susan Hale Thomas; photo by Maggie Starbard/NPR

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Gina Chavez: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 16:47
Updated: 22 Sep 2015
views: 578

September 22, 2015 by FELIX CONTRERAS Much has happened for Gina Chavez since I first saw her at an unofficial SXSW showcase about five years ago: two albums, fan and industry recognition, this year's Austin Music Award for Austin Musician Of The Year. Chavez's music has developed over the years, just as it should. What hasn't changed is the intense openness and warmth of her performances. From that hot spring afternoon in Austin to this recent Tiny Desk Concert, it always feels as if she's performing just for me. And, of course, you get the sense that everyone else in the audience feels the same. See for yourself, and if you don't know her already, I dare you to walk away and not become a fan. Up.Rooted is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/up.rooted/id814216366 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Up-Rooted-Gina-Chavez/dp/B00I8OQRRU Set List "Fire Water" "Miles De Millas" "Siete-D" Credits Producers: Felix Contreras, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Nick Michael, Lani Milton; Assistant Producer: Mina Tavakoli; photo by Lydia Thompson/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast. http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Chris Stapleton: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:58
Updated: 14 Sep 2015
views: 584

September 14, 2015 by JACOB GANZ As a songwriter in Nashville, Chris Stapleton has written hits for Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Darius Rucker. As a singer, he once led the bluegrass band The SteelDrivers, and more recently stepped into the solo spotlight with Traveller, his debut album. It's the kind of country record that gets better the more you wear it in: When NPR Music named it one of our favorite albums of the first half of 2015, critic Ann Powers compared it to a "soft denim jacket ... pulled out time after time, lending comfort, suiting every occasion, with treasure stuffed in every pocket." It's easy to understand why other singers took to his songs — Stapleton writes lyrics that sound classic but never dated — but his softly creaking voice gives them the home they deserve. And even though those songs stand plenty well on their own, it's nice to have a little support. When Stapleton stepped behind the Tiny Desk to play selections from Traveller, he was joined by his wife Morgane on harmony vocals. Between patient, detailed songs of devotion to love, Los Angeles and liquor, they paused for banter about the summer heat in D.C. and the large number of guitars Chris owns ("Not supposed to tell that part," he said to Morgane). Watch him hide behind a large hat, a beard and a battered vintage guitar; watch her smile at him during "More Of You" with a combination of admiration and affection. Like the songs themselves, their performance is full of private moments worth sharing widely. Traveller is available now. (iTunes) (Amazon) Set List "More Of You" "When The Stars Come Out" "Whiskey And You" Credits Producers: Jacob Ganz, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Lani Milton; Assistant Producer: Mina Tavakoli; photo by Lani Milton/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts subscribe to our podcast. http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Jessie Ware: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:00
Updated: 21 Apr 2015
views: 4835

Young, soulful English singer Jessie Ware has a powerful voice, but it's used with grace. Her singing brings warmth to electronic music and swoon to her own pop, so it's no surprise that her visit to the Tiny Desk was filled with casual poise and spontaneity. Ware's dramatic nightclub shows are fleshed out with a full band, but here she's able to convey all that emotion with just a guitarist (Joe Newman) and that voice. To add to the casual flair of the day, Jesse Boykins III — the opening act on a tour which brought her through Washington, D.C. — came to watch the Tiny Desk, and Ware asked him to sing with her, unrehearsed. That confident ambition seeps right through the screen in this performance. -- BOB BOILEN Set List "Say You Love Me" 0:52 "Wildest Moments" 5:32 "Champagne Kisses" 9:43 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Morgan McCloy, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: Carlos Waters; photo by Carlos Waters/NPR

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Deqn Sue: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:54
Updated: 05 Oct 2015
views: 3017

