Sending our Tiny Desk wishlist into the universe

The Tiny Desk staff picks a few musicians we still dream of seeing; plus, a stunning premiere from Squirrel Flower and more

View this email online March 7, 2024 by Stephen Thompson The Tiny Desk staff breaks down the musicians we still dream of seeing on our stage; plus, a stunning premiere from Squirrel Flower and more. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images In the 16 years we’ve been doing Tiny Desk concerts, we’ve made a lot of our own dreams come true. We’ve hosted musicians we’ve loved since we were children, legends we never thought we’d see up close, big stars who typically only play in stadiums and discoveries we’ve delighted in sharing with a larger audience. It’s a great gig. Still, even after all these years, members of the Tiny Desk staff keep an informal bucket list full of all-time favorites we’ve never quite landed. Even in retirement, Tiny Desk co-creator Bob Boilen still dreams of landing a performance by Neil Young; my former boss, the marvelous Lauren Onkey, was always asking after Bruce Springsteen. So I thought I’d throw the question open to the team: “What (living) musician do you most dream of seeing at the Tiny Desk?” As a further prompt, I offered up my own pick: “When I was 15, Tracy Chapman’s 'Fast Car' changed the way I listen to music and look at the world, but she hasn’t toured since 2009 and rarely performs on TV. Now that she’s gotten a fresh round of flowers -- even going so far as to perform at the Grammys with Luke Combs -- my hope for a Tiny Desk appearance has grown from a dying ember to one that’s flickering stubbornly.” Here are some of the other responses: “Joni Mitchell’s remarkable comeback has been one of the greatest blessings of the past few years. Seeing Mitchell perform at the Grammys with Brandi Carlile, as well as the Joni Jam community supporting Joni’s increasingly bold and inventive vocals, made me long for the moment when her loving community brings our queen to the Tiny Desk. We’ll just have to make room for Joni’s throne.” —Ann Powers “I often lie awake at night wondering how and when we can have Stevie Nicks grace the space with her voice. She’s really stayed true to her lyric ‘never change, never stop,’ and I truly hope she continues to not stop — at least until after her Tiny Desk performance.” —Maia Stern “Since I moved to Washington, D.C., in 1995, I’ve had the luxury of seeing the Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin quite a few times. The colors he can conjure up from that big box of wood and wire is both breathtaking and unmatched. If the spirit moves, he might play as many as seven or eight encores. While he still makes his way to Washington now and then, his reclusive nature would preclude playing in such an intimate setting. But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to ask.” —Tom Huizenga “The 12-year-old me who obsessively hammered out every song in the Billy Joel Songbook for Easy Piano desperately wants to bring him in for a Tiny Desk. My dream is for him to open with ‘Prelude/Angry Young Man,’ followed by ‘Laura,’ his gorgeous new song ‘Turn the Lights Back On’ and closing with ‘Souvenir.’ We’ll supply the string quartet.” —Robin Hilton “Björk, if you’re reading this, you can turn the Tiny Desk into a mushroom wonderland, backed by floral choral singers, circuit-bent celeste and lily-pad synths... you know, as long as it somewhat resembles our office.” —Lars Gotrich “Tiny Desk, at its core, is a music discovery series, so the ideal guest is someone with 1) a robust catalog that 2) not enough people know who 3) will leave you gobsmacked. So my dream concert would feature Machel Montano, the soca superstar whose boatload of high-energy hits are bumped throughout the Caribbean year-round, but haven’t crossed over to the U.S. audience.” —Otis Hart We’ll come back to this subject again in future newsletters, and let more folks from the team weigh in with their picks. (Beyoncé! Stevie Wonder! Dolly Parton! But enough about me.) In the meantime, believe me when I say that we’re toiling tirelessly to make these dreams — and hopefully a few of yours — come true. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Tiny Desk Contest update Now well into its 10th year, the Tiny Desk Contest is one of the most reliable and heartwarming engines of music discovery you’ll find anywhere. Now, we’ve launched a portal that lets you watch — and filter in dozens of different ways — a truly staggering number of this year’s entries. Find your favorite now! Michael Zamora/NPR Recent Tiny Desks Squirrel Flower (a.k.a. Ella Williams) plays full-blooded rock songs with her band, but at the Tiny Desk, she stripped a few of them down to a haunting — and often breathtaking — mix of solo vocals and electric guitar. Don’t miss “Iowa 146,” the quiet stunner that closes her set. Wednesday singer-guitarist Karly Hartzman says she studied Tiny Desk concerts while learning to play guitar; now, she’s performing one of her own alongside her tremendous band, which lends an unmistakable twang to its gnarled indie-rock. Butcher Brown describes his hot, funky sound as “solar music” — as in, it contains everything under the sun. NPR Music’s Nikki Birch gets a little more specific, describing it as “psychedelic jazz funk with a hip-hop polish.” Singer Kelela drastically rearranged her songs for the Tiny Desk, softening them by introducing a piano and Ahya Simone’s gigantic, beautiful harp. Superstar Atlanta rapper Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins surveyed his two-decade career with the aid of an all-Black string section. Around public radio WXPN in Philadelphia welcomed its hometown heroes Mannequin Pussy in for a concert at the station’s World Cafe Live headquarters. Watch the band play the title track to its new album, I Got Heaven. WXPN’s World Cafe also recorded U.K. buzz band Yard Act during a recent North American tour. Watch the group play the hypnotic “Pour Another” in the studio. WFUV in New York City hosted another great U.K. act, The Japanese House, and — lucky for us — Amber Bain and her band performed “Boyhood,” one of many effervescent highlights from last year’s In the End It Always Does. KEXP in Seattle brought in alt-country artist Margo Cilker, who released one of our Best 50 Albums of 2023, Valley of Heart's Delight. WNXP in Nashville is never afraid to push the boundaries of public radio, and this set by avant-garde sound poet L’Rain is proof of that. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy