This week, we celebrate the Tiny Desk Contest community with concerts by some of our favorite entrants over the years.
Before I started working on the Tiny Desk Contest, I had already seen and fallen in love with Ollella. Back in her hometown, Seattle, I'd witnessed Ellie Barber's nostalgic indie folk fill a space with simply a cello and an upright bass. Barber often describes Ollella as more than a band but a "collaborative project across the city" — this iteration behind the Desk is a snapshot of a years-long project.
Barber's music is often playful, occasionally a little sad and always guided by strings. Ollella's set celebrates years of submitting to the Contest with "Lava," a song that explores where our childlike wonder goes as we get older. "At Rest" is a contemplation on stillness, which is punctuated by a sweeping solo from upright bassist Kelsey Mines.
When we looked back on the past decade and change of artists we've found through the Contest, we almost couldn't believe Ollella hadn't come by the Desk already. As Barber and her band played songs that we'd heard countless times during the Contest, it felt like a full circle moment — we couldn't help but sing along.
SET LIST
- "Mothers & Colors"
- "Lava"
- "Optimist"
- "At Rest"
MUSICIANS
- Ellie Barber: vocals, cello
- Abby Gundersen: violin, background vocals
- Kelsey Mines: bass
- Taylor Heath: keys, piano
- Jordan Cunningham: guitar
- Henry Allen: drums
- Kate Dinsmore: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producers: Elle Mannion, Bobby Carter
- Director/Editor: Maia Stern
- Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
- Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame
- Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
- Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda
- Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
- Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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