Tag: NPR Music

Music NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

Kurt Vile: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Feb. 6, 2019 | Bob Boilen — Kurt Vile exudes a casualness at the Tiny Desk in his style and body language that is so unlike most anxious artists who come to play behind my desk. Sure, he’s done this Tiny Desk thing before, with Courtney Barnett. But even then, I remember thinking that he’s got something else on his mind — and it made me laugh this time around when Kurt played his opening tune, “Bassackwards,” and sang these words: “I was on the beach but I was thinking about the bay / Got to the bay but by [See More…]

Music NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

H.E.R.: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Dec. 12, 2018 | Bobby Carter — It’s been said that you only get one chance to make a first impression. In H.E.R.’s case, you get two. She stunned us as a special guest for Daniel Ceasar’s Tiny Desk concert earlier this year, in an appearance that showcased her vocal mastery. That earned her an invite to play again, front-and-center. She attacked her second go ’round with more fervor than the first, highlighting her skills as a multi-instrumentalist, maneuvering between acoustic and electric guitars, then the Fender Rhodes. While H.E.R. stands for “Having Everything Revealed,” she’s an artist who’s built [See More…]

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Florence + the Machine: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Oct. 16, 2018 | Josh Rogosin — Her nervousness was palpable and stood in stark contrast to her fully produced stage show. “I’m sorry I’m shy,” Florence Welch told the crowd of NPR family and friends gathered for her Tiny Desk performance. “If this was a big gig, I’d probably be climbing all over here and running around.” Opening with the song “June,” from Florence + the Machine’s 2018 album High As Hope, Florence performed with her eyes closed. By the end of the three-song set, she fully embraced the experience and gave in to the rapturous audience. Within seconds [See More…]

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Café Tacvba: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Oct. 12, 2018 | Felix Contreras — It’s appropriate that the pioneering Mexican band Café Tacvba (Tacuba) start its set with “Olita del Altamar” (“Waves from the High Seas”) from the group’s 2012 album El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco. It’s essentially an incantation of the magic that transpired during their performance behind Bob Boilen’s desk. The lyrics sing of the comings and goings of waves, symbolic of the passage of time and fueled by the Mexican folk rhythm son jarocho, a favorite of the band’s since their start almost 30 years ago. They then fast forward to “Diente de León” [See More…]

NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

Mac Miller: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Watch Mac Miller play “Small Worlds”, “What’s the Use? (Feat. Thundercat)” and “2009” at the Tiny Desk. Did you know you can watch new Tiny Desk Concerts on npr.org ONE WEEK before they go up on YouTube? Click here: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk Follow NPR Music: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic Aug. 6, 2018 | Bobby Carter — There was a shift in Mac Miller’s boisterous demeanor as he started the third of his three-song Tiny Desk set. It’s the first time he’s performed tracks from his new album, Swimming, in front of an audience. On “2009,” he rubbed his chin with clinched eyes, [See More…]

Music NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

Rakim: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

June 25, 2018 | Abby O’Neill — It had been nearly a decade since Rakim released new music, but that drought ended Friday when the godfather of rap lyricism and one half of the revered duo Eric B & Rakim released a new song, “King’s Paradise.” The track was written for Season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage, which premiered on Netflix the same day, but it wasn’t entirely new to select NPR staff; they heard it days earlier when the God MC performed at the Tiny Desk. The New York rap icon wasn’t the only legend in the building that [See More…]

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Jorja Smith: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

Watch Jorja Smith play “On My Mind”, “Teenage Fantasy” and “Blue Lights” at the Tiny Desk. Did you know you can watch new Tiny Desk Concerts on npr.org ONE WEEK before they go up on YouTube? Click here: https://www.npr.org/tinydesk Follow NPR Music: Twitter: https://twitter.com/nprmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nprmusic June 11, 2018 | Sidney Madden — It’s a good thing the weather was gloomy the day Jorja Smith rolled in for her Tiny Desk concert. Even though the skies threatened rain and thunder, the overcast light lingering in our dimmed office space allowed the teardrop pendant lights, hung from the ceiling by her [See More…]

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Tom Misch: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

June 1, 2018 | Bobby Carter — I learned a few things while watching Tom Misch perform at the Tiny Desk that should’ve been obvious to a longtime fan like me: He produces beats with a live audience in mind. As much as his drums slap, guitar is the foundation for most of his songs and he showcases a burgeoning talent on the instrument throughout his set. I first caught wind of this UK wunderkind in 2014. Crafting his own instrumental projects and remixing tracks by artists ranging from Busta Rhymes to Lianne La Havas, Misch steadily garnered a dedicated [See More…]

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Juanes & Mon Laferte: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

May 23, 2018 | Felix Contreras — Colombian pop star Juanes and Chilean singer Mon Laferte recently wrapped up a sold-out tour of the United States, which (lucky for us) included a stop at the Tiny Desk. Laferte began the concert solo with the torch song “Pa’ Dónde Se Fue” (Where Did You Go?). She sang the break-up story with a smirk that belied the heartache hiding in her poignant lyrics. Then, after a short set break starring the Tiny Desk engineer Josh Rogosin, Juanes joined her to perform the duo’s sultry single, “Amárrame” (Tie Me Up). It’s rare to [See More…]

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Jorge Drexler: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 0 (0)

April 13, 2018 | Felix Contreras — Jorge Drexler is a poet with a gift for song. The Uruguayan singer-songwriter, like the iconic Latin American lyricists of the past (Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara and Silvio Rodriguez, to name just a few), has that rare ability to surround multi-layered prose with music that lends an even deeper resonance to the words. Drexler has his share of fans here in the U.S., mostly Latin American expats and others whose grasp of the language allows them to appreciate the nuances of his storytelling. But, as if often the case with music performed in [See More…]