About this season
Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
Episodes (83)
1. Abigail Washburn
Aired 3 January 2011
Watch the singer-songwriter mix American bluegrass and Chinese folk from the NPR Music offices.
2. Gyptian
Aired 5 January 2011
The reggae star performs his hit "Hold You" and more from the NPR Music offices in Washington, D.C.
3. David Wax Museum
Aired 9 January 2011
The band brings a frenetic, infectious blend of American and Mexican folk to the NPR Music offices.
4. Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal
Aired 17 January 2011
The masterful kora-and-cello duo performs a transfixing set combining African and European strings.
5. Iron And Wine
Aired 21 January 2011
Sam Beam gives a fresh side of his new songs at NPR, and tops it off with a devastating 2004 gem.
6. Basia Bulat
Aired 24 January 2011
The Canadian singer-songwriter sings highlights from her two albums, plus a surprise from Poland.
7. Richard Thompson
Aired 1 February 2011
Watch the folk-rock legend perform songs from his 20th solo album, Dream Attic, at NPR Music.
8. Stars
Aired 3 February 2011
Watch Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell transform three of Stars' songs into spare, pretty folk music.
9. Ivan And Alyosha
Aired 7 February 2011
The band showcases its Beatles-esque pop harmonies and sweet melodies from the NPR Music offices.
10. Esperanza Spalding
Aired 12 February 2011
The jazz bassist, singer and Best New Artist Grammy winner performs in the NPR Music offices.
11. Turtle Island Quartet
Aired 16 February 2011
With an eclectic palette of sounds and styles, the Turtle Island Quartet swings at NPR Music.
12. Adele
Aired 17 February 2011
In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.
13. Local Natives
Aired 21 February 2011
The L.A. band brings its euphoric choruses and clattering Afrobeat rhythms to the NPR Music offices.
14. Damien Jurado
Aired 28 February 2011
Hear Jurado's raw, time-worn, authentically graceful music, performed in the NPR Music office.
15. Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys
Aired 7 March 2011
Watch the Grammy-nominated Cajun band play an upbeat yet bittersweet set from the NPR Music offices.
16. Lizz Wright
Aired 14 March 2011
In this two-song set at the NPR Music offices, Wright channels the gospel and soul of her past.
17. Nellie McKay
Aired 4 April 2011
McKay's bold, audacious personality shines in this set recorded at the NPR Music offices.
18. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Aired 6 April 2011
Hear the Refugee All Stars' upbeat reggae grooves, performed live at the NPR Music offices.
19. Josh Ritter
Aired 11 April 2011
Ritter can't hide his enjoyment of a performance, even when his songs convey obsession or disaster.
20. Otis Taylor
Aired 13 April 2011
Watch the banjo player perform his trademark trance-inducing blues at the NPR Music offices.
21. Mount Kimbie
Aired 18 April 2011
Watch the dubstep duo perform our first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.
22. Pokey LaFarge
Aired 20 April 2011
Watch LaFarge play '20s- and '30s-inspired music with the help of his band, The South City Three.
23. Steve Earle
Aired 25 April 2011
A singer, author, actor and activist, Earle showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.
24. Wu Man
Aired 27 April 2011
Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland.
25. Booker T. Jones
Aired 2 May 2011
Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. Watch him play one in the NPR Music offices.
26. Julieta Venegas
Aired 9 May 2011
After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still defying expectations.
27. Neil Innes
Aired 11 May 2011
Watch the Rutles alumnus play three of his classic satirical songs in the NPR Music offices.
28. Future Islands
Aired 16 May 2011
Watch the band's short but intense and cathartic set, performed live in the NPR Music offices.
29. Low
Aired 22 May 2011
Singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker perform three songs from their gorgeous new album, C'mon.
30. Jackie Evancho
Aired 23 May 2011
Watch the 11-year-old perform Handel's "Ombra mai fu" at the NPR Music offices.
31. The Kopecky Family Band
Aired 6 June 2011
The Tennessee band's sweet, swollen folk-rock songs keep blooming into something irresistible.
32. The Black Angels
Aired 8 June 2011
Hear a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities â at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.
33. Chris Thile And Michael Daves
Aired 13 June 2011
Watch Thile and Daves play traditional bluegrass with New York intensity at the NPR Music offices.
34. Charlie Siem
Aired 15 June 2011
Watch the stylish young violinist pull out a bag of tricks in music by Paganini.
35. The Decemberists
Aired 20 June 2011
With Chris Funk and Sara Watkins, Colin Meloy plays three sparkling songs from The King Is Dead.
36. YACHT
Aired 22 June 2011
Watch the electro-pop band's striking and infectious performance at the NPR Music offices.
37. The Civil Wars
Aired 27 June 2011
Watch Joy Williams and John Paul White's swooning chemistry and stirring harmonies at NPR Music.
38. Milos
Aired 30 June 2011
Watch the newcomer from Montenegro play Spanish standards and a passionate ode to his homeland.
39. The Blind Boys Of Alabama
Aired 5 July 2011
Hear the gospel greats' mix of polished blues, swinging soul and from-the-gut expressions of faith.
40. Julian Lage Trio
Aired 7 July 2011
The guitarist, 23, was once called a prodigy. But he's maturing into a distinctive bandleader, too.
41. Ben Sollee
Aired 11 July 2011
The genre-bending cellist and songwriter has created a unique take on folk music.
42. Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock
Aired 18 July 2011
Boyd reads from White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, while Hitchcock plays songs from the era.
