Season 2011 (2011)
Episodes: 83
Star Cast:
Episodes List
Ep.1 Abigail Washburn
Air Date: 2011-01-03
Watch the singer-songwriter mix American bluegrass and Chinese folk from the NPR Music offices.
Ep.2 Gyptian
Air Date: 2011-01-05
The reggae star performs his hit "Hold You" and more from the NPR Music offices in Washington, D.C.
Ep.3 David Wax Museum
Air Date: 2011-01-09
The band brings a frenetic, infectious blend of American and Mexican folk to the NPR Music offices.
Ep.4 Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal
Air Date: 2011-01-17
The masterful kora-and-cello duo performs a transfixing set combining African and European strings.
Ep.5 Iron And Wine
Air Date: 2011-01-21
Sam Beam gives a fresh side of his new songs at NPR, and tops it off with a devastating 2004 gem.
Ep.6 Basia Bulat
Air Date: 2011-01-24
The Canadian singer-songwriter sings highlights from her two albums, plus a surprise from Poland.
Ep.7 Richard Thompson
Air Date: 2011-02-01
Watch the folk-rock legend perform songs from his 20th solo album, Dream Attic, at NPR Music.
Ep.8 Stars
Air Date: 2011-02-03
Watch Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell transform three of Stars' songs into spare, pretty folk music.
Ep.9 Ivan And Alyosha
Air Date: 2011-02-07
The band showcases its Beatles-esque pop harmonies and sweet melodies from the NPR Music offices.
Ep.10 Esperanza Spalding
Air Date: 2011-02-12
The jazz bassist, singer and Best New Artist Grammy winner performs in the NPR Music offices.
Ep.11 Turtle Island Quartet
Air Date: 2011-02-16
With an eclectic palette of sounds and styles, the Turtle Island Quartet swings at NPR Music.
Ep.12 Adele
Air Date: 2011-02-17
In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.
Ep.13 Local Natives
Air Date: 2011-02-21
The L.A. band brings its euphoric choruses and clattering Afrobeat rhythms to the NPR Music offices.
Ep.14 Damien Jurado
Air Date: 2011-02-28
Hear Jurado's raw, time-worn, authentically graceful music, performed in the NPR Music office.
Ep.15 Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys
Air Date: 2011-03-07
Watch the Grammy-nominated Cajun band play an upbeat yet bittersweet set from the NPR Music offices.
Ep.16 Lizz Wright
Air Date: 2011-03-14
In this two-song set at the NPR Music offices, Wright channels the gospel and soul of her past.
Ep.17 Nellie McKay
Air Date: 2011-04-04
McKay's bold, audacious personality shines in this set recorded at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.18 Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
Air Date: 2011-04-06
Hear the Refugee All Stars' upbeat reggae grooves, performed live at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.19 Josh Ritter
Air Date: 2011-04-11
Ritter can't hide his enjoyment of a performance, even when his songs convey obsession or disaster.
Ep.20 Otis Taylor
Air Date: 2011-04-13
Watch the banjo player perform his trademark trance-inducing blues at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.21 Mount Kimbie
Air Date: 2011-04-18
Watch the dubstep duo perform our first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.
Ep.22 Pokey LaFarge
Air Date: 2011-04-20
Watch LaFarge play '20s- and '30s-inspired music with the help of his band, The South City Three.
Ep.23 Steve Earle
Air Date: 2011-04-25
A singer, author, actor and activist, Earle showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.24 Wu Man
Air Date: 2011-04-27
Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland.
Ep.25 Booker T. Jones
Air Date: 2011-05-02
Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. Watch him play one in the NPR Music offices.
Ep.26 Julieta Venegas
Air Date: 2011-05-09
After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still defying expectations.
Ep.27 Neil Innes
Air Date: 2011-05-11
Watch the Rutles alumnus play three of his classic satirical songs in the NPR Music offices.
Ep.28 Future Islands
Air Date: 2011-05-16
Watch the band's short but intense and cathartic set, performed live in the NPR Music offices.
