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Rico Nasty Delivers Full-Force Rager Rockstar Triumph At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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Rico Nasty Delivers Full-Force Rager Rockstar Triumph At Tiny Desk

Rico Nasty’s boundless artistry finally exploded at the actual Tiny Desk, four years after her electrifying home concert, delivering a full-force performance that showcases the rapper, rager, and rockstar in all her complexity. Performing for a packed house of Nasty Mob members, family, and hometown supporters, the DMV native told the crowd, “There is a connection that I have with you guys,” adding, “It just makes me feel very safe,” which clearly fueled her fierce set. Five years after her debut studio album ‘Nightmare Vacation’, Rico has fully evolved, and her latest project ‘LETHAL’ finds her completely confident in the unique lane she has built, expertly blending vulnerability and bold attitude. At the Desk, Rico let every facet of herself shine, transitioning seamlessly from explosive tracks like “SMOKE BREAK” to a smooth, reimagined version of “ON THE LOW,” and then showcasing the tender resonance of “SMILE,” a beautiful song dedicated to her son. Rico delivered a carefully curated show that highlights every corner of her musical identity while leaving an unforgettable mark on the iconic space.

SET LIST

  • “WHO WANT IT”
  • “TEETHSUCKER (YEA3X)”
  • “ON THE LOW”
  • “Tia Tamera”
  • “SON OF A GUN”
  • “SMOKE BREAK”
  • “Smack a Bitch”
  • “CRASH”
  • “CAN’T WIN EM ALL”
  • “SMILE”

Takács Quartet Celebrates 50 Years Of Sublime Chamber Music Mastery At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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Takács Quartet Celebrates 50 Years Of Sublime Chamber Music Mastery At Tiny Desk

Mapping out a massive 50th-anniversary tour that included dozens of stops in global cities like Seoul, London, Milan, and Vancouver, the esteemed Takács Quartet honored the Tiny Desk with a special Washington D.C. visit. Cellist András Fejér, the quartet’s sole original member, commands a goldmine of institutional memory, having co-founded the group in communist Hungary and guiding it through a defection to Boulder, Colorado, where the members still teach. This Tiny Desk set served as a brilliant microcosm of the band’s broad-minded programming creed, beginning in the 18th century with pioneer Joseph Haydn, whose false cadences brought humor as the themes were passed around like delicious canapés. They transitioned into a quirky waltz from ‘Flow: III. Quark Scherzo,’ a new piece written specifically for them by Nokuthula Ngwenyama, and finally performed a plucky, shimmering, and magical movement from Maurice Ravel’s 1903 String Quartet in F. As violinist Edward Dusinberre told the audience, “Somehow the medium inspires composers to express themselves in their most daring, imaginative and humorous ways,” and for five decades, the Takács Quartet has been the eloquent voice for those composers.

SET LIST

  • Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in D minor, Op. 42: IV. Finale
  • Nokuthula Ngwenyama: Flow: III. Quark Scherzo
  • Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F major: II. Assez vif – très rythmé

Gillian Welch And David Rawlings Return To Tiny Desk With Timeless Mystical Brilliance

Eric Alper
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Gillian Welch And David Rawlings Return To Tiny Desk With Timeless Mystical Brilliance

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings returned to the Tiny Desk fifteen years after their last visit, presenting their timeless music with the same core elements: two guitars, two voices, and thirty-plus years of stunning performance chemistry. Facing each other across the Desk, the duo immediately established an auditory illusion with the ballad “Empty Trainload of Sky,” where their guitars chugged and vocal harmonies swirled surrealistic imagery over a classic American musical canvas. The set included the track “Lawman,” a song whose themes of corrupt politics feel equally relevant whether set a century ago or yesterday, and “Hashtag,” a brilliant tribute to the late Guy Clark that manages to be both tragicomic and deeply existential. These songs, all from last year’s album ‘Woodland’, endure change with grace by leaning into small, intimate moments. Welch and Rawlings closed powerfully with “Revelator,” a mystic brew of personal history and apocalyptic prophecy from their significant 2001 leveling-up, letting their simmering harmonies bloom and wither before bursting through Rawlings’ reflective, ravaging guitar solos, ensuring the profound feeling reverberated long after the final chord faded.

