NPR Tiny Desk Concerts — Season 7

Aired 4 January 2014

The musician unpacks an array of traditional Vietnamese instruments — and 1,000 years of culture.

Aired 7 January 2014

The teenagers play a restrained, homespun mix of folk and pop with undeniably sweet harmonies.

Aired 13 January 2014

The Howard University vocal jazz ensemble performs beautiful African-American spirituals.

Aired 20 January 2014

Members of the Grammy-winning, organic R&B Experiment band jam with singer Marsha Ambrosius.

Aired 27 January 2014

The expressive, powerful singer previews songs from her new album, Burn Your Fire for No Witness.

Aired 3 February 2014

Hear the legendary band perform 1989's "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and two new songs — one unreleased.

Aired 8 February 2014

The joyous Balkan brass band plays at a pace that would make the Ramones burst into a sweat.

Aired 10 February 2014

The inventive folk-music veteran book-ends a four-song set with her hits "Luka" and "Tom's Diner."

Aired 18 February 2014

The Welsh singer's set conveys loneliness and doubt with just two guitars and an inviting whisper.

Aired 22 February 2014

For about 20 minutes one sunny afternoon, Rei turned a desk into a small Latin American folk club.

Aired 24 February 2014

See the band re-create some of its stellar studio effects with a pedal steel and some novelty mics.

Aired 2 March 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.

Aired 6 March 2014

It's hard to convey the sound of two people in love, but Lowland Hum does that effortlessly.

Aired 10 March 2014

Watch the 20-year-old English singer-songwriter, who has worked with superproducer Rick Rubin.

Aired 17 March 2014

On record, Cluck's elastic voice and fingerpicking are impressive. Live, they jam the senses.

Aired 24 March 2014

All the world's top opera houses want the young tenor with the old-school approach.

Aired 31 March 2014

When the sisters cover classic country music together, the result is a treat and a trip in time.

Aired 7 April 2014

Singer-songwriters Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite from opposite ends of the volume knob.

Aired 12 April 2014

The North Dakota singer-songwriter possesses one of the most arresting voices in folk music today.

Aired 14 April 2014

Barnett tells stories like your best friend, provided your best friend is a funny Australian poet.

Aired 19 April 2014

A young Pakistani musician treats the guitar as percussion — with surprisingly shimmering results.

Aired 21 April 2014

The Argentine singer uses his dark, husky voice to produce a specific effect in these three songs.

Aired 26 April 2014

Interweaving harmonies and guitar lines set the tone for these soft, benevolent, dreamy songs.

Aired 28 April 2014

Impossibly telegenic and charming, the band mixes booming intensity with polish and sparkle.

Aired 3 May 2014

The Dublin guitarist runs through a ragtime jaunt, a basement-bar choogle and a sad-sack closer.

Aired 5 May 2014

The duo's sample-laden instrumental music is entertainment as education for the head and feet alike.

Aired 10 May 2014

See the swamp-folk band play a characteristically eerie and mysterious set in the NPR Music offices.

Aired 12 May 2014

The Scottish synth-pop band turns up with a small arsenal of synthesizers to perform three songs.

Aired 17 May 2014

See the countertenor and lutenist Thomas Dunford perform John Dowland's melancholy songs.

Aired 20 May 2014

The band makes the kind of music that can at least briefly restore your faith in humanity.

Aired 24 May 2014

The Lebanese singer-songwriter is one of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East.

Aired 27 May 2014 • 15 min

Andrew Hozier-Byrne wraps his rich, vital, soulful voice around songs rooted in the blues.

Aired 31 May 2014

Molina sounds as if she'd been raised by wolves and discovered the world of music on her own.

Aired 2 June 2014

Watch the celebrated pianist make Bach's Two-part Inventions sing and zing.

Aired 7 June 2014

A quirky and wistful performer with a string section, McLaughlin makes music like few others.

Aired 14 June 2014

A classical virtuoso and an equally captivating flamenco player combine for a set of duets.

Aired 16 June 2014

The country singer-songwriter performs with the ease and swagger of a man comfortable in his ways.

Aired 21 June 2014

The singer-songwriter and musician performs with unabashed positivity and an uplifting spirit.

Aired 23 June 2014

The Bright Eyes singer performs songs from Upside Down Mountain with help from members of Dawes.

Aired 28 June 2014

See the innovative player create waves of sound with a six-string violin.

Aired 1 July 2014

The 23-year-old singer-guitarist performs gritty, countrified blues-rock in the NPR Music offices.

Aired 5 July 2014

Watch the Tiny Desk turn into a church, comedy club and neo-soul spot.

Aired 7 July 2014

They call what they make "cave music" — but it's just as powerful at the Tiny Desk.

