NPR Tiny Desk Concerts: Season 2014
Season 7 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 6.
- 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 7 Progress Shield
Van-Anh Vanessa Vo
Jan 4, 2014
The musician unpacks an array of traditional Vietnamese instruments — and 1,000 years of culture.
Lily & Madeleine
Jan 7, 2014
The teenagers play a restrained, homespun mix of folk and pop with undeniably sweet harmonies.
Afro Blue
Jan 13, 2014
The Howard University vocal jazz ensemble performs beautiful African-American spirituals.
Robert Glasper Experiment
Jan 20, 2014
Members of the Grammy-winning, organic R&B Experiment band jam with singer Marsha Ambrosius.
Angel Olsen
Jan 27, 2014
The expressive, powerful singer previews songs from her new album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.
Pixies
Feb 3, 2014
Hear the legendary band perform 1989's "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and two new songs — one unreleased.
Fanfare Ciocarlia
Feb 8, 2014
The joyous Balkan brass band plays at a pace that would make the Ramones burst into a sweat.
Suzanne Vega
Feb 10, 2014
The inventive folk-music veteran book-ends a four-song set with her hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."
Cate Le Bon
Feb 18, 2014
The Welsh singer's set conveys loneliness and doubt with just two guitars and an inviting whisper.
Sofia Rei
Feb 22, 2014
For about 20 minutes one sunny afternoon, Rei turned a desk into a small Latin American folk club.
Brass Bed
Feb 24, 2014
See the band re-create some of its stellar studio effects with a pedal steel and some novelty mics.
Asaf Avidan
Mar 2, 2014
Avidan has an album and no U.S. record label to put it out. But he's on a solo tour that's stunning.
Lowland Hum
Mar 6, 2014
It's hard to convey the sound of two people in love, but Lowland Hum does that effortlessly.
Jake Bugg
Mar 10, 2014
Watch the 20-year-old English singer-songwriter, who has worked with superproducer Rick Rubin.
Diane Cluck
Mar 17, 2014
On record, Cluck's elastic voice and fingerpicking are impressive. Live, they jam the senses.
Joseph Calleja
Mar 24, 2014
All the world's top opera houses want the young tenor with the old-school approach.
The Haden Triplets
Mar 31, 2014
When the sisters cover classic country music together, the result is a treat and a trip in time.
The Both
Apr 7, 2014
Singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite from opposite ends of the volume knob.
Tom Brosseau
Apr 12, 2014
The North Dakota singer-songwriter possesses one of the most arresting voices in folk music today.
Courtney Barnett
Apr 14, 2014
Barnett tells stories like your best friend, provided your best friend is a funny Australian poet.
Usman Riaz
Apr 19, 2014
A young Pakistani musician treats the guitar as percussion — with surprisingly shimmering results.
Federico Aubele
Apr 21, 2014
The Argentine singer uses his dark, husky voice to produce a specific effect in these three songs.
Quilt
Apr 26, 2014
Interweaving harmonies and guitar lines set the tone for these soft, benevolent, dreamy songs.
Johnnyswim
Apr 28, 2014
Impossibly telegenic and charming, the band mixes booming intensity with polish and sparkle.
Cian Nugent
May 3, 2014
The Dublin guitarist runs through a ragtime jaunt, a basement-bar choogle and a sad-sack closer.
Public Service Broadcasting
May 5, 2014
The duo's sample-laden instrumental music is entertainment as education for the head and feet alike.
Timber Timbre
May 10, 2014
See the swamp-folk band play a characteristically eerie and mysterious set in the NPR Music offices.
Chvrches
May 12, 2014
The Scottish synth-pop band turns up with a small arsenal of synthesizers to perform three songs.
Iestyn Davies
May 17, 2014
See the countertenor and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform John Dowland's melancholy songs.
Ages And Ages
May 20, 2014
The band makes the kind of music that can at least briefly restore your faith in humanity.
Yasmine Hamdan
May 24, 2014
The Lebanese singer-songwriter is one of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East.
Hozier
May 27, 2014 · 15 min
Andrew Hozier-Byrne wraps his rich, vital, soulful voice around songs rooted in the blues.
Juana Molina
May 31, 2014
Molina sounds as if she'd been raised by wolves and discovered the world of music on her own.
Simone Dinnerstein
Jun 2, 2014
Watch the celebrated pianist make Bach's Two-part Inventions sing and zing.
Marian McLaughlin
Jun 7, 2014
A quirky and wistful performer with a string section, McLaughlin makes music like few others.
Eliot Fisk And Paco Peña
Jun 14, 2014
A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets.
Rodney Crowell
Jun 16, 2014
The country singer-songwriter performs with the ease and swagger of a man comfortable in his ways.
Mali Music
Jun 21, 2014
The singer-songwriter and musician performs with unabashed positivity and an uplifting spirit.
Conor Oberst
Jun 23, 2014
The Bright Eyes singer performs songs from Upside Down Mountain with help from members of Dawes.
Tracy Silverman
Jun 28, 2014
See the innovative player create waves of sound with a six-string violin.
Lydia Loveless
Jul 1, 2014
The 23-year-old singer-guitarist performs gritty, countrified blues-rock in the NPR Music offices.
The Foreign Exchange
Jul 5, 2014
Watch the Tiny Desk turn into a church, comedy club and neo-soul spot.