Ep.29 Low
Air Date: 2011-05-22
Singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker perform three songs from their gorgeous new album, C'mon.
Ep.30 Jackie Evancho
Air Date: 2011-05-23
Watch the 11-year-old perform Handel's "Ombra mai fu" at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.31 The Kopecky Family Band
Air Date: 2011-06-06
The Tennessee band's sweet, swollen folk-rock songs keep blooming into something irresistible.
Ep.32 The Black Angels
Air Date: 2011-06-08
Hear a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities — at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.
Ep.33 Chris Thile And Michael Daves
Air Date: 2011-06-13
Watch Thile and Daves play traditional bluegrass with New York intensity at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.34 Charlie Siem
Air Date: 2011-06-15
Watch the stylish young violinist pull out a bag of tricks in music by Paganini.
Ep.35 The Decemberists
Air Date: 2011-06-20
With Chris Funk and Sara Watkins, Colin Meloy plays three sparkling songs from The King Is Dead.
Ep.36 YACHT
Air Date: 2011-06-22
Watch the electro-pop band's striking and infectious performance at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.37 The Civil Wars
Air Date: 2011-06-27
Watch Joy Williams and John Paul White's swooning chemistry and stirring harmonies at NPR Music.
Ep.38 Milos
Air Date: 2011-06-30
Watch the newcomer from Montenegro play Spanish standards and a passionate ode to his homeland.
Ep.39 The Blind Boys Of Alabama
Air Date: 2011-07-05
Hear the gospel greats' mix of polished blues, swinging soul and from-the-gut expressions of faith.
Ep.40 Julian Lage Trio
Air Date: 2011-07-07
The guitarist, 23, was once called a prodigy. But he's maturing into a distinctive bandleader, too.
Ep.41 Ben Sollee
Air Date: 2011-07-11
The genre-bending cellist and songwriter has created a unique take on folk music.
Ep.42 Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock
Air Date: 2011-07-18
Boyd reads from White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, while Hitchcock plays songs from the era.
Ep.43 Y La Bamba
Air Date: 2011-07-21
Watch Luzelena Mendoza and Y La Bamba craft joyfully rich vocal harmonies in the NPR Music offices.
Ep.44 Givers
Air Date: 2011-07-24
At the NPR offices, the band plays a sunny, exuberant set, suitable for dancing and bobbing along.
Ep.45 They Might Be Giants
Air Date: 2011-07-28
Watch the band perform two of its brand-new songs, as well as "Fingertips," a classic 1992 chestnut.
Ep.46 Amanda Shires
Air Date: 2011-08-03
The singer plays a charming set featuring songs from Carrying Lightning at the Tiny Desk.
Ep.47 Noah And The Whale
Air Date: 2011-08-10
The London band plugs in its drum machine, but sweet simplicity still reigns in the NPR offices.
Ep.48 Paul Jacobs
Air Date: 2011-08-12
Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.
Ep.49 Gaby Moreno
Air Date: 2011-08-15
Watch the Guatemalan singer's breathtaking and passionate set at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.50 Other Lives
Air Date: 2011-08-18
The Oklahoma band brings its spacious minor-key hymns to the NPR Music offices.
Ep.51 James Vincent McMorrow
Air Date: 2011-08-25
The Irishman has one of the most arresting voices of any young singer you're likely to hear.
Ep.52 CALLmeKAT
Air Date: 2011-08-29
Watch the synth-pop musician perform a hauntingly beautiful set at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.53 Phosphorescent
Air Date: 2011-09-01
Watch Matthew Houck play a stirring, road-ragged solo Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.54 King Creosote And Jon Hopkins
Air Date: 2011-09-04
Diamond Mine's unassuming creators lose little of their charm and mystique in the NPR Music office.
Ep.55 Foster The People
Air Date: 2011-09-09
Armed with the summer song of 2011, the band brings "Pumped Up Kicks" and more to NPR Music.
