Season 8

2015 · 84 episodes

Episodes

1Trey AnastasioThe Phish star was in town to put on a huge show, but the songs here feel more personal than that.
2Daniel LanoisThe producer presides over an all-instrumental, free-form trio with Brian Blade and Jim Wilson.
3RubblebucketEven without its confetti cannon, the band brings a fun mix of brass and brash to the NPR offices.
4Bobby Bare Jr.The Nashville singer writes with acidic wit in lines worthy of his old mentor, Shel Silverstein.
5John Reilly & FriendsReilly sings and plays guitar alongside Tom Brosseau and Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark.
6Mucca PazzaWith 23 members, the performance-art marching band is the biggest ever to play the Tiny Desk.
7Until The Ribbon BreaksThe band strips down its electronic sound with the aid of a spaghetti strainer and a paint bucket.
8Zola JesusWith her huge voice and an assist on trombone, Nika Roza Danilova offers up a curious combination.
9Dan DeaconThe Tiny Desk becomes a DJ booth for an office space dance party.
10PhoxThe Wisconsin band performs three of its warm, accessible songs in the NPR Music offices.
11AurelioAurelio weaves intricate layers of acoustic guitar to capture the feel of African and the Caribbean.
12Fantastic NegritoThe singer beat out nearly 7,000 other submissions to win NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest.
13Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'RileyThe duo plays visionary Beethoven, heartbreaking Janáček and Glass that unfolds like a lullaby.
14Punch BrothersBefore the wide-ranging band plays, the audience sings "Happy Birthday" to mandolinist Chris Thile.
15Anonymous 4 With Bruce MolskyThe a cappella quartet, with banjo and fiddle, offers popular songs from the Civil War era.
16Sylvan EssoPerformed softly in the light of day, these three songs feel fresh and lovable.
17Death Cab For CutieIn a beautifully stark performance, the band plays two songs from Kintsugi and two older favorites.
18Beach SlangJames Snyder's euphoric punk anthems become raw and uplifting confessionals in this acoustic set.
19Chadwick StokesStokes' songs feel familiar; they're old friends before you're done hearing them for the first time.
20Rosa DíazThe singer's lyrics reflect deeply felt emotions in this performance with cellist Daniel de Jesus.
21Jessie WareThe young English singer brings warmth to electronic music and a swooning quality to her own pop.
22DakhaBrakhaThe Ukrainian acoustic quartet's music encompasses sounds and rhythms from around the world.
23José GonzálezThis soft-spoken Swedish singer left an imprint at the Tiny Desk that was gentle and long lasting.
24Diego El CigalaThe singer has been called "the Sinatra of flamenco." His expressive style draws on jazz.
25Vijay Iyer TrioIyer's working band transforms selections from throughout the pianist's deep and varied catalog.
26EskmoFound objects are percussion instruments in the hands of a man who's part musician, part magician.
27BellowsThese are enchanting songs, with the power to drift in your head for days.
28CamanéA star in his native Portugal, Camané evokes melancholy with a silky baritone and elegant phrasing.
29Young FathersIntense, hip-hop-infused poetry is reduced to just the essentials in this two-song, four-minute set.
30Jason Vieaux And Yolanda KondonassisWatch the Grammy-winning guitarist and acclaimed harpist play music influenced by Africa and Asia.
31Madisen Ward And The Mama BearThe mother-son duo's songs are memorable and singable even days after you hear them.
32Frank FairfieldA young man with an old musical soul has a spellbinding voice and fluid fiddle playing.
33GenevieveSee a singer with a powerful voice and extremely encouraging message.
34Anna & ElizabethIf you've never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, breathe deep and soak it all in.
35The PrettiotsThe clever trio shares its love of everything from Law & Order to old-school girl groups.
36Strand Of OaksTimothy Showalter's music is filled with bite and sometimes regret, but also a good deal of warmth.
37Hop AlongFrances Quinlan's raspy voice whispers one moment, then lets loose a gut-punching howl the next.
38OddiseeThe charismatic Brooklyn-via-D.C.-area rapper creates just the right amount of space in his music.
39And The KidsThe trio's music is full of life, with dissonant sounds that still feel suited for singalongs.
40Christopher Paul StellingBest witnessed live, Stelling's music is steeped in tradition yet filled with vitality and soul.
41GirlpoolThe charming duo performs three of the simple, direct songs from Before The World Was Big.