43. Y La Bamba
Aired 21 July 2011
Watch Luzelena Mendoza and Y La Bamba craft joyfully rich vocal harmonies in the NPR Music offices.
44. Givers
Aired 24 July 2011
At the NPR offices, the band plays a sunny, exuberant set, suitable for dancing and bobbing along.
45. They Might Be Giants
Aired 28 July 2011
Watch the band perform two of its brand-new songs, as well as "Fingertips," a classic 1992 chestnut.
46. Amanda Shires
Aired 3 August 2011
The singer plays a charming set featuring songs from Carrying Lightning at the Tiny Desk.
47. Noah And The Whale
Aired 10 August 2011
The London band plugs in its drum machine, but sweet simplicity still reigns in the NPR offices.
48. Paul Jacobs
Aired 12 August 2011
Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.
49. Gaby Moreno
Aired 15 August 2011
Watch the Guatemalan singer's breathtaking and passionate set at the NPR Music offices.
50. Other Lives
Aired 18 August 2011
The Oklahoma band brings its spacious minor-key hymns to the NPR Music offices.
51. James Vincent McMorrow
Aired 25 August 2011
The Irishman has one of the most arresting voices of any young singer you're likely to hear.
52. CALLmeKAT
Aired 29 August 2011
Watch the synth-pop musician perform a hauntingly beautiful set at the NPR Music offices.
53. Phosphorescent
Aired 1 September 2011
Watch Matthew Houck play a stirring, road-ragged solo Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices.
54. King Creosote And Jon Hopkins
Aired 4 September 2011
Diamond Mine's unassuming creators lose little of their charm and mystique in the NPR Music office.
55. Foster The People
Aired 9 September 2011
Armed with the summer song of 2011, the band brings "Pumped Up Kicks" and more to NPR Music.
56. Diego Garcia
Aired 12 September 2011
Watch the former Elefant frontman perform songs from his album Laura at the NPR Music offices.
57. Sean Rowe
Aired 16 September 2011
Rowe brings his booming voice and ever-louder acoustic-guitar set-ups to the NPR Music offices.
58. Jeremy Messersmith
Aired 19 September 2011
The Twin Cities singer is a pop genius, with creative ambition to match his considerable charm.
59. Beirut
Aired 21 September 2011
Beirut performs worldly, inspired songs from its new album The Rip Tide at the NPR Music offices.
60. Jenny Lin
Aired 26 September 2011
The pianist usually plays eight-foot Steinways. See what she does on an electronic keyboard.
61. The Klezmatics
Aired 28 September 2011
Ring in Rosh Hashanah with three globe-trotting tunes from one of the world's greatest Jewish bands.
62. Trombone Shorty
Aired 29 September 2011
The New Orleans native achieved stardom with his voice and his horn. But he just wants you to dance.
63. Mates Of State
Aired 5 October 2011
The band's performance in the NPR Music offices creates a vibe of ragged, awkward intimacy.
64. Fountains Of Wayne
Aired 6 October 2011
These songs showcase a band with tremendous narrative gifts and a flair for subtle beauty.
65. JEFF The Brotherhood
Aired 8 October 2011
Of course, the power-punk duo took off their shirts at the NPR Music offices, because why not?
66. Grouplove
Aired 11 October 2011
The upstart band brings youthful, infectious energy to the NPR Music offices.
67. Chris Bathgate
Aired 14 October 2011
The Michigan native's deliberately paced music is too rustic and pretty to be a true downer.
68. Wilco
Aired 17 October 2011
Armed with tiny amps and a ton of grace, Wilco plays new songs and an old favorite at the Tiny Desk.
69. Hilary Hahn
Aired 21 October 2011
The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora.
70. Ben Williams And Sound Effect
Aired 24 October 2011
The jazz star and his band perform two songs from their album State of Art at the NPR Music offices.
71. Lisa Hannigan
Aired 29 October 2011
Exuding both musical and personal warmth, the Irish singer mesmerized at the NPR Music offices.
72. Juanes
Aired 3 November 2011
Watch the charismatic Colombian superstar give an intimate performance at the NPR Music offices.
73. Jens Lekman
Aired 7 November 2011
The Swedish singer shows off his humor and charm in this intimate set at the NPR Music offices.
74. Marketa Irglova
Aired 10 November 2011
At the NPR Music offices, Irglova mixes the exotic and the familiar; sweetness and longing.
75. Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan
Aired 17 November 2011
The genre-bending cellist heads a dream team of string players who borrow from bluegrass.
76. Joe Henry
Aired 21 November 2011
Asking the fearless, easygoing singer to perform in a crowded office never felt like an imposition.
77. Hospital Ships
Aired 23 November 2011
Hospital Ships' beautiful, crushing songs pack an emotional punch in this performance at NPR Music.
78. Gabriel Kahane
Aired 26 November 2011
Hear the agile musician's rigorously crafted songs, which fall somewhere between classical and pop.
79. tUnE-yArDs
Aired 1 December 2011
tUnE-yArDs sings of rage and inequality, but also celebrates the joy of letting out a wild sound.
80. I Wayne
Aired 12 December 2011
As the cameras rolled, the reggae star came to life, showcasing his smooth voice and vibrant energy.
81. Gem Club
Aired 16 December 2011
Maybe you couldn't hear a pin drop when Gem Club played, but you could hear the click of a keyboard.
82. The Music Tapes
Aired 20 December 2011
The Elephant 6 alum plays a holiday set compete with bowed banjos, singing saws and tape machines.
83. Maria Volonte
Aired 27 December 2011
The Argentine singer blends tango, Latin blues and the traditional music of Brazil and Peru.