NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
Season 2015
201584 episodes
Episode 1
Trey Anastasio
Jan 5, 2015
The Phish star was in town to put on a huge show, but the songs here feel more personal than that.
Episode 2
Daniel Lanois
Jan 3, 2015
The producer presides over an all-instrumental, free-form trio with Brian Blade and Jim Wilson.
Episode 3
Rubblebucket
Jan 20, 2015
Even without its confetti cannon, the band brings a fun mix of brass and brash to the NPR offices.
Episode 4
Bobby Bare Jr.
Jan 27, 2015
The Nashville singer writes with acidic wit in lines worthy of his old mentor, Shel Silverstein.
Episode 5
John Reilly & Friends
Feb 3, 2015
Reilly sings and plays guitar alongside Tom Brosseau and Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark.
Episode 6
Mucca Pazza
Feb 10, 2015
With 23 members, the performance-art marching band is the biggest ever to play the Tiny Desk.
Episode 7
Until The Ribbon Breaks
Feb 17, 2015
The band strips down its electronic sound with the aid of a spaghetti strainer and a paint bucket.
Episode 8
Zola Jesus
Feb 23, 2015
With her huge voice and an assist on trombone, Nika Roza Danilova offers up a curious combination.
Episode 9
Dan Deacon
Feb 25, 2015
The Tiny Desk becomes a DJ booth for an office space dance party.
Episode 10
Phox
Mar 2, 2015
The Wisconsin band performs three of its warm, accessible songs in the NPR Music offices.
Episode 11
Aurelio
Mar 7, 2015
Aurelio weaves intricate layers of acoustic guitar to capture the feel of African and the Caribbean.
Episode 12
Fantastic Negrito
Mar 9, 2015
The singer beat out nearly 7,000 other submissions to win NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest.
Episode 13
Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley
Mar 14, 2015
The duo plays visionary Beethoven, heartbreaking Janáček and Glass that unfolds like a lullaby.
Episode 14
Punch Brothers
Mar 16, 2015
Before the wide-ranging band plays, the audience sings "Happy Birthday" to mandolinist Chris Thile.
Episode 15
Anonymous 4 With Bruce Molsky
Mar 28, 2015
The a cappella quartet, with banjo and fiddle, offers popular songs from the Civil War era.
Episode 16
Sylvan Esso
Mar 20, 2015
Performed softly in the light of day, these three songs feel fresh and lovable.
Episode 17
Death Cab For Cutie
Apr 6, 2015
In a beautifully stark performance, the band plays two songs from Kintsugi and two older favorites.
Episode 18
Beach Slang
Apr 10, 2015
James Snyder's euphoric punk anthems become raw and uplifting confessionals in this acoustic set.
Episode 19
Chadwick Stokes
Apr 13, 2015
Stokes' songs feel familiar; they're old friends before you're done hearing them for the first time.
Episode 20
Rosa Díaz
Apr 17, 2015
The singer's lyrics reflect deeply felt emotions in this performance with cellist Daniel de Jesus.
Episode 21
Jessie Ware
Apr 20, 2015
The young English singer brings warmth to electronic music and a swooning quality to her own pop.
Episode 22
DakhaBrakha
Apr 25, 2015
The Ukrainian acoustic quartet's music encompasses sounds and rhythms from around the world.
Episode 23
José González
Apr 29, 2015
This soft-spoken Swedish singer left an imprint at the Tiny Desk that was gentle and long lasting.
Episode 24
Diego El Cigala
May 1, 2015
The singer has been called "the Sinatra of flamenco." His expressive style draws on jazz.
Episode 25
Vijay Iyer Trio
May 4, 2015
Iyer's working band transforms selections from throughout the pianist's deep and varied catalog.
Episode 26
Eskmo
May 8, 2015
Found objects are percussion instruments in the hands of a man who's part musician, part magician.
Episode 27
Bellows
May 11, 2015
These are enchanting songs, with the power to drift in your head for days.
