MyEpisodeCalendar.com - NPR Tiny Desk Concerts Episode Summaries

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First Aired: April 22nd, 2008

Status: Continuing

Network: NPR

Summary: Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

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Episode Statistics:

# of Episodes: 1522

# of Episodes I watched: 0

# of Episodes I haven't watched: 1522

Last Episode I watched: -

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts (2008) Main Page

Episode Summaries

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Season 5

Episode 1: Tinariwen

Air Date: January 5th, 2012

Summary: Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.

Episode 2: Le Butcherettes

Air Date: January 9th, 2012

Summary: Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.

Episode 3: Screaming Females

Air Date: January 17th, 2012

Summary: The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."

Episode 4: Jake Schepps' Expedition Quartet

Air Date: January 19th, 2012

Summary: Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.

Episode 5: Glenn Jones

Air Date: January 23rd, 2012

Summary: Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 6: Anna Calvi

Air Date: January 26th, 2012

Summary: Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 7: Girl In A Coma

Air Date: January 30th, 2012

Summary: The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.

Episode 8: Bill Frisell

Air Date: February 3rd, 2012

Summary: The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 9: The Creole Choir Of Cuba

Air Date: February 6th, 2012

Summary: The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.

Episode 10: Craig Finn

Air Date: February 9th, 2012

Summary: The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.

Episode 11: Red Baraat

Air Date: February 14th, 2012

Summary: The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 12: Joan Soriano

Air Date: February 16th, 2012

Summary: "The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 13: Joyce El Khoury And Brian Jagde

Air Date: February 20th, 2012

Summary: Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 14: The Cranberries

Air Date: February 23rd, 2012

Summary: In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.

Episode 15: Milagres

Air Date: February 27th, 2012

Summary: A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 16: Pistolera

Air Date: March 1st, 2012

Summary: Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.

Episode 17: Laura Gibson Plays Tiny Desk Concert No. 200

Air Date: March 5th, 2012

Summary: 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.

Episode 18: Rudresh Mahanthappa

Air Date: March 8th, 2012

Summary: The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.

Episode 19: Real Estate

Air Date: March 12nd, 2012

Summary: Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.

Episode 20: Kayhan Kalhor

Air Date: March 24th, 2012

Summary: A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.

Episode 21: First Aid Kit

Air Date: March 28th, 2012

Summary: Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.

Episode 22: So Percussion

Air Date: April 2nd, 2012

Summary: The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.

Episode 23: Kathleen Edwards

Air Date: April 5th, 2012

Summary: The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.

Episode 24: Caveman

Air Date: April 10th, 2012

Summary: Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.

Episode 25: Novalima

Air Date: April 12nd, 2012

Summary: At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.

Episode 26: Soweto Gospel Choir

Air Date: April 16th, 2012

Summary: The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.

Episode 27: Jolie Holland

Air Date: April 23rd, 2012

Summary: Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.

Episode 28: Cowboy Junkies

Air Date: April 26th, 2012

Summary: The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.

Episode 29: Hospitality

Air Date: April 30th, 2012

Summary: The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.

Episode 30: Nathan Salsburg

Air Date: May 3rd, 2012

Summary: The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.

Episode 31: Endangered Blood

Air Date: May 7th, 2012

Summary: The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.

Episode 32: Kishi Bashi

Air Date: May 10th, 2012

Summary: K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.

Episode 33: Pedro Soler And Gaspar Claus

Air Date: May 14th, 2012

Summary: The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.

Episode 34: Chuck Brown

Air Date: May 16th, 2012

Summary: The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.

Episode 35: Arborea

Air Date: May 17th, 2012

Summary: Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.

Episode 36: Yann Tiersen

Air Date: May 21st, 2012

Summary: Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.

Episode 37: Canadian Brass

Air Date: May 26th, 2012

Summary: The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.

Episode 38: Patrick Watson

Air Date: May 31st, 2012

Summary: Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.

Episode 39: Kelly Hogan

Air Date: June 4th, 2012

Summary: The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.

Episode 40: Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom

Air Date: June 7th, 2012

Summary: The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."

Episode 41: Daniel Johnston

Air Date: June 11st, 2012

Summary: Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.

Episode 42: Glen Hansard

Air Date: June 17th, 2012

Summary: Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.

Episode 43: Mariachi El Bronx

Air Date: June 21st, 2012

Summary: The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.

Episode 44: Reggie Watts

Air Date: June 25th, 2012

Summary: The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.

Episode 45: Exitmusic

Air Date: July 2nd, 2012

Summary: The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.

Episode 46: Brandi Carlile

Air Date: July 9th, 2012

Summary: At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.

Episode 47: Laura Marling

Air Date: July 12nd, 2012

Summary: Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."

Episode 48: Souad Massi

Air Date: July 15th, 2012

Summary: A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.

Episode 49: The Milk Carton Kids

Air Date: July 16th, 2012

Summary: Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.

Episode 50: Janet Feder

Air Date: July 22nd, 2012

Summary: Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.

Episode 51: The Walkmen

Air Date: July 29th, 2012

Summary: The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.

Episode 52: Beth Orton

Air Date: August 6th, 2012

Summary: Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.

Episode 53: The Zombies

Air Date: August 12nd, 2012

Summary: Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.

Episode 54: Rufus Wainwright

Air Date: August 20th, 2012

Summary: By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.

Episode 55: Renaud Garcia-Fons

Air Date: August 27th, 2012

Summary: Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.

Episode 56: Avi Avital

Air Date: September 10th, 2012

Summary: Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.

Episode 57: Amanda Palmer And The Grand Theft Orchestra

Air Date: September 17th, 2012

Summary: These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.

Episode 58: Yva Las Vegass

Air Date: September 24th, 2012

Summary: Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.

Episode 59: Kat Edmonson

Air Date: October 1st, 2012

Summary: Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.

Episode 60: Antibalas

Air Date: October 4th, 2012

Summary: It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.

Episode 61: Spirit Family Reunion

Air Date: October 8th, 2012

Summary: The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.

Episode 62: Dirty Three

Air Date: October 15th, 2012

Summary: The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.

Episode 63: Robert Cray Band

Air Date: October 22nd, 2012

Summary: Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.

Episode 64: Lord Huron

Air Date: October 25th, 2012

Summary: The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.

Episode 65: Passion Pit

Air Date: October 29th, 2012

Summary: Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.

Episode 66: Jason Lytle

Air Date: November 5th, 2012

Summary: The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.

Episode 67: Flaco Jimenez

Air Date: November 12nd, 2012

Summary: The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.

Episode 68: Ben Gibbard

Air Date: November 19th, 2012

Summary: For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.

Episode 69: Martha Wainwright

Air Date: November 26th, 2012

Summary: Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.

Episode 70: Taken By Trees

Air Date: November 29th, 2012

Summary: Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.

Episode 71: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Air Date: December 3rd, 2012

Summary: The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.

Episode 72: Anaïs Mitchell

Air Date: December 6th, 2012

Summary: The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.

Episode 73: Daniel Bachman

Air Date: December 9th, 2012

Summary: Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.

Episode 74: Lyle Lovett

Air Date: December 10th, 2012

Summary: Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.

Episode 75: Alt-J

Air Date: December 17th, 2012

Summary: The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.

Episode 76: The Polyphonic Spree

Air Date: December 21st, 2012

Summary: The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.

Episode 77: Miguel

Air Date: December 31st, 2012

Summary: Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.

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