Tiny Desk Concerts - Video

Future Islands' members showed up with the biggest amp we've ever squeezed behind the Tiny Desk. Then, because they're such nice guys, they tried to keep it down. Still, their cathartic set managed to keep the intensity up, and even get a handful of people dancing in the NPR Music offices.

Neil Innes may play and sing, but you come for his wit, not his guitar chops. As a member of Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Bonzo dog Doo-Dah Band, and The Rutles, Innes' humorous music is packed with jokes and laugh-out-loud satire. Watch him play three classics from the NPR Music offices.

It's hard to believe that Venegas released her first album more than 10 years ago. After six albums, including last year's Otra Cosa, Venegas is still maturing as a performer and songwriter, while still defying expectations. Watch her perform three memorable songs from the NPR Music offices.

Jones' name is synonymous with the Hammond B3 organ. At 17, he recorded the instrument's anthem, "Green Onions," with his band Booker T and The MG's. Watch him play the song all alone in the NPR Music offices — and with such joy, you'd swear he just discovered it.

Watch the world's reigning pipa virtuoso play ancient music from her Chinese homeland in the NPR Music offices. When her fingers start to fly, Wu Man can create scenes of cinematic grandeur or serene, moonlit moments.

Earle has lived through the sort of horrors that have launched a million country songs: addiction, affliction, heartbreak, even prison. He wears them in his voice, but what's most appealing about him is the wide-eyed, unmistakable fearlessness with which he goes about his life these days. The singer, author, actor and activist showcases many of his talents at the NPR Music offices.

LaFarge writes and performs original, sometimes traditional music steeped in American blues, country and Western swing from the days when 78s ruled the record player. Watch him perform a short set at the NPR Music offices, with the help of his band The South City Three.

In the few years that Mount Kimbie has been creating music, the London-based dubstep duo has crossed over to find fans in the U.S. Venturing into the pair's groundbreaking yet accessible soundscapes in this first-ever electronic Tiny Desk Concert, it's easy to see why.

Banjo-playing bluesman Otis Taylor plays trance-inducing music that's often built around a single chord — an approach that allows his songs to go on for as long as 10 or even 15 minutes. Watch Taylor perform his songs.

Josh Ritter carries himself with the bearing of a folk-singing mayor: gregarious, charming, down-to-earth and impeccably dressed. But there's not an ounce of insincerity about him, or else he'd have found a way to sing the apocalyptic ballad "The Temptation of Adam" without letting all those wry smiles slip through. Watch Ritter perform a Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR Music offices. Set List: The Temptation Of Adam Lark Rattling Locks Kathleen

Not every Tiny Desk Concert is tailor-made for Friday. When you're mere hours from the weekend, you want something lively to get the blood pumping. So when Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars rolled through on a Friday afternoon, the group fit the bill perfectly.

You wouldn't think to call someone audacious who once devoted an entire album to Doris Day songs, but Nellie McKay is. Her bold personality shines through in every project she tackles, including this short set recorded at the NPR Music offices.

The Belgian girls choir led by Stijn and Steven Kolacny brought their 22-person ensemble to our intimate setting at the Driskill Hotel in Austin for this gorgeous rendition of their song "Seashell."

It was hard to imagine how Austra, a clubby electronic outfit from Toronto, would sound early in the day in an intimate environment. But Katie Stelmanis and her two vocalists kindly obliged, singing a cappella to back a laptop piped to modest speakers. The result was a powerful showcase of Stelmanis' soaring voice. Watch the trio perform "The Choke" at The Driskill Hotel during SXSW 2011 in Austin, Texas.

Sea Of Bees, the musical project of Julie Ann Bee, stopped by NPR Music's room at The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, during SXSW 2011. With her backing band in tow, she blasted a little beauty for us — and now you. Watch the band perform a stripped-down and woozy rendition of "Gnomes," from her album Songs for the Ravens.