NPR Tiny Desk Concerts: Season 5
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Season 4.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Tinariwen
Jan 5, 2012
Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.
Le Butcherettes
Jan 9, 2012
Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.
Screaming Females
Jan 17, 2012
The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."
Jake Schepps' Expedition Quartet
Jan 19, 2012
Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.
Glenn Jones
Jan 23, 2012
Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.
Anna Calvi
Jan 26, 2012
Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.
Girl In A Coma
Jan 30, 2012
The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.
Bill Frisell
Feb 3, 2012
The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.
The Creole Choir Of Cuba
Feb 6, 2012
The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.
Craig Finn
Feb 9, 2012
The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.
Red Baraat
Feb 14, 2012
The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.
Joan Soriano
Feb 16, 2012
"The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.
Joyce El Khoury And Brian Jagde
Feb 20, 2012
Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.
The Cranberries
Feb 23, 2012
In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.
Milagres
Feb 27, 2012
A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.
Pistolera
Mar 1, 2012
Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.
Laura Gibson
Mar 5, 2012
Her gorgeous, whispery voice inspired the Tiny Desk Concerts series in 2008. Now, Laura Gibson returns with her band to perform four songs from her new album, La Grande.
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Mar 8, 2012
The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.
Real Estate
Mar 12, 2012
Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.
Kayhan Kalhor
Mar 24, 2012
A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.
First Aid Kit
Mar 28, 2012
Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.
So Percussion
Apr 2, 2012
The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.
Kathleen Edwards
Apr 5, 2012
The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.
Caveman
Apr 10, 2012
Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.
Novalima
Apr 12, 2012
At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.
Soweto Gospel Choir
Apr 16, 2012
The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.
Jolie Holland
Apr 23, 2012
Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.
Cowboy Junkies
Apr 26, 2012
The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.
Hospitality
Apr 30, 2012
The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.
Nathan Salsburg
May 3, 2012
The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.
Endangered Blood
May 7, 2012
The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.
Kishi Bashi
May 10, 2012
K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.
Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus
May 14, 2012
The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.
Chuck Brown
May 16, 2012
The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.
Arborea
May 17, 2012
Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.
Yann Tiersen
May 21, 2012
Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.
Canadian Brass
May 26, 2012
The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.
Patrick Watson
May 31, 2012
Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.
Kelly Hogan
Jun 4, 2012
The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.
Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom
Jun 7, 2012
The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."
Daniel Johnston
Jun 11, 2012
Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.
Glen Hansard
Jun 17, 2012
Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.
Mariachi El Bronx
Jun 21, 2012
The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.
Reggie Watts
Jun 25, 2012
The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.
Exitmusic
Jul 2, 2012
The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.
Brandi Carlile
Jul 9, 2012
At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.
Laura Marling
Jul 12, 2012
Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."
Souad Massi
Jul 15, 2012
A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.
The Milk Carton Kids
Jul 16, 2012
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.
Janet Feder
Jul 22, 2012
Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.
The Walkmen
Jul 29, 2012
The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.
Beth Orton
Aug 6, 2012
Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.
The Zombies
Aug 12, 2012
Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.
Rufus Wainwright
Aug 20, 2012
By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.
Renaud Garcia-Fons
Aug 27, 2012
Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.
Avi Avital
Sep 10, 2012
Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.
Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra
Sep 17, 2012
These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.
Yva Las Vegass
Sep 24, 2012
Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.
Kat Edmonson
Oct 1, 2012
Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.
Antibalas
Oct 4, 2012
It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.
Spirit Family Reunion
Oct 8, 2012
The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.
Dirty Three
Oct 15, 2012
The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.
Robert Cray Band
Oct 22, 2012
Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.
Lord Huron
Oct 25, 2012
The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.
Passion Pit
Oct 29, 2012
Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.
Jason Lytle
Nov 5, 2012
The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.
Flaco Jimenez
Nov 12, 2012
The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.
Ben Gibbard
Nov 19, 2012
For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.
Martha Wainwright
Nov 26, 2012
Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.
Taken By Trees
Nov 29, 2012
Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Dec 3, 2012
The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.
Anaïs Mitchell
Dec 6, 2012
The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.
Daniel Bachman
Dec 9, 2012
Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.
Lyle Lovett
Dec 10, 2012
Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.
Alt-J
Dec 17, 2012
The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.
The Polyphonic Spree
Dec 21, 2012
The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.
Miguel
Dec 31, 2012
Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.