Moon Hooch
Jul 7, 2014
They call what they make "cave music" — but it's just as powerful at the Tiny Desk.
John Grant
Jul 13, 2014
Grant's songs don't mess around, with lyrics that function as darts of retort and thought.
Holly Williams
Jul 14, 2014
The singer has a magnificent way with phrasing, not to mention a remarkable country-music lineage.
Marisa Anderson
Jul 19, 2014
The guitarist kicks up some dirt with a Rev. Gary Davis deconstruction and a Stratocaster hoedown.
Hamilton Leithauser
Jul 21, 2014
In this three-song set, the Walkmen singer demonstrates that he's lost none of his vocal power.
Highasakite
Jul 25, 2014
Watch an atmospheric Norwegian band with a yearning sound. Also: See a flugabone!
Saintseneca
Jul 29, 2014
In the NPR offices, the Ohio band plays three alternately brooding and stomping songs from Dark Arc.
Quetzal
Aug 2, 2014
The veteran East L.A. band's music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.
The Family Crest
Aug 4, 2014
The band's seven players are trained in classical and jazz, led by Liam McCormick's powerful voice.
Irene Diaz
Aug 9, 2014
With Carolyn Cardoza, Diaz conjures a place where emotions run deep and beauty is unmistakable.
Bob Mould
Aug 11, 2014
The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman plugs in for a characteristically loud four-song set.
Ernest Ranglin
Aug 16, 2014
Watch a talented, charming guitar legend make magic as his band Avila holds down the beat.
Pacifica Quartet
Aug 18, 2014
Watch the group play selections from Shostakovich's cycle of introspective string quartets.
Rodrigo Amarante
Aug 23, 2014
A veteran of Little Joy and Los Hermanos, Amarante makes warm, tender music as a solo artist.
Nickel Creek
Aug 26, 2014
The band was made to sing and play around one microphone, so a Tiny Desk Concert seemed inevitable.
Sturgill Simpson
Aug 30, 2014 · 15 min
The Kentucky native writes country songs about loneliness, failed dreams, drinking and drugs.
Trampled By Turtles
Sep 3, 2014
Known for the speed of their playing, the Minnesotans are about more than just blistering bluegrass.
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Sep 6, 2014
Mayfield's music has gotten more beguiling as she explores the many contrasts in her hypnotic sound.
Justin Townes Earle
Sep 8, 2014
In advance of his new album Single Mothers, the singer performs two new songs and an old favorite.
Luluc
Sep 15, 2014
Graceful singing and storytelling meet guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura.
Tweedy
Sep 22, 2014
With his drummer son Spencer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy performs songs from their new album, Sukierae.
Bio Ritmo
Sep 29, 2014
The 10-piece salsa band built its career on dance floors, where it never fails to make people move.
Ryan Keberle & Catharsis
Oct 4, 2014
The trombonist's working band established some nifty swing, assisted in absentia by Sufjan Stevens.
Jackson Browne
Oct 6, 2014
Browne still writes songs with conviction, craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.
Raquel Sofia
Oct 11, 2014
Sofia has spent most of her career 20 feet from stardom as a backup singer for Juanes and Shakira.
The Bots
Oct 14, 2014
The band plays with a great rock-duo punch that recalls The White Stripes or JEFF The Brotherhood.
Ásgeir
Oct 18, 2014
The Icelandic singer's voice is angelic and yearning, his songs simple and universal.
Anthony D'Amato
Oct 20, 2014
D'Amato's music can feel Motown-y, garage-y and Springsteen-y, but he sounds sparer here.
Danish String Quartet
Oct 25, 2014
Watch the young, versatile ensemble play folk music from around Denmark and beyond.
T-Pain
Oct 29, 2014
We asked the King of Auto-Tune to grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects.
Banks
Oct 30, 2014
Known for lavish electronic productions, Banks serves notice as a powerful singer in her own right.
Sun Ra Arkestra
Oct 31, 2014
With costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and sci-fi, Ra's band plays a special Halloween set.
Making Movies
Nov 8, 2014
A rousing band from Kansas City, Making Movies mixes languages and eras with infectious energy.
Roomful Of Teeth
Nov 10, 2014
Watch the group sing new music with yelps, yodels and a few fine harmonies.
Davíd Garza
Nov 15, 2014
The Austin singer-songwriter joins his stunning voice with that of touring partner Gaby Moreno.
J Mascis
Nov 22, 2014
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, one of the world's loudest musicians, performs unplugged and acoustic.
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
Nov 24, 2014
Benatar and Giraldo play three classics: "We Live For Love," "We Belong" and "Promises In The Dark."
Sam Amidon & Bill Frisell
Dec 1, 2014
Amidon weaves his compositions into traditional music, while Frisell adds atmospheric guitar.
Dublin Guitar Quartet
Dec 4, 2014
Hear the Irish ensemble's fresh take on Philip Glass' propulsive yet intimate string quartets.
St. Paul And The Broken Bones
Dec 6, 2014
The band's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
Dec 9, 2014
The singer performs two new songs, as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Father and Son."
Lucinda Williams
Dec 20, 2014
She came to the desk a little unsure, and left singing "West Memphis" with intensity and passion.
HMSTR
Dec 24, 2014
Watch our favorite hamsters play their twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song, "Snow Day."