Aired 13 July 2014

Grant's songs don't mess around, with lyrics that function as darts of retort and thought.

Aired 14 July 2014

The singer has a magnificent way with phrasing, not to mention a remarkable country-music lineage.

Aired 19 July 2014

The guitarist kicks up some dirt with a Rev. Gary Davis deconstruction and a Stratocaster hoedown.

Aired 21 July 2014

In this three-song set, the Walkmen singer demonstrates that he's lost none of his vocal power.

Aired 25 July 2014

Watch an atmospheric Norwegian band with a yearning sound. Also: See a flugabone!

Aired 29 July 2014

In the NPR offices, the Ohio band plays three alternately brooding and stomping songs from Dark Arc.

Aired 2 August 2014

The veteran East L.A. band's music penetrates the intellect even as it makes your hips sway.

Aired 4 August 2014

The band's seven players are trained in classical and jazz, led by Liam McCormick's powerful voice.

Aired 9 August 2014

With Carolyn Cardoza, Diaz conjures a place where emotions run deep and beauty is unmistakable.

Aired 11 August 2014

The former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman plugs in for a characteristically loud four-song set.

Aired 16 August 2014

Watch a talented, charming guitar legend make magic as his band Avila holds down the beat.

Aired 18 August 2014

Watch the group play selections from Shostakovich's cycle of introspective string quartets.

Aired 23 August 2014

A veteran of Little Joy and Los Hermanos, Amarante makes warm, tender music as a solo artist.

Aired 26 August 2014

The band was made to sing and play around one microphone, so a Tiny Desk Concert seemed inevitable.

Aired 30 August 2014 • 15 min

The Kentucky native writes country songs about loneliness, failed dreams, drinking and drugs.

Aired 3 September 2014

Known for the speed of their playing, the Minnesotans are about more than just blistering bluegrass.

Aired 6 September 2014

Mayfield's music has gotten more beguiling as she explores the many contrasts in her hypnotic sound.

Aired 8 September 2014

In advance of his new album Single Mothers, the singer performs two new songs and an old favorite.

Aired 15 September 2014

Graceful singing and storytelling meet guitars and textures that help create an unforgettable aura.

Aired 22 September 2014

With his drummer son Spencer, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy performs songs from their new album, Sukierae.

Aired 29 September 2014

The 10-piece salsa band built its career on dance floors, where it never fails to make people move.

Aired 4 October 2014

The trombonist's working band established some nifty swing, assisted in absentia by Sufjan Stevens.

Aired 6 October 2014

Browne still writes songs with conviction, craftsmanship and careful attention to detail.

Aired 11 October 2014

Sofia has spent most of her career 20 feet from stardom as a backup singer for Juanes and Shakira.

Aired 14 October 2014

The band plays with a great rock-duo punch that recalls The White Stripes or JEFF The Brotherhood.

Aired 18 October 2014

The Icelandic singer's voice is angelic and yearning, his songs simple and universal.

Aired 20 October 2014

D'Amato's music can feel Motown-y, garage-y and Springsteen-y, but he sounds sparer here.

Aired 25 October 2014

Watch the young, versatile ensemble play folk music from around Denmark and beyond.

Aired 29 October 2014

We asked the King of Auto-Tune to grace the Tiny Desk without any embellishment or effects.

Aired 30 October 2014

Known for lavish electronic productions, Banks serves notice as a powerful singer in her own right.

Aired 31 October 2014

With costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and sci-fi, Ra's band plays a special Halloween set.

Aired 8 November 2014

A rousing band from Kansas City, Making Movies mixes languages and eras with infectious energy.

Aired 10 November 2014

Watch the group sing new music with yelps, yodels and a few fine harmonies.

Aired 15 November 2014

The Austin singer-songwriter joins his stunning voice with that of touring partner Gaby Moreno.

Aired 22 November 2014

The Dinosaur Jr. frontman, one of the world's loudest musicians, performs unplugged and acoustic.

Aired 24 November 2014

Benatar and Giraldo play three classics: "We Live For Love," "We Belong" and "Promises In The Dark."

Aired 1 December 2014

Amidon weaves his compositions into traditional music, while Frisell adds atmospheric guitar.

Aired 4 December 2014

Hear the Irish ensemble's fresh take on Philip Glass' propulsive yet intimate string quartets.

Aired 6 December 2014

The band's got heart and soul and flair, with a well-worn sound buoyed by strong, fresh songwriting.

Aired 9 December 2014

The singer performs two new songs, as well as "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "Father and Son."

Aired 20 December 2014

She came to the desk a little unsure, and left singing "West Memphis" with intensity and passion.

Aired 24 December 2014

Watch our favorite hamsters play their twee-as-all-get-out holiday pop-punk song, "Snow Day."