SET LIST

  • “Empty Trainload of Sky”
  • “Lawman”
  • “Hashtag”
  • “Revelator”

Clipse Ends Sixteen-Year Hiatus With One Of The Hardest Tiny Desks Ever

Eric Alper
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Clipse Ends Sixteen-Year Hiatus With One Of The Hardest Tiny Desks Ever

After a sixteen-year hiatus, Clipse’s return to the Tiny Desk was meticulously pieced together, culminating in a performance the duo insisted must capture their signature sound: hard synths and even harder drums, with absolutely no “jazzy renditions” allowed. Hybrid drummer Daru Jones, who previously played with The LOX, was the crucial first choice, perfectly blending electronic and traditional drum sounds to provide the needed sonic authenticity that made everything else instantly fall into place. The excitement for the Thornton brothers’ return reached a peak as someone in the crowd instantly yelled “Oh my god!” at the opening note of “Virginia,” kicking off a relentless set that coasted through classics like “Keys Open Doors” and “Momma I’m So Sorry” from their celebrated album ‘Hell Hath No Fury’. Witnessing the dichotomy between Pusha T and Malice up close was fascinating; Malice was collected and intensely scanned the room while his brother was far more animated, even letting out a sinister laugh mid-set. Recorded weeks ago, the duo performed new tracks from their latest album ‘Let God Sort Em Out’ for the first time, including the chilling dedication to their deceased parents, “Birds Don’t Sing,” before delivering the moment everyone was waiting for in “Grindin’.”

SET LIST

  • “Virginia”
  • “Keys Open Doors”
  • “Momma I’m So Sorry”
  • “Chains & Whips”
  • “Birds Don’t Sing”
  • “Grindin'”

ANOHNI And The Johnsons Deliver Soul-Searching Emotional Potency At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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ANOHNI And The Johnsons Deliver Soul-Searching Emotional Potency At Tiny Desk

ANOHNI and the Johnsons brought the same passionate intellect from their soul-searching live shows to the Tiny Desk, delivering an emotionally potent and psychologically fissile set that underscores ANOHNI’s nearly 30-year career of immaculately built music. ANOHNI’s songs intentionally ask tough questions, such as the lament for the environment “Why Am I Alive Now,” which builds its heavenly groove with propulsive drumming and a plaintive clarinet before ending with the resonant line, “All our memories are sinking into un-living.” Yet, tracks like the subsequent “Hopelessness” manage to feel cathartic despite the difficult subject matter, thanks to its diaphanous arrangement that forces listeners to look inward with the question, “How did I become a virus?” The performance concluded with the soul-flavored “It Must Change,” building to a purifying, intoxicating shuffle that provides a necessary truth-to-power oratory, affirming ANOHNI as a provocative and much-needed artist who challenges us to confront our feelings and find a way to own them.

SET LIST

  • “Why Am I Alive Now?”
  • “Hopelessness”
  • “It Must Change”

Bloc Party Celebrates Two Decades Of Enduring Indie Rock Brilliance At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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Bloc Party Celebrates Two Decades Of Enduring Indie Rock Brilliance At Tiny Desk

Bloc Party members were clearly excited to pay a visit, with Kele Okereke enthusiastically exclaiming, “Come on, Tiny D!” about a minute into the English rock group’s superb Tiny Desk concert. Approaching the challenge with smiles and ease, the band delivered a carefully curated set that marked two decades since the release of their enduring debut album. The performance began with the super catchy and energetic pop anthem “Banquet” from ‘Silent Alarm’, instantly demonstrating their infectious energy. They continued with two fantastic songs from 2008’s ‘Intimacy’, first presenting the shimmery, glockenspiel-forward track “Signs,” and then launching into “Mercury,” which gave the audience a sneak peek at Okereke’s vocal effects rig hidden beneath the Desk. Bloc Party closed out the performance with “Blue,” a sweet and slower song from the band’s catalog, ending quietly yet powerfully as Okereke sang the intimate line, “I fall asleep on your sleeve / with those three words in my dreams.”