October 05, 2015 by BOB BOILEN Deqn Sue rose above a crowd of close to 7,000 entries and almost won our Tiny Desk Concert Contest earlier this year. I so loved her song and her performance of "Magenta" that I invited Deqn Sue — along with her producer, Kelvin Wooten — to my desk to perform that song and more. What you'll hear is a witty soul and a powerful singer backed by precise beats, melodic bass and electronics, all wrapped in humor and heart. You can find the first song she performs here — "Bloody Monster," which she wrote after being on the receiving end of a racist comment from her roommate — on a new EP called Snack. And you can watch her Tiny Desk Concert Contest video entry here. Zeitgeist is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/zeitgeist/id897725891 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zeitgeist-Deqn-Sue/dp/B00LV8A9U6 Set List "Bloody Monster" "Flame" "Magenta" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Julia Reihs; Production Assistant: Kate Drozynski; photo by Jun Tsuboike/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts, subscribe to our podcast: http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Watkins Family Hour: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 15:12
Updated: 18 Sep 2015
views: 3414

September 15, 2015 by BOB BOILEN The Watkins Family Hour began a dozen or so years ago as a way for a group of friends to get together and play old and new tunes. For Sean and Sara Watkins, it served as a monthly bit of magic: a musical variety show filled with extraordinary talent in the world of folk, bluegrass and beyond at L.A.'s famous Largo. Now, the Watkins siblings — known for their work in Nickel Creek, among many other projects — have taken their fiddle, guitar and charm on a country-flavored yellow brick road, gathering friends and surprises along the way. For this tour and their Tiny Desk Concert, their biggest surprise is the addition of Fiona Apple as a guest vocalist who actually yowls along to songs like the traditional tune "In The Pines." Watkins Family Hour is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/watkins-family-hour/id1001481842 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Watkins-Family-Hour/dp/B00YS79GAQ Set List "Steal Your Heart Away" 00:00 "In The Pines" 04:05 "Hop High" 09:35 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Ariel Zambelich; Assistant Producer: Rachel Horn; photo by Ariel Zambelich/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts subscribe to our podcast. http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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Genevieve: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 14:53
Updated: 02 Jun 2015
views: 6985

It's often true that the songs we wind up loving most are the ones that surprise us. I'm not a pop music lover, not a lover of songs with obvious hooks, so when I heard the big fat chorus that starts off Genevieve's "Colors," I thought, "uh-oh." What wound up drawing me in first was her voice — powerful with a tiny bit of rasp and a sweet smile in her phrasing. And then that perfectly positive message, worded in a way that gave me chills: "Your life is your design, so go ahead design it. Your star is in the sky, so go ahead align it. Cause you're forever lost until you go and find it." The truth in those words needed to be shouted from rooftops and that chorus, that hooky thing that generally is my turnoff, became a giant turn-on. Then I went and saw Genevieve perform on a sunny day outdoors in Austin. That SXSW performance gave me a new glimpse of her talent, especially the many ways she could sing, all with great conviction. So I invited her to my desk and she came armed not with the band she had in Austin but simply with an accompanist, Chris Faller, and her voice. To anyone in that room — and for you watching this Tiny Desk — her promise is undeniable. Set list "Colors" 1:03 "The Enemy" 5:56 "Authority" 10:09 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault; Videographers: Maggie Starbard, Morgan McCloy; Production Assistant: Annie Bartholomew; photo by Morgan McCloy/NPR

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Sylvan Esso: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 17:16
Updated: 30 Mar 2015
views: 4785

It's hard to believe that it hasn't quite been a year since the first Sylvan Esso album came out. The odd yet perfect marriage of Nick Sanborn's electronics with Amelia Meath's voice feels like a familiar friend by now. And yet seeing these songs performed softly — and captured in the light of day — made them feel fresh and lovable in new ways. To keep things fresh and interesting, Sanborn brought a bunch of new gear to the Tiny Desk; it seemed a bit bewildering to him for a bit, but also inspiring. I think that's what makes this combination work so well: Meath and Sanborn inspire one another. You can see it in their eyes and in their smiles, and it comes out in their playing and dancing. It's enchanting music, performed wonderfully.-- BOB BOILEN Set List "Coffee" "H.S.K.T." "Come Down" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Colin Marshall, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: Morgan McCloy; photo by Morgan McCloy/NPR

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The National: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 18:18
Updated: 10 Jun 2013
views: 910359