Ep.56 Diego Garcia
Air Date: 2011-09-12
Watch the former Elefant frontman perform songs from his album Laura at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.57 Sean Rowe
Air Date: 2011-09-16
Rowe brings his booming voice and ever-louder acoustic-guitar set-ups to the NPR Music offices.
Ep.58 Jeremy Messersmith
Air Date: 2011-09-19
The Twin Cities singer is a pop genius, with creative ambition to match his considerable charm.
Ep.59 Beirut
Air Date: 2011-09-21
Beirut performs worldly, inspired songs from its new album The Rip Tide at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.60 Jenny Lin
Air Date: 2011-09-26
The pianist usually plays eight-foot Steinways. See what she does on an electronic keyboard.
Ep.61 The Klezmatics
Air Date: 2011-09-28
Ring in Rosh Hashanah with three globe-trotting tunes from one of the world's greatest Jewish bands.
Ep.62 Trombone Shorty
Air Date: 2011-09-29
The New Orleans native achieved stardom with his voice and his horn. But he just wants you to dance.
Ep.63 Mates Of State
Air Date: 2011-10-05
The band's performance in the NPR Music offices creates a vibe of ragged, awkward intimacy.
Ep.64 Fountains Of Wayne
Air Date: 2011-10-06
These songs showcase a band with tremendous narrative gifts and a flair for subtle beauty.
Ep.65 JEFF The Brotherhood
Air Date: 2011-10-08
Of course, the power-punk duo took off their shirts at the NPR Music offices, because why not?
Ep.66 Grouplove
Air Date: 2011-10-11
The upstart band brings youthful, infectious energy to the NPR Music offices.
Ep.67 Chris Bathgate
Air Date: 2011-10-14
The Michigan native's deliberately paced music is too rustic and pretty to be a true downer.
Ep.68 Wilco
Air Date: 2011-10-17
Armed with tiny amps and a ton of grace, Wilco plays new songs and an old favorite at the Tiny Desk.
Ep.69 Hilary Hahn
Air Date: 2011-10-21
The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora.
Ep.70 Ben Williams And Sound Effect
Air Date: 2011-10-24
The jazz star and his band perform two songs from their album State of Art at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.71 Lisa Hannigan
Air Date: 2011-10-29
Exuding both musical and personal warmth, the Irish singer mesmerized at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.72 Juanes
Air Date: 2011-11-03
Watch the charismatic Colombian superstar give an intimate performance at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.73 Jens Lekman
Air Date: 2011-11-07
The Swedish singer shows off his humor and charm in this intimate set at the NPR Music offices.
Ep.74 Marketa Irglova
Air Date: 2011-11-10
At the NPR Music offices, Irglova mixes the exotic and the familiar; sweetness and longing.
Ep.75 Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan
Air Date: 2011-11-17
The genre-bending cellist heads a dream team of string players who borrow from bluegrass.
Ep.76 Joe Henry
Air Date: 2011-11-21
Asking the fearless, easygoing singer to perform in a crowded office never felt like an imposition.
Ep.77 Hospital Ships
Air Date: 2011-11-23
Hospital Ships' beautiful, crushing songs pack an emotional punch in this performance at NPR Music.
Ep.78 Gabriel Kahane
Air Date: 2011-11-26
Hear the agile musician's rigorously crafted songs, which fall somewhere between classical and pop.
Ep.79 tUnE-yArDs
Air Date: 2011-12-01
tUnE-yArDs sings of rage and inequality, but also celebrates the joy of letting out a wild sound.
Ep.80 I Wayne
Air Date: 2011-12-12
As the cameras rolled, the reggae star came to life, showcasing his smooth voice and vibrant energy.
Ep.81 Gem Club
Air Date: 2011-12-16
Maybe you couldn't hear a pin drop when Gem Club played, but you could hear the click of a keyboard.
Ep.82 The Music Tapes
Air Date: 2011-12-20
The Elephant 6 alum plays a holiday set compete with bowed banjos, singing saws and tape machines.
Ep.83 Maria Volonte
Air Date: 2011-12-27
The Argentine singer blends tango, Latin blues and the traditional music of Brazil and Peru.