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NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Season 4 2011
NR

  • 2011-01-03T10:00:00Z on NPR
  • 14m
  • 19h 22m (83 episodes)
  • United States
  • English
Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

83 episodes

Season Premiere

2011-01-03T10:00:00Z

4x01 Abigail Washburn

Season Premiere

4x01 Abigail Washburn

  • 2011-01-03T10:00:00Z14m

Watch the singer-songwriter mix American bluegrass and Chinese folk from the NPR Music offices.

2011-01-05T10:00:00Z

4x02 Gyptian

4x02 Gyptian

  • 2011-01-05T10:00:00Z14m

The reggae star performs his hit "Hold You" and more from the NPR Music offices in Washington, D.C.

2011-01-09T10:00:00Z

4x03 David Wax Museum

4x03 David Wax Museum

  • 2011-01-09T10:00:00Z14m

The band brings a frenetic, infectious blend of American and Mexican folk to the NPR Music offices.

4x04 Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal

  • 2011-01-17T10:00:00Z14m

The masterful kora-and-cello duo performs a transfixing set combining African and European strings.

2011-01-21T10:00:00Z

4x05 Iron And Wine

4x05 Iron And Wine

  • 2011-01-21T10:00:00Z14m

Sam Beam gives a fresh side of his new songs at NPR, and tops it off with a devastating 2004 gem.

2011-01-24T10:00:00Z

4x06 Basia Bulat

4x06 Basia Bulat

  • 2011-01-24T10:00:00Z14m

The Canadian singer-songwriter sings highlights from her two albums, plus a surprise from Poland.

2011-02-01T10:00:00Z

4x07 Richard Thompson

4x07 Richard Thompson

  • 2011-02-01T10:00:00Z14m

Watch the folk-rock legend perform songs from his 20th solo album, Dream Attic, at NPR Music.

2011-02-03T10:00:00Z

4x08 Stars

4x08 Stars

  • 2011-02-03T10:00:00Z14m

Watch Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell transform three of Stars' songs into spare, pretty folk music.

2011-02-07T10:00:00Z

4x09 Ivan And Alyosha

4x09 Ivan And Alyosha

  • 2011-02-07T10:00:00Z14m

The band showcases its Beatles-esque pop harmonies and sweet melodies from the NPR Music offices.

2011-02-12T10:00:00Z

4x10 Esperanza Spalding

4x10 Esperanza Spalding

  • 2011-02-12T10:00:00Z14m

The jazz bassist, singer and Best New Artist Grammy winner performs in the NPR Music offices.

2011-02-16T10:00:00Z

4x11 Turtle Island Quartet

4x11 Turtle Island Quartet

  • 2011-02-16T10:00:00Z14m

With an eclectic palette of sounds and styles, the Turtle Island Quartet swings at NPR Music.

2011-02-17T10:00:00Z

4x12 Adele

4x12 Adele

  • 2011-02-17T10:00:00Z14m

In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.

2011-02-21T10:00:00Z

4x13 Local Natives

4x13 Local Natives

  • 2011-02-21T10:00:00Z14m

The L.A. band brings its euphoric choruses and clattering Afrobeat rhythms to the NPR Music offices.

2011-02-28T10:00:00Z

4x14 Damien Jurado

4x14 Damien Jurado

  • 2011-02-28T10:00:00Z14m

Hear Jurado's raw, time-worn, authentically graceful music, performed in the NPR Music office.

Watch the Grammy-nominated Cajun band play an upbeat yet bittersweet set from the NPR Music offices.

2011-03-14T09:00:00Z

4x16 Lizz Wright

4x16 Lizz Wright

  • 2011-03-14T09:00:00Z14m

In this two-song set at the NPR Music offices, Wright channels the gospel and soul of her past.

2011-04-04T09:00:00Z

4x17 Nellie McKay

4x17 Nellie McKay

  • 2011-04-04T09:00:00Z14m

McKay's bold, audacious personality shines in this set recorded at the NPR Music offices.

4x18 Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

  • 2011-04-06T09:00:00Z14m

Hear the Refugee All Stars' upbeat reggae grooves, performed live at the NPR Music offices.

2011-04-11T09:00:00Z

4x19 Josh Ritter

4x19 Josh Ritter

  • 2011-04-11T09:00:00Z14m

Ritter can't hide his enjoyment of a performance, even when his songs convey obsession or disaster.

2011-04-13T09:00:00Z

4x20 Otis Taylor

4x20 Otis Taylor

  • 2011-04-13T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the banjo player perform his trademark trance-inducing blues at the NPR Music offices.

