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Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.
Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.
1/5/2012
Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.
1/9/2012
The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."
1/17/2012
Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.
1/19/2012
Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.
1/23/2012
Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.
1/26/2012
The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.
1/30/2012
The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.
2/3/2012
The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.
2/6/2012
The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.
2/9/2012
The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.
2/14/2012
"The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.
2/16/2012
Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.
2/20/2012
In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.
2/23/2012
A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.
2/27/2012
Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.
3/1/2012
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.
3/5/2012
The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.
3/8/2012
Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.
3/12/2012
A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.
3/24/2012
Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.
3/28/2012
The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.
4/2/2012
The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.
4/5/2012
Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.
4/10/2012
At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.
4/12/2012
The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.
4/16/2012
Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.
4/23/2012
The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.
4/26/2012
The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.
4/30/2012
The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.
5/3/2012
The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.
5/7/2012
K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.
5/10/2012
The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.
5/14/2012
The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.
5/16/2012
Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.
5/17/2012
Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.
5/21/2012
The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.
5/26/2012
Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.
5/31/2012
The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.
6/4/2012
The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."
6/7/2012
Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.
6/11/2012
Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.
6/17/2012
The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.
6/21/2012
The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.
6/25/2012
The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.
7/2/2012
At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.
7/9/2012
Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."
7/12/2012
A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.
7/15/2012
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.
7/16/2012
Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.
7/22/2012
The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.
7/29/2012
Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.
8/6/2012
Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.
8/12/2012
By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.
8/20/2012
Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.
8/27/2012
Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.
9/10/2012
These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.
9/17/2012
Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.
9/24/2012
Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.
10/1/2012
It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.
10/4/2012
The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.
10/8/2012
The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.
10/15/2012
Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.
10/22/2012
The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.
10/25/2012
Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.
10/29/2012
The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.
11/5/2012
The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.
11/12/2012
For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.
11/19/2012
Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.
11/26/2012
Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.
11/29/2012
The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.
12/3/2012
The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.
12/6/2012
Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.
12/9/2012
Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.
12/10/2012
The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.
12/17/2012
The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.
12/21/2012
Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.
12/31/2012
