Season 6

2013 · 68 episodes

Episodes

1LuciusOne minute, Lucius sounds like a '60s girl group; the next might conjure images of Emmylou Harris.
2Black PrairieWith members of The Decemberists, the band lends a snappy, lilting quality to songs of alienation.
3Of MontrealFrontman Kevin Barnes uses the intimacy of the NPR Music offices to try out some quiet new material.
4CantusThe a cappella ensemble sings widely divergent songs from American, European and Sufi traditions.
5The xxIn The xx's songs, all the calm chilliness in the world can't quite contain an exposed heart.
6Night BedsWinston Yellen's arresting voice propels a lighthearted but deeply affecting set at the NPR office.
7Mary Halvorson QuintetThe guitarist brings a decidedly non-standard approach to jazz's standard practices.
8The Lone BellowThe fast-rising Brooklyn trio sings beautiful, heartfelt, impeccably harmonized folk-pop songs.
9Martin Hayes & Dennis CahillWatch one of the best fiddlers on the planet and a subtle guitar master work their magic.
10EfterklangThe Danish band ransacks the NPR Music offices looking for sound-making material and new ideas.
11Yo La TengoTo coincide with the release of the band's 13th album, Fade, Yo La Tengo performs an acoustic set.
12Omar Sosa & Paolo FresuThe duo's quietly energetic performance hangs over the the NPR Music offices like a soft mist.
13Father FiguresZany, brainy and danceable, these guys' music mixes rock and jazz like King Crimson at its fiercest.
14Nicola BenedettiWatch the violinist spin out music by John Williams and Bach in sweet, soulful tendrils of sound.
15Buddy Miller & Jim LauderdaleThe veteran country players mix corny humor, musical merrymaking and timeless vocal harmonies.
16Mohammad Reza ShajarianThe 73-year-old Iranian icon unleashes torrents of swooping, soaring sound that elicit goosebumps.
17Imani WindsImani Winds' members shrink Igor Stravinsky down to size in a quintet take on The Rite of Spring.
18OK GoOK Go helps us transport the Tiny Desk from NPR Music's old headquarters to our new facility.
19The NationalWatch the band perform acoustic arrangements of four songs from its new album, Trouble Will Find Me.
20NO BS! Brass BandAn 11-piece brass band turns up the funk and flies the flag high for its native Richmond, Va.
21Billy BraggOne of the world's finest folksingers channels the spirit of Woody Guthrie at the NPR Music offices.
22Patty GriffinWatch the singer-songwriter and her band perform three songs from her fine new album, American Kid.
23Maya BeiserA brilliant cellist with a stunning command of her instrument, Beiser performs at the NPR offices.
24Laura MvulaThe U.K. singer performs some of her most intimate material in a short set at the NPR Music offices.
25Cheick Hamala DiabateThe Malian musician and his band craft melodies and rhythms that cut across age and ethnicity.
26Skinny ListerThe rowdy English folk-punk band brings its barely controlled mayhem to the NPR Music offices.
27Frank TurnerTwo men with unplugged instruments convey the bawdy rowdiness of a full band.
28Alice RussellWhen the British singer performs, her emotionally fiery music just gets hotter and grittier.
29Cheyenne MizeThe singer, instrumentalist and music therapist plays slinky, forceful songs at NPR Music.
30GuardsHear three sturdy pop songs from In Guards We Trust, performed live at the NPR Music offices.
31Time For ThreeHear the "classically trained garage band" perform with staggering technique and contagious energy.
32Dana FalconberryWatch Falconberry and five bandmates perform three delicate songs from her recent album Leelanau.
33Keaton HensonHenson's voice is so fragile and hushed, if you were 10 feet away from him you'd barely hear a peep.
34Jim GuthrieGuthrie and his band drove 18 hours round-trip from Ontario to perform three songs for NPR Music.
35AlpineThe Australian sextet crafts busily impeccable, harmony-intensive pop music with a danceable sway.
36Mother FalconThe 17-member chamber-rock collective uses its size in the service of great, snappy, stirring songs.
37The Front BottomsThe community that's formed around The Front Bottoms speaks to the band's passion and compassion.
38BuikaConcha Buika's voice comes from Africa and the past. Watch her perform in the NPR Music offices.
39Steve GunnWatch Gunn's trio perform a set of hypnotic long-form jams that are perfect for taking it easy.
40BathsWatch Baths' Will Wiesenfeld perform mysterious, textured electronic music in the NPR offices.
41BombinoFor our 300th Tiny Desk Concert, we showcase a Tuareg guitarist's fierce, hypnotic, alluring jams.
42The 1975Performing solo, singer Matthew Healy doesn't hesitate to transform both his songs and himself.
43Arturo O'FarrillWith an eye on both the past and the future, O'Farrill has jazz and Afro-Cuban music in his DNA.
44Shovels & RopeThe husband-and-wife duo mixes rowdy folk-rock and rootsy ballads, with the help of a canine friend.
45The Cristina Pato TrioA Galician bagpiper and her trio take Celtic sounds in an entirely wild and wonderful direction.
46HemHem makes a homey, fireside kind of music, with songs that feel as if they've always been there.
47Oliver 'Tuku' MtukudziThe Zimbabwean legend performs songs from the mournful but celebratory Sarawoga for NPR Music.
48Lawrence BrownleeThe operatic tenor, acclaimed for his Rossini, circles back to his roots as a singer of spirituals.
49SuperchunkWatch the venerable band translate its electric sound to acoustic instruments in an intimate way.
50Valerie JuneShort of seeing her live and in person, this is the best way to encounter June's heartfelt sound.
51Okkervil RiverThe band performs three songs from a record inspired by the childhood of singer Will Sheff.
52Matt Ulery's LoomThe bassist composes beautiful, unpretentious music for an unusual jazz band with accordion.
53DaughterPretty and melancholy, the Londoners' music conjures a perfect mix of gloom, desire and hostility.
54TyphoonThe dozen members of this Portland, Ore. band crammed behind the Tiny Desk for a transcendent set.
55San FerminThe orchestral folk-pop band's little song-worlds burst with ambition, talent and extreme joy.
56Neko CaseWatch a Halloween Tiny Desk Concert in which Case performs with Kelly Hogan and Eric Bachmann.
57Ashley MonroeThis three-song set in the NPR Music offices captures a nice cross-section of Monroe's appeal.
58Gary BurtonThe jazz vibraphone pioneer is 70 now, but that hasn't slowed his flying four-mallet technique.
59Debashish BhattacharyaBhattacharya draws on North Indian classical music, but blues also pours out of his stunning work.
60John LegendThe soul singer retains the easygoing grace of a performer fit for any stage — even a tiny one.
61WaxahatcheeThis is Katie Crutchfield as Waxahatchee, playing intimate music for an intimate setting.
62Kronos QuartetThe intrepid champions of new music bring a lullaby, rare blues and a work by Bryce Dessner to NPR.
63The Dismemberment PlanThe band exudes playfulness and wry charm throughout these three songs from Uncanney Valley.
64Sarah JaroszJarosz and her small backing band craft a careful mix of technical proficiency and poppy warmth.
65DessaThe whip-smart rapper, singer, poet and songwriter performs three tracks from Parts of Speech.
66Christine SalemSalem sings work songs and chants from the maloya tradition on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
67La Santa CeciliaThe video here provides just a hint of the L.A. band's dynamic live shows, albeit a spectacular one.
68Preservation Hall Jazz BandThe hot and historic New Orleans band brings a tuba-wielding Santa and some original holiday cheer.