Season 2012

Even in a stripped-down acoustic set, Tinariwen's trance-inducing desert music doesn't disappoint.

Watch singer Teri Gender Bender transform from a soft-spoken musician into a rock 'n' roll beast.

The band's keen sense of song prevails, especially in a new song called "It All Means Nothing."

Banjo master Schepps and friends create an intriguing goulash of Bartók, bluegrass and bebop.

Watch the masterful folk guitarist perform a lovely instrumental set at the NPR Music offices.

Calvi plays songs from her self-titled debut in this powerful performance at the NPR Music offices.

The San Antonio trio gets back to basics to explore its songs' forms and the soul of its lyrics.

The brilliant and nimble guitarist reinvents the songs of John Lennon at the NPR Music offices.

The group has revitalized a long-lost culture through music performed entirely in Haitian Creole.

The Hold Steady singer's stark side is nicely conducive to barren arrangements at the NPR offices.

The dance-friendly, India-inspired funk group performs a high-energy set at the NPR Music offices.

"The Duke of Bachata" gives a raw but beautiful interpretation of bachata at the NPR Music offices.

Hear the fresh-faced opera singers perform Puccini at the NPR Music offices.

In this performance at the NPR Music offices, the Irish pop band mixes new songs with early hits.

A band of selective minimalism, Milagres gets the most of simple sounds at the NPR Music offices.

Through her insightful lyrics, Sandra Velasquez conjures the sounds of the Mexican desert.

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.

The saxophonist's new repertoire salutes electric funk, South Indian modes and swarming solos.

Real Estate wears placidity well: It's a band born and bred to convey and celebrate laconic comfort.

A soulful master musician from Iran, Kalhor performs a beautiful improvisation at the NPR offices.

Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg make charming, folk-infused pop music that lulls and enchants.

The ensemble employs all kinds of toys, from an amplified cactus to a mug filled with spare change.

The Canadian singer performs four sweet, warm, relatable songs that soothe as they nourish.

Caveman writes guitar-based pop songs full of space and melodies you can carry around in your head.

At the NPR offices, the band plays in a lean, funky configuration that gets the room grooving along.

The group fuses the music of many Christian cultures, with nods to African songs of celebration.

Holland plays songs with an unadorned tone that makes the voice and lyrics all the more touching.

The venerable band sounds as poignant and tender as ever in this performance at the NPR offices.

The group doesn't overwhelm so much as it wears listeners down with a subtle charm offensive.

The guitarist displays intricate fingerpicking in two songs inspired by Kentucky Derby racehorses.

The jazz quartet draws from post-bop, 20th-century chromaticism and New Orleans funeral marches.

K Ishibashi is a master at building songs from live violin loops, layered singing and beatboxing.

The improvisational music of the father-son, guitar-cello duo functions as a beautiful conversation.

The Godfather of Go-Go died Wednesday. In 2010, he brought his full band to the NPR Music office.

Rooted in acoustic traditions, the music of Arborea stands out for its calm beauty and rough edges.

Tiersen's rich, liltingly eccentric pop music is constructed from lots of sweet, intricate pieces.

The venerable brass quintet sports virtuosic, fresh-faced players in tried-and-true repertoire.

Watson has a lovely voice and a gift for wringing evocative sounds out of everything he touches.

The unflappable singer performs three songs with seeming effortlessness and easygoing charm.

The drummer dedicates tunes to her friends, including her first teacher — a "sometimes great guy."

Watch three songs by a troubled soul with a talent for writing honest, disarmingly direct music.

Hansard flexes his neck muscles a bit as he performs new songs and deep cuts at the NPR offices.

The band plays with just the right mixture of passion and pathos in a fun set at the NPR offices.

The comedian and musician performs spontaneous improvisations full of killer grooves and humor.

The band plays a beautifully buzzing, nuanced set, marked by gorgeous grace and stirring melodies.

At the NPR offices, Carlile and her band sing from-the-gut songs about messy lives, loudly lived.

Two songs from A Creature I Don't Know bookend a gorgeous new, unreleased song called "Once."

A soulful yet steely singer-songwriter from Algeria charts her own course in these four songs.

Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale sing sweet but intricate folk-pop songs in the NPR offices.

Feder marries classical and folk techniques with otherworldly guitar textures and sounds.

The band makes the Tiny Desk accommodate its booming sound rather than the other way around.

Known for mixing folk and electronics, Orton unveils three new songs with just an acoustic guitar.

Two surviving members of the band still have the same chemistry here in a stripped-down performance.

By the middle of Wainwright's final song, "Montauk," few dry eyes remained in the NPR offices.

Watch the renowned double bassist thump, strum and loop his way through three mesmerizing songs.

Avital's mandolin sings with the sounds of Ernest Bloch and a raucous Bulgarian folk tune.

These songs' fervor is the product of a singer armed with intensity and musicians who can match it.

Watch Las Vegass bring a punk aesthetic to Venezuelan folk music with a cuatro at the NPR offices.

Hearing the 29-year-old singer makes it virtually impossible to do anything but stop and listen.

It's one thing for 11 musicians to make a big sound, but what stands out is Antibalas' subtlety.

The group plays fiddle, banjo, guitar and washboard, all gathered around a single microphone.

The band unleashes a gorgeous flurry of shambolic rumbling, prolific hairiness and dramatic yelling.

Like any great blues singer, Cray makes heartache and dysfunction sound engaging and relatable.

The band's rich harmonies are welcoming, its lyrics relatable and its live performances thrilling.

Michael Angelakos makes electro-pop with monster hooks. But his songs are sturdy, versatile things.

The longtime frontman for Grandaddy goes it alone with acoustic solo songs from his latest record.

The conjunto icon spins magic, and stays true to tradition, with his trademark button accordion.

For Tiny Desk Concert No. 250, the Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service singer performs solo.

Wainwright roughs up life's smooth spots, then digs her fingertips into the cracks that form.

Victoria Bergsman's songs seem to come from a place somewhere between a dream state and waking life.

The Seattle duo literally shakes the dust off the ceiling tiles at the NPR Music offices.

The singer-songwriter performs three of Young Man in America's most bracingly beautiful songs.

Once the acoustic guitarist zeroes in on the center of a song, it's easy to get lost in it yourself.

Lovett gives a loose, engaging performance that feels like both an introduction and a victory lap.

The Mercury Prize-winning band plays angular, poetic, inventive music that takes unexpected turns.

The sprawling group, 17 strong, squeezes behind Bob Boilen's desk for a special holiday performance.

Performing at the NPR Music offices, Miguel strips his highly produced hits down to their bones.