He pretty much wakes up like this.
That’s @nprmusic‘s Lars Gotrich aka @totalvibration. He says he broke his legendary buffalo mug and his Restorations mug, and he’s hoping this @bloodandinkrecords tankard is a little sturdier. (You can get one here.)
Our own Lars was featured on Mugs of NPR! ☕
Listen To Tank And The Bangas On NPR’s Ask Me Another
On the first night of our Tiny Desk Contest tour, Tank and the Bangas appeared at the Bell House in Brooklyn, N.Y. for a live taping of NPR’s Ask Me Another. You can listen to them play a short set — and compete to see whether Tank knows Disney songs better than Albert does.
Image credit: Mike Katzif/NPR
Start your holiday weekend with Tank and the Bangas!
10 More Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Loved
When we announce the winner of our Tiny Desk Contest, it’s always a momentous day. Tank and the Bangas won this year’s Contest, and we’ve been thrilled with the response that the band’s received. We know Tank and her bandmates are going to keep doing great things.
But the Contest isn’t just one long push to the day we announce the winner. And it’s about more than just that one winner. It is about everyone — our winner included — coming together to share that most precious part of themselves: their music. It’s about a community of artists lifting one another up. It is, and has always been, about the undiscovered musicians in this country and the dreams that sustain them.
In that spirit, we’ve featured 10 more of the many incredible acts we saw in this year’s Contest over on All Songs Considered. Find a new musician to fall in love with, and spread the word about them.
After Leaving Justin Timberlake’s Label, A Garage-Soul Singer Forges Her Own Path
Orlando, Fla. Tiny Desk Contest entrant The Sh-Booms was featured this weekend on Weekend Edition Saturday. Here’s an excerpt of lead singer Brenda Radney on her entry and her music career:
“We submitted because I have known about Tiny Desk forever. I knew all about this Contest. I didn’t write the song — Al wrote the song because he’s the writing genius of the band. And we had a photo shoot and Al was like, 'Hey we should try to submit because I think they’re closing the submissions tomorrow.’ … everybody had their gear, and we just made it happen.
“The song is called ‘Audible,’ and the context of the song is speaking to a significant other or an ex-lover and basically telling them that, 'Hey, you’re making my life really difficult and I’m kinda pumping the breaks on this.’ It’s everybody’s favorite song, it’s the last song that we usually sing and play when we’re performing …
“I go back and forth between ‘I want to do this as a career,’ versus ‘I do this for fun.’ I think when I had the deal [with Justin Timberlake’s label], it became not fun, and that bothered me. Now, I do this for fun, even though I am broke, it doesn’t matter. But at the same time, I do sort of wish that I could make this a full-time thing …
“But as it stands right now, Brenda and The Sh-Booms are a thing. We’re gonna ride this puppy until the legs fall off.”
In the past year, the band has opened for The B-52s and The Roots. Hear the interview and listen to their music.
We stayed up late, damaged our ear sockets and camped out in the front to bring you the very best of SXSW
– in photos: See our favorite snapshots of Diet Cig, Lizzo, Moor Mother, Sleigh Bells, S U R V I V E, Anna Meredith, Weezer, The Revolution’s Prince tribute — even Garth Brooks
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from Adam Kissick and our own Bob Boilen.
Alt.Latino Showcases 13 Latin Entries To The Tiny Desk Contest
Yesterday, a big snowstorm kept many of NPR’s East Coast-based employees home for the day. Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras weathered the storm in the best way I can imagine — by making Korean stir-fry and recording a podcast about some of his favorite Latin Tiny Desk Contest entries. Check out the video for one of his picks, MaJo, above, then click through to see the 12 other amazing musicians he’s spotlighted!
– Ben
Watch Tank And The Bangas’ Tiny Desk Concert Now!
“Out of over 6,000 entries — more submissions than we’ve ever received — Tank And The Bangas won, unanimously, this year’s Tiny Desk Contest. I fully expected their victory performance here at NPR headquarters in D.C. to be celebratory. I didn’t know we’d all end up in tears.”
– Bob Boilen
There was not a dry eye to be found at NPR HQ when Tank and the Bangas performed at the Tiny Desk. This is one you don’t want to miss.
Introducing The Winner Of The 2017 Tiny Desk Contest
We watched more than 6,000 videos. 10 judges weighed in. Now, the 2017 Tiny Desk Contest has a winner.
We are proud to have fallen in love with the sounds of New Orleans’ own Tank and the Bangas.
The decision was unanimous among our judges. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
— Anthony Hamilton: “WOW! She’s a beast and their music makes you feel good. … Tank and the Bangas are what Tiny Desk is all about.”
— Trey Anastasio of Phish: “Tank and the Bangas is like a psychedelic joy rap explosion. Like a female Sly Stone teleporting into 2017 and landing in New Orleans.”
— WFUV’s Rita Houston: “There is star power all over this.”
— Stas THEE Boss of KEXP: “Tank and the Bangas gave me life straight out of the gate.”
In this third year of the Tiny Desk Contest, we got more submissions than ever before. We saw submissions from every state in this country, and the variety of ages and instrumentations on display was thrilling to see. There may be only one “winner,” but truth be told, every one of these videos is a testament to the joy of making music. It’s a way to share what is often so personal, publicly. It’s about a community of friends and sharing your art with a world beyond your bedroom. So from all of us at the Tiny Desk, thank you to everyone who submitted. Thank you for all the chances you took putting yourself out there.
Our next step is to have Tank and the Bangas come and record a Tiny Desk concert here behind my desk at NPR in Washington, D.C. And after that, we’re hitting the road with Lagunitas Brewing Company on a national tour with Tank and the Bangas and local Contest entrants we loved. Stay tuned for dates and more information — we can’t wait to meet you in person.
There will be more opportunities for us to feature some of the amazing music you shared with us, and I already know I’ll be spending a good deal more time listening to so many of the artists who entered. But for now, I want to thank everyone who entered the Contest for inspiring our team every day. And to Tank and the Bangas: Congratulations. Our adventure together is just beginning.
From the Tiny Desk,
Bob
Out of 6,000 entries from all 50 states, one Tiny Desk Contest video won our judges over unanimously. Here is the winner of our 2017 Tiny Desk Contest!
Ahead of the release of his newest record, Ryan Adams sits down with NPR Music's Bob Boilen to consider his favorite love songs, including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Sonic Youth.