SET LIST

“Blue”

“Banquet”

“Signs”

“Mercury”

Rusowsky Reveals Raw Emotional Depth And Shines At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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Rusowsky Reveals Raw Emotional Depth And Shines At Tiny Desk

Spanish producer and pianist Rusowsky has spent his career making other artists shine, but with his debut album ‘DAISY’, he stepped into the spotlight, and his Tiny Desk performance reveals his soul in full, captivating force. While ‘DAISY’ is a beautifully orchestrated and intentional studio album full of fun synths and crashing sounds, it often keeps his voice partially hidden behind production effects. At the Desk, however, Rusowsky’s stunning and well-thought-out arrangements pushed his producer instincts to the backseat, allowing his most intimate tools—his voice and his piano—to take the lead. His guard is completely down, and the emotion his voice evokes is consistently breathtaking, quaking in some moments and richly shining in others. Rusowsky’s truth is completely on display here, and his sound has never felt more effervescent or profoundly raw.

SET LIST

  • “Johnny Glamour”
  • “SOPHIA”
  • “malibU”
  • “(ecco)”
  • “Dolores”

PUP Makes Existential Nihilism Sound Like The Happiest Party On Earth At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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PUP Makes Existential Nihilism Sound Like The Happiest Party On Earth At Tiny Desk

For anyone who thinks confronting world-weary discontent cannot be fun, the Canadian pop-punk powerhouse PUP is here to prove you wrong with their long-overdue and absolutely chaotic Tiny Desk debut. The band, whose albums carry titles like ‘Morbid Stuff’ and ‘The Dream is Over’, possesses a unique genius for pairing hard-earned wisdom and deadpan humor with songs about a miserable existence, making their anxiety sound utterly anthemic. PUP, which stands for Pathetic Use of Potential, tore through five songs, kicking things off with the restlessly hooky title track “Morbid Stuff,” followed by the self-referential “Robot Writes a Love Song” from 2022’s ‘The Unraveling of PUPTheBand’. They kept the energy high with “Hallways,” a driving track about struggling through life just to be around for your dog. Though frontman Stefan Babcock kept silent between songs, he beamed playfully while delivering lines like “I’ve been navigating my way through the mind-numbing reality of a godless existence,” before closing with the pop-leaning “Hunger for Death” from ‘Who Will Look After the Dogs?’ The set concluded perfectly when Babcock leaned in to declare, “F*** everyone in this office,” only to add with a smile, “especially me.”

SET LIST

  • “Morbid Stuff”
  • “Robot Writes a Love Song”
  • “Hallways”
  • “Kids”
  • “Hunger for Death”

Sasha Keable Delivers A Resilient Victory Lap At Tiny Desk

Eric Alper
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Sasha Keable Delivers A Resilient Victory Lap At Tiny Desk

Sasha Keable’s Tiny Desk performance is a powerful testament to resilience, marking a triumphant moment after numerous music industry setbacks that might have convinced others to walk away. Her journey to the Desk began years ago when her own father introduced her to the series after watching Tom Jones play. When 2019’s ‘MAN’ EP dropped, the raw music and Keable’s brash delivery coupled with effortless power immediately drew comparisons to the first time listeners heard Amy Winehouse. Though a scheduled performance was curbed by COVID-19, Keable’s profile skyrocketed last year with a string of singles that captivated audiences globally and even earned her a shout-out from Beyoncé in a GQ magazine interview. Flying over from South London, the British Colombian singer-songwriter enlisted the Slim Wav-led Band of Brothas to arrange a dynamic medley of bangers from her upcoming ‘act right’ EP, proving this victory lap is just the exciting beginning of her career.

SET LIST

“WHY”

“FEEL SOMETHING”

“Tai Chi”

“act right”

“can’t stop”

“Take Your Time”

“move it along”

“Hold Up”

Photo Gallery: Of Monsters And Men and Josie Edwards at Toronto’s History on December 5, 2025

Eric Alper
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Photo Gallery: Of Monsters And Men and Josie Edwards at Toronto’s History on December 5, 2025

All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.

Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters And Men
Josie Edwards
Josie Edwards
Josie Edwards

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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