Episode 28
Camané
May 15, 2015
A star in his native Portugal, Camané evokes melancholy with a silky baritone and elegant phrasing.
Episode 29
Young Fathers
May 19, 2015
Intense, hip-hop-infused poetry is reduced to just the essentials in this two-song, four-minute set.
Episode 30
Jason Vieaux And Yolanda Kondonassis
May 22, 2015
Watch the Grammy-winning guitarist and acclaimed harpist play music influenced by Africa and Asia.
Episode 31
Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear
May 26, 2015
The mother-son duo's songs are memorable and singable even days after you hear them.
Episode 32
Frank Fairfield
May 29, 2015
A young man with an old musical soul has a spellbinding voice and fluid fiddle playing.
Episode 33
Genevieve
Jun 1, 2015
See a singer with a powerful voice and extremely encouraging message.
Episode 34
Anna & Elizabeth
Jun 8, 2015
If you've never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, breathe deep and soak it all in.
Episode 35
The Prettiots
Jun 15, 2015
The clever trio shares its love of everything from Law & Order to old-school girl groups.
Episode 36
Strand Of Oaks
Jun 19, 2015
Timothy Showalter's music is filled with bite and sometimes regret, but also a good deal of warmth.
Episode 37
Hop Along
Jun 22, 2015
Frances Quinlan's raspy voice whispers one moment, then lets loose a gut-punching howl the next.
Episode 38
Oddisee
Jun 26, 2015
The charismatic Brooklyn-via-D.C.-area rapper creates just the right amount of space in his music.
Episode 39
And The Kids
Jun 30, 2015
The trio's music is full of life, with dissonant sounds that still feel suited for singalongs.
Episode 40
Christopher Paul Stelling
Jul 6, 2015
Best witnessed live, Stelling's music is steeped in tradition yet filled with vitality and soul.
Episode 41
Girlpool
Jul 10, 2015
The charming duo performs three of the simple, direct songs from Before The World Was Big.
Episode 42
Songhoy Blues
Jul 17, 2015
See a Malian band that fuses African music with Western rock.
Episode 43
Kate Tempest
Jul 21, 2015
A celebrated English playwright and rapper deploys storytelling and poetry.
Episode 44
Paul Weller
Jul 28, 2015
See the beloved Britpop veteran perform songs from his new album, Saturns Pattern.
Episode 45
Shamir
Jul 31, 2015
The singer's disco-infused funk and soul gets stripped down to a lone voice with a guitar.
Episode 46
SOAK
Aug 3, 2015
Irish singer-songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson makes the most of a single voice and an acoustic guitar.
Episode 47
Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective
Aug 5, 2015
The New Orleans trumpeter's funky new band creates dance music to ward off despair.
Episode 48
Torres
Aug 10, 2015
Mackenzie Scott's music channels Patti Smith and PJ Harvey while hinting at further growth.
Episode 49
Restorations
Aug 14, 2015
The Philly rock band's big-hearted songs are stripped down to a few guitars and a MiniKorg.
Episode 50
Kacey Musgraves
Aug 17, 2015
The country singer plays four songs from Pageant Material, plus the set-closing "Follow Your Arrow."
Episode 51
Son Lux
Aug 21, 2015
The trio blows up its sound by adding off-duty, civilian horn players from the U.S. Marine Band.
Episode 52
Caroline Rose
Aug 24, 2015
Rose plays music as if she's just met her new best friend: It's fresh, fun and enthusiastic.
Episode 53
Eskimeaux
Aug 28, 2015
There's lighthearted, almost childlike beauty in the way Gabrielle Smith puts words to song.
Episode 54
Mitski
Aug 31, 2015
Mitski's music is dark and even scary, but glimmers of beauty peek through.
Episode 55
Happyness
Sep 4, 2015
If you're a fan of dark, incredibly dry, wry humor, you've just found Happyness.
Episode 56
Leon Bridges
Sep 8, 2015
Bridges is easy to love and hard to resist, with purity in his voice that's untouched by modern pop.