The first thing you might notice about this video is the change in surroundings: NPR recently moved to a new building, and though we worked to make the Tiny Desk as visually similar as possible to the old space — a process we recently documented with the help of OK Go — the ceilings are higher, the square footage more generous and the surfaces lavishly unsullied. The visuals will surely evolve in the months and years to come, as more tchotchkes and coffee stains accumulate on, around and behind Bob Boilen's desk. In the days leading up to this hotly anticipated performance by The National — recorded at the obscenely early time (for touring bands anyway) of 10:30 in the morning — we'd gotten word that the group would strip its sound way down for the occasion, sticking to two acoustic guitars and a bit of hand percussion. What we got instead was a fully fleshed-out septet, complete with horns and piano; the band showed up at 9:30 to rehearse and sound-check. Though singer Matt Berninger had barely rested his voice from a show in the area the night before, The National dutifully performed gorgeous acoustic renditions of four tracks from its fine new album, Trouble Will Find Me. Its members even treated the hundreds of worshipful gawkers to Building 2.0's first-ever Tiny Desk encore, in response to a roar of applause that could be heard in the far reaches of the newsroom downstairs. Here's to many more. --STEPHEN THOMPSON Set List "This Is The Last Time" "I Need My Girl" "Pink Rabbits" "Sea Of Love" Credits Producer: Bob Boilen; Editor: Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Kainaz Amaria, Parker Blohm, Denise DeBelius,Gabriella Garcia-Pardo; photo by Hayley Bartels/NPR

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St. Paul And The Broken Bones: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 13:51
Updated: 07 Dec 2014
views: 297759

Close your eyes and listen, and you might imagine someone who looks a bit like Otis Redding. Open them, and you're likely to see someone who looks more like your neighborhood bank teller. That man standing on my desk in the golden shoes is Paul Janeway. He was, in fact, a bank teller in Alabama not long ago — and this stupendous seven-piece band from Birmingham has only been doing this since 2012. But take a look at this Tiny Desk Concert and you'll see why St. Paul And The Broken Bones' music is so winning. It's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting. -- BOB BOILEN Set List: "Half The City" "Call Me" "Broken Bones And Pocket Change" Credits: Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Becky Lettenberger, Colin Marshall, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: James Clark; photo by James Clark/NPR

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José González: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 13:11
Updated: 29 Apr 2015
views: 301

There's a quiet and a calm from José González that amplify his words. This has never been truer than on his new album, Vestiges & Claws. The songs are full of abstract imagery — more paintings than stories. He performed this song, "With The Ink of A Ghost," at my desk. Idle as a wave Moving out at sea Cruising without sound Molding what's to be Serene between the trace Serene with the tide and ink of a ghost González is a 36 year old singer from Gothenburg, Sweden. You may have also heard Junip, his noisier band. But here, with a small group, the music is spacious, somewhat sensual. His classical guitar chords are melodic, the harmonies adventurous, his voice soothing. These are his first new solo songs in seven years and this soft-spoken, warmhearted singer left an imprint at the Tiny Desk that was gentle and long lasting. I only hope it's not seven more years before he brings us more new songs.-- BOB BOILEN Set List "Open Book" 0:00 "With The Ink Of A Ghost" 3:03 "Every Age" 8:49 Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Morgan McCloy, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: Ariel Zambelich; photo by Ariel Zambelich/NPR

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Joan Shelley: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

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Duration: 12:01
Updated: 25 Sep 2015
views: 2580

As technology rules the sound of the day, it's good to be reminded how powerfully a single voice can transmit deep emotion. Joan Shelley made one of the most beautiful records of the year with just her voice and two guitars. Over and Even has roots in British folk, the sort made popular by artists like Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention in the late '60s and early '70s — another time when the dominant music was filled with electricity and texture. The intertwined melodies Shelley and her guitar partner Nathan Salsburg (who's had his own Tiny Desk Concert) produce are refreshing breaths of Kentucky air in a world of compressed drums and overly processed vocals. This one is near and dear to my heart. Over and Even is available now. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/over-and-even/id1002545604 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Over-Even-Joan-Shelley/dp/B00ZZEQSOI Set List "Easy Now" "Stay On My Shore" "Not Over by Half" Credits Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Walker, Lani Milton; photo by Lani Milton/NPR For more Tiny Desk Concerts subscribe to our podcast http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510292/tiny-desk-concerts-video

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