Just wanted to take a moment out of everyone’s day to shoutout NPR (the goat). Their Tiny Desk series has had quite the line up the past couple of weeks, and if you haven’t known consider yourself under the rock and now above the bottle cause here are some of my favorite highlights as a late:
Doechii
Hardest in the game. This shit just dropped. Sensational set list. nuf sed. Here’s NPR:
Doechii, known as the “Swamp Princess,” arrived at NPR HQ radiating confidence. She moved with purpose, knowing exactly what she wanted and how to achieve it. Her declarative statement, “I’m everything,” from “BOOM BAP” off her Grammy-nominated mixtape, ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL, was on full display in her Tiny Desk debut. Backed by a full band, including horns and two background singers, Doechii’s performance was a masterclass in creativity. Sporting vintage academia looks, complete with matching cornrows and beads, Doechii delivers a freshly rearranged medley of cuts from the mixtape, tailored specifically for Tiny Desk.
While hip-hop remained at the core, she truly gave us everything: a jazz arrangement of “BOOM BAP,” heavy rock vibes on “CATFISH”, and a Southern praise break outro on “NISSAN ALTIMA.” She closed her set with “Black Girl Memoir” from her debut album, Oh The Places You’ll Go.
Before performing, she shared, “I wrote this song specifically for Black women. As a dark-skinned woman, there’s a very unique experience I’m trying to internalize … This is dedicated to all the beautiful Black women in the room.”
While her star has been steadily on the rise since her debut, 2024 is shaping up to be the year Doechii cements herself as a household name. – Ashley Pointer, NPR Dec 6 ’24
Rosie Tucker
Yoooo, I literally couldn’t believe it when I seen this shit. Rosie Tucker is like the saddest girl I know. She also shares a song title (“Gay Bar”) with Electric Six, which I think is fun. She conducted herself very calmly alsmost solemn. Here’s what NPR had to say:
“It’s very satisfying to sing a song about murderous paperclip technology in an office building,” Rosie Tucker jokes after singing “Paperclip Maximizer,” a standout track from the Los Angeles indie rocker’s fourth album, UTOPIA NOW! The song’s title refers to a Swedish thought experiment that demonstrates the dangers of artificial intelligence. It’s one of many references in Tucker’s songs, which are full of big ideas, tender observations, sharp lyricism and catchy pop-punk melodies. Tucker’s clear voice kicks off their Tiny Desk set with the unforgettable line:
“I hope no one had to piss in a bottle at work to get me the thing I ordered on the internet.”
While their music often critiques the failures of capitalism and technology, Tucker is still hopeful for a brighter future. They dedicate the final song, the melancholy “Ambrosia,” to their 5-year-old neighbor and a friend’s baby. “I just want the world for these kids — and I want a better world than the one that we have.” – Elle Mannion, NPR Dec 2 ’24
also look at that smile
TV on The Radio
I wasn’t super knowledgeable about this band before I saw this performance. I had heard and liked^(TM) their song Staring at the Sun. Apparently NPR has been trying to get these guys on for the past decade, read this:
TV On The Radio was one of the first bands we tried to coax into playing in our office back in the earliest days of the Tiny Desk, but it never happened. Roughly 15 years later, the group finally arrived to play a breathtaking and career-spanning set. “Thank you for having us,”‘ frontman Tunde Adebimpe told the crowd after opening with a blazing version of “Wolf Like Me,” from 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain. “I don’t know what happened 15 years ago. I think someone missed a phone call or an email ’cause we wanted to do it!” “We’ve been sitting around talking amongst ourselves saying, ‘I don’t know why they don’t want us,’ ” Kyp Malone added. TV On The Radio is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, and released a deluxe version of the album earlier this month. But they stuck to both older and newer releases for the Tiny Desk, including a slightly more subdued version of “Could You,” backed by Yusuke Yamamoto on vibraphone, from 2014’s Seeds. They also performed “Satellite,” from the band’s 2003 EP Young Liars, before closing with a soaring, lighters-up take on the title track. – Robin Hilton, NPR Nov 27 ’24
Honorable Mention to Jon Batiste
Okay, they are also doing is this series called Amplify hosted by Lara Downes. This started back in 2020 during the backstreet boys reunion tour (see this) where Jon Batiste was one of their first guests.
In this episode ,they “trace the blues back to Beethoven and beyond”<-literally the title of the video. I’d say it’s worth a watch but as most of these “hollywood-elites talk about art(money)” videos go it can be a bit grueling at times, with sentiments resonating more so with wow aren’t we so lucky to be back in the room again and less so black culture has been stolen, rebranded, and repurposed for the sole-benefit of the white bourgeoisie.
What I really want to share is Jon Batiste’s Tiny Desk concert from 4 years ago. This was ramping up to the release of his album We Are. This performance is unmatched. Him and his band are seen just having the time of their lives. Here’s what Bob Boilen had to say:
Jon Batiste came to the Tiny Desk with some surprises back in November of 2019. Midway through his set, he stopped to say, “it’s the first time we’re ever playing these songs, and it’s the first time we’re playing together.” The New Orleans musician came to the Tiny Desk not with his late-night house band, but with an all-new cast. His all-female collaborators — Endea Owens on acoustic bass, Negah Santos on percussion, Sarah Thawer on drums, and Celisse Henderson on guitar and vocals — were an inspiration. As is often the case when musicians perform in Washington (and especially blocks from the Capitol) the banter hinted at the political. Jon Batiste stopped to tell the NPR crowd, “we’re playing some music, and we’re coping. The times are in an interesting place, but music is always that universal language that can bring people in a room together.” Little did Jon know how those words would feel six months later. Jon Batiste took us through some of the many sides of his rich musical history, from the soulful ballad titled “Cry,” to the jazz and hip-hop inspired, “Coltrane” and a rocking Motown-inspired tune, “Tell The Truth,” before ending with a bit of church with, “I Need You.” In just over 15 minutes, Jon Batiste bounced from playing the Wurlitzer to the electric guitar to the piano and then a melodica, all the while singing and sharing his talents and bringing us joy in interesting times. – Bob Boilen, NPR May 4 ’20
Thanks for reading and I hope you gave yourself a chance to watch some of these performances. Donate a car! or whatever.
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