2011-04-18T09:00:00Z

4x21 Mount Kimbie

4x21 Mount Kimbie

  • 2011-04-18T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the dubstep duo perform our first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.

2011-04-20T09:00:00Z

4x22 Pokey LaFarge

4x22 Pokey LaFarge

  • 2011-04-20T09:00:00Z14m

Watch LaFarge play '20s- and '30s-inspired music with the help of his band, The South City Three.

2011-04-25T09:00:00Z

4x23 Steve Earle

4x23 Steve Earle

  • 2011-04-25T09:00:00Z14m

A singer, author, actor and activist, Earle showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.

2011-04-27T09:00:00Z

4x24 Wu Man

4x24 Wu Man

  • 2011-04-27T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland.

2011-05-02T09:00:00Z

4x25 Booker T. Jones

4x25 Booker T. Jones

  • 2011-05-02T09:00:00Z14m

Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. Watch him play one in the NPR Music offices.

2011-05-09T09:00:00Z

4x26 Julieta Venegas

4x26 Julieta Venegas

  • 2011-05-09T09:00:00Z14m

After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still defying expectations.

2011-05-11T09:00:00Z

4x27 Neil Innes

4x27 Neil Innes

  • 2011-05-11T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the Rutles alumnus play three of his classic satirical songs in the NPR Music offices.

2011-05-16T09:00:00Z

4x28 Future Islands

4x28 Future Islands

  • 2011-05-16T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the band's short but intense and cathartic set, performed live in the NPR Music offices.

2011-05-22T09:00:00Z

4x29 Low

4x29 Low

  • 2011-05-22T09:00:00Z14m

Singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker perform three songs from their gorgeous new album, C'mon.

2011-05-23T09:00:00Z

4x30 Jackie Evancho

4x30 Jackie Evancho

  • 2011-05-23T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the 11-year-old perform Handel's "Ombra mai fu" at the NPR Music offices.

2011-06-06T09:00:00Z

4x31 The Kopecky Family Band

4x31 The Kopecky Family Band

  • 2011-06-06T09:00:00Z14m

The Tennessee band's sweet, swollen folk-rock songs keep blooming into something irresistible.

2011-06-08T09:00:00Z

4x32 The Black Angels

4x32 The Black Angels

  • 2011-06-08T09:00:00Z14m

Hear a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities — at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.

4x33 Chris Thile And Michael Daves

  • 2011-06-13T09:00:00Z14m

Watch Thile and Daves play traditional bluegrass with New York intensity at the NPR Music offices.

2011-06-15T09:00:00Z

4x34 Charlie Siem

4x34 Charlie Siem

  • 2011-06-15T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the stylish young violinist pull out a bag of tricks in music by Paganini.

2011-06-20T09:00:00Z

4x35 The Decemberists

4x35 The Decemberists

  • 2011-06-20T09:00:00Z14m

With Chris Funk and Sara Watkins, Colin Meloy plays three sparkling songs from The King Is Dead.

2011-06-22T09:00:00Z

4x36 YACHT

4x36 YACHT

  • 2011-06-22T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the electro-pop band's striking and infectious performance at the NPR Music offices.

2011-06-27T09:00:00Z

4x37 The Civil Wars

4x37 The Civil Wars

  • 2011-06-27T09:00:00Z14m

Watch Joy Williams and John Paul White's swooning chemistry and stirring harmonies at NPR Music.

2011-06-30T09:00:00Z

4x38 Milos

4x38 Milos

  • 2011-06-30T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the newcomer from Montenegro play Spanish standards and a passionate ode to his homeland.

2011-07-05T09:00:00Z

4x39 The Blind Boys Of Alabama

4x39 The Blind Boys Of Alabama

  • 2011-07-05T09:00:00Z14m

Hear the gospel greats' mix of polished blues, swinging soul and from-the-gut expressions of faith.

2011-07-07T09:00:00Z

4x40 Julian Lage Trio

4x40 Julian Lage Trio

  • 2011-07-07T09:00:00Z14m

The guitarist, 23, was once called a prodigy. But he's maturing into a distinctive bandleader, too.

2011-07-11T09:00:00Z

4x41 Ben Sollee

4x41 Ben Sollee

  • 2011-07-11T09:00:00Z14m

The genre-bending cellist and songwriter has created a unique take on folk music.

4x42 Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock

  • 2011-07-18T09:00:00Z14m

Boyd reads from White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, while Hitchcock plays songs from the era.