42Songhoy BluesSee a Malian band that fuses African music with Western rock.
43Kate TempestA celebrated English playwright and rapper deploys storytelling and poetry.
44Paul WellerSee the beloved Britpop veteran perform songs from his new album, Saturns Pattern.
45ShamirThe singer's disco-infused funk and soul gets stripped down to a lone voice with a guitar.
46SOAKIrish singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson makes the most of a single voice and an acoustic guitar.
47Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-CollectiveThe New Orleans trumpeter's funky new band creates dance music to ward off despair.
48TorresMackenzie Scott's music channels Patti Smith and PJ Harvey while hinting at further growth.
49RestorationsThe Philly rock band's big-hearted songs are stripped down to a few guitars and a MiniKorg.
50Kacey MusgravesThe country singer plays four songs from Pageant Material, plus the set-closing "Follow Your Arrow."
51Son LuxThe trio blows up its sound by adding off-duty, civilian horn players from the U.S. Marine Band.
52Caroline RoseRose plays music as if she's just met her new best friend: It's fresh, fun and enthusiastic.
53EskimeauxThere's lighthearted, almost childlike beauty in the way Gabrielle Smith puts words to song.
54MitskiMitski's music is dark and even scary, but glimmers of beauty peek through.
55HappynessIf you're a fan of dark, incredibly dry, wry humor, you've just found Happyness.
56Leon BridgesBridges is easy to love and hard to resist, with purity in his voice that's untouched by modern pop.
57Sam LeeThe singer found his voice by finding and preserving old British, Irish and Scottish folk songs.
58Watkins Family HourWith help from Fiona Apple, two Nickel Creek alums gather a band to perform old and new songs.
59Gina ChavezThe Austin singer-songwriter performs with intense openness, directness and warmth.
60Joan ShelleyAs technology rules the day, here's a reminder that a single voice can carry deep emotion.
61The InternetThe R&B band might just be the oddest thing to come from the hip-hop collective Odd Future.
62Lianne La HavasThe singer is soulful yet playful, raw and vulnerable in a commanding kind of way.
63Deqn SueShe came so close to winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest, we just had to see her play.
64Christian Scott aTunde AdjuahThe trumpeter presents his emotionally charged, jazz-hybridized "stretch music" in performance.
65Andra DayDay's songs feel candid and vulnerable, but not understated.
66Oh Pep!The band's clever, thoughtful music fits in everywhere from Nashville to its hometown of Melbourne.
67Paolo AngeliThe Sardinian guitarist has a whole toy shop aboard his instrument.
68Beauty PillIn Beauty Pill, life whirs with plunderphonic glee and riffs are funky from the inside out.
69The SuffersThe 10-piece band can barely fit all its horns, guitars, percussion and energy behind one desk.
70Diane CoffeeConjuring David Bowie, Diane Coffee's Shaun Fleming swaggered and shimmied behind the Tiny Desk.
71Chris StapletonWith his wife Morgane, the country singer-songwriter sings patient, detailed songs of devotion.
72My bubbaMy bubba is a duo of women whose quirky, delicate, sweetly sung folk songs are a delight.
73AuroraAt 19 and on the cusp of her first album, the Norwegian singer performs with a sense of discovery.
74Rahim AlHajThe oud player's wordless music tells powerful stories about life's blessedness and fragility.
75Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night SweatsAt the Tiny Desk, Rateliff's body-shaking Southern-style soul takes on a more laid-back sound.
76The Wild ReedsGreat singers aren't easy to come by, so finding three in one band is something special.
77Youth LagoonTrevor Powers' new songs are expansive and self-assured, a transition reflected in this performance.
78Teddy AbramsHear a young conductor, composer and pianist play Beethoven and his own jazzy pieces.
79ProtomartyrThe Detroit band's loud, screeching, grousing rock can be profound, poetic and bewildering.
80The Oh HellosThe nine-piece band bursts with anthemic joy, even as its songs convey darkness and loneliness.
81Land LinesThe Denver band's mysteriously swirling music is singular, new and adventurous.
82Shakey GravesWhen the singer breaks out his guitar and suitcase drum, a rush of adrenaline hits the room.
83Son LittleA modernistic bluesman with a taste for electronics appears with just his acoustic guitar.
84Sharon Jones & The Dap-KingsWatch the soul star perform "Silent Night" and two originals — one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah.