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Season 2011

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Episodes

Abigail Washburn

1 - Abigail Washburn

Watch the singer-songwriter mix American bluegrass and Chinese folk from the NPR Music offices.

Gyptian

2 - Gyptian

The reggae star performs his hit "Hold You" and more from the NPR Music offices in Washington, D.C.

David Wax Museum

3 - David Wax Museum

The band brings a frenetic, infectious blend of American and Mexican folk to the NPR Music offices.

Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal

4 - Ballake Sissoko And Vincent Segal

The masterful kora-and-cello duo performs a transfixing set combining African and European strings.

Iron And Wine

5 - Iron And Wine

Sam Beam gives a fresh side of his new songs at NPR, and tops it off with a devastating 2004 gem.

Basia Bulat

6 - Basia Bulat

The Canadian singer-songwriter sings highlights from her two albums, plus a surprise from Poland.

Richard Thompson

7 - Richard Thompson

Watch the folk-rock legend perform songs from his 20th solo album, Dream Attic, at NPR Music.

Stars

8 - Stars

Watch Amy Millan and Torquil Campbell transform three of Stars' songs into spare, pretty folk music.

Ivan And Alyosha

9 - Ivan And Alyosha

The band showcases its Beatles-esque pop harmonies and sweet melodies from the NPR Music offices.

Esperanza Spalding

10 - Esperanza Spalding

The jazz bassist, singer and Best New Artist Grammy winner performs in the NPR Music offices.

Turtle Island Quartet

11 - Turtle Island Quartet

With an eclectic palette of sounds and styles, the Turtle Island Quartet swings at NPR Music.

Adele

12 - Adele

In a three-song set at the NPR Music offices, the U.K. pop star showcases her brilliant voice.

Local Natives

13 - Local Natives

The L.A. band brings its euphoric choruses and clattering Afrobeat rhythms to the NPR Music offices.

Damien Jurado

14 - Damien Jurado

Hear Jurado's raw, time-worn, authentically graceful music, performed in the NPR Music office.

Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys

15 - Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys

Watch the Grammy-nominated Cajun band play an upbeat yet bittersweet set from the NPR Music offices.

Lizz Wright

16 - Lizz Wright

In this two-song set at the NPR Music offices, Wright channels the gospel and soul of her past.

Nellie McKay

17 - Nellie McKay

McKay's bold, audacious personality shines in this set recorded at the NPR Music offices.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

18 - Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars

Hear the Refugee All Stars' upbeat reggae grooves, performed live at the NPR Music offices.

Josh Ritter

19 - Josh Ritter

Ritter can't hide his enjoyment of a performance, even when his songs convey obsession or disaster.

Otis Taylor

20 - Otis Taylor

Watch the banjo player perform his trademark trance-inducing blues at the NPR Music offices.

Mount Kimbie

21 - Mount Kimbie

Watch the dubstep duo perform our first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR offices.

Pokey LaFarge

22 - Pokey LaFarge

Watch LaFarge play '20s- and '30s-inspired music with the help of his band, The South City Three.

Steve Earle

23 - Steve Earle

A singer, author, actor and activist, Earle showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.

Wu Man

24 - Wu Man

Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland.

Booker T. Jones

25 - Booker T. Jones

Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. Watch him play one in the NPR Music offices.

Julieta Venegas

26 - Julieta Venegas

After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still defying expectations.

Neil Innes

27 - Neil Innes

Watch the Rutles alumnus play three of his classic satirical songs in the NPR Music offices.

Future Islands

28 - Future Islands

Watch the band's short but intense and cathartic set, performed live in the NPR Music offices.

Low

29 - Low

Singers Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker perform three songs from their gorgeous new album, C'mon.

Jackie Evancho

30 - Jackie Evancho

Watch the 11-year-old perform Handel's "Ombra mai fu" at the NPR Music offices.

The Kopecky Family Band

31 - The Kopecky Family Band

The Tennessee band's sweet, swollen folk-rock songs keep blooming into something irresistible.

The Black Angels

32 - The Black Angels

Hear a bold and surprising mix of sensibilities — at once icy and rustic, cavernous and confined.

Chris Thile And Michael Daves

33 - Chris Thile And Michael Daves

Watch Thile and Daves play traditional bluegrass with New York intensity at the NPR Music offices.

Charlie Siem

34 - Charlie Siem

Watch the stylish young violinist pull out a bag of tricks in music by Paganini.

The Decemberists

35 - The Decemberists

With Chris Funk and Sara Watkins, Colin Meloy plays three sparkling songs from The King Is Dead.

YACHT

36 - YACHT

Watch the electro-pop band's striking and infectious performance at the NPR Music offices.

The Civil Wars

37 - The Civil Wars

Watch Joy Williams and John Paul White's swooning chemistry and stirring harmonies at NPR Music.

Milos

38 - Milos

Watch the newcomer from Montenegro play Spanish standards and a passionate ode to his homeland.

The Blind Boys Of Alabama

39 - The Blind Boys Of Alabama

Hear the gospel greats' mix of polished blues, swinging soul and from-the-gut expressions of faith.

Julian Lage Trio

40 - Julian Lage Trio

The guitarist, 23, was once called a prodigy. But he's maturing into a distinctive bandleader, too.

Ben Sollee

41 - Ben Sollee

The genre-bending cellist and songwriter has created a unique take on folk music.

Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock

42 - Joe Boyd And Robyn Hitchcock

Boyd reads from White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, while Hitchcock plays songs from the era.

Y La Bamba

43 - Y La Bamba

Watch Luzelena Mendoza and Y La Bamba craft joyfully rich vocal harmonies in the NPR Music offices.

Givers

44 - Givers

At the NPR offices, the band plays a sunny, exuberant set, suitable for dancing and bobbing along.

They Might Be Giants

45 - They Might Be Giants

Watch the band perform two of its brand-new songs, as well as "Fingertips," a classic 1992 chestnut.

Amanda Shires

46 - Amanda Shires

The singer plays a charming set featuring songs from Carrying Lightning at the Tiny Desk.

Noah And The Whale

47 - Noah And The Whale

The London band plugs in its drum machine, but sweet simplicity still reigns in the NPR offices.

Paul Jacobs

48 - Paul Jacobs

Watch the miraculous hands (and feet) of the Grammy-winning organist in an all-Bach performance.

Gaby Moreno

49 - Gaby Moreno

Watch the Guatemalan singer's breathtaking and passionate set at the NPR Music offices.

Other Lives

50 - Other Lives

The Oklahoma band brings its spacious minor-key hymns to the NPR Music offices.

James Vincent McMorrow

51 - James Vincent McMorrow

The Irishman has one of the most arresting voices of any young singer you're likely to hear.

CALLmeKAT

52 - CALLmeKAT

Watch the synth-pop musician perform a hauntingly beautiful set at the NPR Music offices.

Phosphorescent

53 - Phosphorescent

Watch Matthew Houck play a stirring, road-ragged solo Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices.

King Creosote And Jon Hopkins

54 - King Creosote And Jon Hopkins

Diamond Mine's unassuming creators lose little of their charm and mystique in the NPR Music office.

Foster The People

55 - Foster The People

Armed with the summer song of 2011, the band brings "Pumped Up Kicks" and more to NPR Music.

Diego Garcia

56 - Diego Garcia

Watch the former Elefant frontman perform songs from his album Laura at the NPR Music offices.

Sean Rowe

57 - Sean Rowe

Rowe brings his booming voice and ever-louder acoustic-guitar set-ups to the NPR Music offices.

Jeremy Messersmith

58 - Jeremy Messersmith

The Twin Cities singer is a pop genius, with creative ambition to match his considerable charm.

Beirut

59 - Beirut

Beirut performs worldly, inspired songs from its new album The Rip Tide at the NPR Music offices.

Jenny Lin

60 - Jenny Lin

The pianist usually plays eight-foot Steinways. See what she does on an electronic keyboard.

The Klezmatics

61 - The Klezmatics

Ring in Rosh Hashanah with three globe-trotting tunes from one of the world's greatest Jewish bands.

Trombone Shorty

62 - Trombone Shorty

The New Orleans native achieved stardom with his voice and his horn. But he just wants you to dance.

Mates Of State

63 - Mates Of State

The band's performance in the NPR Music offices creates a vibe of ragged, awkward intimacy.

Fountains Of Wayne

64 - Fountains Of Wayne

These songs showcase a band with tremendous narrative gifts and a flair for subtle beauty.

JEFF The Brotherhood

65 - JEFF The Brotherhood

Of course, the power-punk duo took off their shirts at the NPR Music offices, because why not?

Grouplove

66 - Grouplove

The upstart band brings youthful, infectious energy to the NPR Music offices.

Chris Bathgate

67 - Chris Bathgate

The Michigan native's deliberately paced music is too rustic and pretty to be a true downer.

Wilco

68 - Wilco

Armed with tiny amps and a ton of grace, Wilco plays new songs and an old favorite at the Tiny Desk.

Hilary Hahn

69 - Hilary Hahn

The classical violinist blends Bach and Charles Ives with flair, then tops it off with a fedora.

Ben Williams And Sound Effect

70 - Ben Williams And Sound Effect

The jazz star and his band perform two songs from their album State of Art at the NPR Music offices.

Lisa Hannigan

71 - Lisa Hannigan

Exuding both musical and personal warmth, the Irish singer mesmerized at the NPR Music offices.

Juanes

72 - Juanes

Watch the charismatic Colombian superstar give an intimate performance at the NPR Music offices.

Jens Lekman

73 - Jens Lekman

The Swedish singer shows off his humor and charm in this intimate set at the NPR Music offices.

Marketa Irglova

74 - Marketa Irglova

At the NPR Music offices, Irglova mixes the exotic and the familiar; sweetness and longing.

Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan

75 - Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile And Stuart Duncan

The genre-bending cellist heads a dream team of string players who borrow from bluegrass.

Joe Henry

76 - Joe Henry

Asking the fearless, easygoing singer to perform in a crowded office never felt like an imposition.

Hospital Ships

77 - Hospital Ships

Hospital Ships' beautiful, crushing songs pack an emotional punch in this performance at NPR Music.

Gabriel Kahane

78 - Gabriel Kahane

Hear the agile musician's rigorously crafted songs, which fall somewhere between classical and pop.

tUnE-yArDs

79 - tUnE-yArDs

tUnE-yArDs sings of rage and inequality, but also celebrates the joy of letting out a wild sound.

I Wayne

80 - I Wayne

As the cameras rolled, the reggae star came to life, showcasing his smooth voice and vibrant energy.

Gem Club

81 - Gem Club

Maybe you couldn't hear a pin drop when Gem Club played, but you could hear the click of a keyboard.

The Music Tapes

82 - The Music Tapes

The Elephant 6 alum plays a holiday set compete with bowed banjos, singing saws and tape machines.

Maria Volonte

83 - Maria Volonte

The Argentine singer blends tango, Latin blues and the traditional music of Brazil and Peru.