2011-07-21T09:00:00Z

4x43 Y La Bamba

4x43 Y La Bamba

  • 2011-07-21T09:00:00Z14m

Watch Luzelena Mendoza and Y La Bamba craft joyfully rich vocal harmonies in the NPR Music offices.

2011-07-24T09:00:00Z

4x44 Givers

4x44 Givers

  • 2011-07-24T09:00:00Z14m

At the NPR offices, the band plays a sunny, exuberant set, suitable for dancing and bobbing along.

2011-07-28T09:00:00Z

4x45 They Might Be Giants

4x45 They Might Be Giants

  • 2011-07-28T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the band perform two of its brand-new songs, as well as "Fingertips," a classic 1992 chestnut.

2011-08-03T09:00:00Z

4x46 Amanda Shires

4x46 Amanda Shires

  • 2011-08-03T09:00:00Z14m

The singer plays a charming set featuring songs from Carrying Lightning at the Tiny Desk.

2011-08-10T09:00:00Z

4x47 Noah And The Whale

4x47 Noah And The Whale

  • 2011-08-10T09:00:00Z14m

The London band plugs in its drum machine, but sweet simplicity still reigns in the NPR offices.

2011-08-12T09:00:00Z

4x48 Paul Jacobs

4x48 Paul Jacobs

  • 2011-08-12T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.

2011-08-15T09:00:00Z

4x49 Gaby Moreno

4x49 Gaby Moreno

  • 2011-08-15T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the Guatemalan singer's breathtaking and passionate set at the NPR Music offices.

2011-08-18T09:00:00Z

4x50 Other Lives

4x50 Other Lives

  • 2011-08-18T09:00:00Z14m

The Oklahoma band brings its spacious minor-key hymns to the NPR Music offices.

2011-08-25T09:00:00Z

4x51 James Vincent McMorrow

4x51 James Vincent McMorrow

  • 2011-08-25T09:00:00Z14m

The Irishman has one of the most arresting voices of any young singer you're likely to hear.

2011-08-29T09:00:00Z

4x52 CALLmeKAT

4x52 CALLmeKAT

  • 2011-08-29T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the synth-pop musician perform a hauntingly beautiful set at the NPR Music offices.

2011-09-01T09:00:00Z

4x53 Phosphorescent

4x53 Phosphorescent

  • 2011-09-01T09:00:00Z14m

Watch Matthew Houck play a stirring, road-ragged solo Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices.

4x54 King Creosote And Jon Hopkins

  • 2011-09-04T09:00:00Z14m

Diamond Mine's unassuming creators lose little of their charm and mystique in the NPR Music office.

2011-09-09T09:00:00Z

4x55 Foster The People

4x55 Foster The People

  • 2011-09-09T09:00:00Z14m

Armed with the summer song of 2011, the band brings "Pumped Up Kicks" and more to NPR Music.

2011-09-12T09:00:00Z

4x56 Diego Garcia

4x56 Diego Garcia

  • 2011-09-12T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the former Elefant frontman perform songs from his album Laura at the NPR Music offices.

2011-09-16T09:00:00Z

4x57 Sean Rowe

4x57 Sean Rowe

  • 2011-09-16T09:00:00Z14m

Rowe brings his booming voice and ever-louder acoustic-guitar set-ups to the NPR Music offices.

2011-09-19T09:00:00Z

4x58 Jeremy Messersmith

4x58 Jeremy Messersmith

  • 2011-09-19T09:00:00Z14m

The Twin Cities singer is a pop genius, with creative ambition to match his considerable charm.

2011-09-21T09:00:00Z

4x59 Beirut

4x59 Beirut

  • 2011-09-21T09:00:00Z14m

Beirut performs worldly, inspired songs from its new album The Rip Tide at the NPR Music offices.

2011-09-26T09:00:00Z

4x60 Jenny Lin

4x60 Jenny Lin

  • 2011-09-26T09:00:00Z14m

The pianist usually plays eight-foot Steinways. See what she does on an electronic keyboard.

2011-09-28T09:00:00Z

4x61 The Klezmatics

4x61 The Klezmatics

  • 2011-09-28T09:00:00Z14m

Ring in Rosh Hashanah with three globe-trotting tunes from one of the world's greatest Jewish bands.

2011-09-29T09:00:00Z

4x62 Trombone Shorty

4x62 Trombone Shorty

  • 2011-09-29T09:00:00Z14m

The New Orleans native achieved stardom with his voice and his horn. But he just wants you to dance.

2011-10-05T09:00:00Z

4x63 Mates Of State

4x63 Mates Of State

  • 2011-10-05T09:00:00Z14m

The band's performance in the NPR Music offices creates a vibe of ragged, awkward intimacy.

2011-10-06T09:00:00Z

4x64 Fountains Of Wayne

4x64 Fountains Of Wayne

  • 2011-10-06T09:00:00Z14m

These songs showcase a band with tremendous narrative gifts and a flair for subtle beauty.

2011-10-08T09:00:00Z

4x65 JEFF The Brotherhood

4x65 JEFF The Brotherhood

  • 2011-10-08T09:00:00Z14m

Of course, the power-punk duo took off their shirts at the NPR Music offices, because why not?

2011-10-11T09:00:00Z

4x66 Grouplove

4x66 Grouplove

  • 2011-10-11T09:00:00Z14m

The upstart band brings youthful, infectious energy to the NPR Music offices.

2011-10-14T09:00:00Z

4x67 Chris Bathgate

4x67 Chris Bathgate

  • 2011-10-14T09:00:00Z14m

The Michigan native's deliberately paced music is too rustic and pretty to be a true downer.

2011-10-17T09:00:00Z

4x68 Wilco

4x68 Wilco

  • 2011-10-17T09:00:00Z14m

Armed with tiny amps and a ton of grace, Wilco plays new songs and an old favorite at the Tiny Desk.

2011-10-21T09:00:00Z

4x69 Hilary Hahn

4x69 Hilary Hahn

  • 2011-10-21T09:00:00Z14m

The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora.

4x70 Ben Williams And Sound Effect

  • 2011-10-24T09:00:00Z14m

The jazz star and his band perform two songs from their album State of Art at the NPR Music offices.

2011-10-29T09:00:00Z

4x71 Lisa Hannigan

4x71 Lisa Hannigan

  • 2011-10-29T09:00:00Z14m

Exuding both musical and personal warmth, the Irish singer mesmerized at the NPR Music offices.

2011-11-03T09:00:00Z

4x72 Juanes

4x72 Juanes

  • 2011-11-03T09:00:00Z14m

Watch the charismatic Colombian superstar give an intimate performance at the NPR Music offices.

2011-11-07T10:00:00Z

4x73 Jens Lekman

4x73 Jens Lekman

  • 2011-11-07T10:00:00Z14m

The Swedish singer shows off his humor and charm in this intimate set at the NPR Music offices.

2011-11-10T10:00:00Z

4x74 Marketa Irglova

4x74 Marketa Irglova

  • 2011-11-10T10:00:00Z14m

At the NPR Music offices, Irglova mixes the exotic and the familiar; sweetness and longing.

The genre-bending cellist heads a dream team of string players who borrow from bluegrass.

2011-11-21T10:00:00Z

4x76 Joe Henry

4x76 Joe Henry

  • 2011-11-21T10:00:00Z14m

Asking the fearless, easygoing singer to perform in a crowded office never felt like an imposition.

2011-11-23T10:00:00Z

4x77 Hospital Ships

4x77 Hospital Ships

  • 2011-11-23T10:00:00Z14m

Hospital Ships' beautiful, crushing songs pack an emotional punch in this performance at NPR Music.

2011-11-26T10:00:00Z

4x78 Gabriel Kahane

4x78 Gabriel Kahane

  • 2011-11-26T10:00:00Z14m

Hear the agile musician's rigorously crafted songs, which fall somewhere between classical and pop.

2011-12-01T10:00:00Z

4x79 tUnE-yArDs

4x79 tUnE-yArDs

  • 2011-12-01T10:00:00Z14m

tUnE-yArDs sings of rage and inequality, but also celebrates the joy of letting out a wild sound.

2011-12-12T10:00:00Z

4x80 I Wayne

4x80 I Wayne

  • 2011-12-12T10:00:00Z14m

As the cameras rolled, the reggae star came to life, showcasing his smooth voice and vibrant energy.

2011-12-16T10:00:00Z

4x81 Gem Club

4x81 Gem Club

  • 2011-12-16T10:00:00Z14m

Maybe you couldn't hear a pin drop when Gem Club played, but you could hear the click of a keyboard.

2011-12-20T10:00:00Z

4x82 The Music Tapes

4x82 The Music Tapes

  • 2011-12-20T10:00:00Z14m

The Elephant 6 alum plays a holiday set compete with bowed banjos, singing saws and tape machines.

Season Finale

2011-12-27T10:00:00Z

4x83 Maria Volonte

Season Finale

4x83 Maria Volonte

  • 2011-12-27T10:00:00Z14m

The Argentine singer blends tango, Latin blues and the traditional music of Brazil and Peru.

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