Episode 57
Sam Lee
Sep 11, 2015
The singer found his voice by finding and preserving old British, Irish and Scottish folk songs.
Episode 58
Watkins Family Hour
Sep 18, 2015
With help from Fiona Apple, two Nickel Creek alums gather a band to perform old and new songs.
Episode 59
Gina Chavez
Sep 22, 2015
The Austin singer-songwriter performs with intense openness, directness and warmth.
Episode 60
Joan Shelley
Sep 25, 2015
As technology rules the day, here's a reminder that a single voice can carry deep emotion.
Episode 61
The Internet
Sep 29, 2015
The R&B band might just be the oddest thing to come from the hip-hop collective Odd Future.
Episode 62
Lianne La Havas
Oct 2, 2015
The singer is soulful yet playful, raw and vulnerable in a commanding kind of way.
Episode 63
Deqn Sue
Oct 5, 2015
She came so close to winning NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest, we just had to see her play.
Episode 64
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
Oct 9, 2015
The trumpeter presents his emotionally charged, jazz-hybridized "stretch music" in performance.
Episode 65
Andra Day
Oct 13, 2015
Day's songs feel candid and vulnerable, but not understated.
Episode 66
Oh Pep!
Oct 16, 2015
The band's clever, thoughtful music fits in everywhere from Nashville to its hometown of Melbourne.
Episode 67
Paolo Angeli
Oct 19, 2015
The Sardinian guitarist has a whole toy shop aboard his instrument.
Episode 68
Beauty Pill
Oct 23, 2015
In Beauty Pill, life whirs with plunderphonic glee and riffs are funky from the inside out.
Episode 69
The Suffers
Oct 27, 2015
The 10-piece band can barely fit all its horns, guitars, percussion and energy behind one desk.
Episode 70
Diane Coffee
Nov 2, 2015
Conjuring David Bowie, Diane Coffee's Shaun Fleming swaggered and shimmied behind the Tiny Desk.
Episode 71
Chris Stapleton
Nov 5, 201515m
With his wife Morgane, the country singer-songwriter sings patient, detailed songs of devotion.
Episode 72
My bubba
Nov 6, 2015
My bubba is a duo of women whose quirky, delicate, sweetly sung folk songs are a delight.
Episode 73
Aurora
Nov 9, 2015
At 19 and on the cusp of her first album, the Norwegian singer performs with a sense of discovery.
Episode 74
Rahim AlHaj
Nov 13, 2015
The oud player's wordless music tells powerful stories about life's blessedness and fragility.
Episode 75
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Nov 17, 2015
At the Tiny Desk, Rateliff's body-shaking Southern-style soul takes on a more laid-back sound.
Episode 76
The Wild Reeds
Nov 20, 2015
Great singers aren't easy to come by, so finding three in one band is something special.
Episode 77
Youth Lagoon
Nov 23, 2015
Trevor Powers' new songs are expansive and self-assured, a transition reflected in this performance.
Episode 78
Teddy Abrams
Nov 30, 2015
Hear a young conductor, composer and pianist play Beethoven and his own jazzy pieces.
Episode 79
Protomartyr
Dec 4, 2015
The Detroit band's loud, screeching, grousing rock can be profound, poetic and bewildering.
Episode 80
The Oh Hellos
Dec 8, 2015
The nine-piece band bursts with anthemic joy, even as its songs convey darkness and loneliness.
Episode 81
Land Lines
Dec 11, 2015
The Denver band's mysteriously swirling music is singular, new and adventurous.
Episode 82
Shakey Graves
Dec 14, 2015
When the singer breaks out his guitar and suitcase drum, a rush of adrenaline hits the room.
Episode 83
Son Little
Dec 18, 2015
A modernistic bluesman with a taste for electronics appears with just his acoustic guitar.
Episode 84
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Dec 21, 2015
Watch the soul star perform "Silent Night" and two originals — one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah.