Carrtoons: Tiny Desk Concert
206,124
Published 2024-02-12
In the spirit of Kenny Beats, Zaytoven, and Nile Rodgers, Ben Carr, aka Carrtoons keeps the producer-led Tiny Desk tradition alive. Another tradition developed over the years is the first look each artist gets at the Desk when they first walk into the space. In some cases, it feels like a star meeting another star. But here, it's a musician who's made a name for himself composing for others, emerging as an artist in his own right. He walked straight to the Desk in attack mode.
I first heard of Carrtoons while I was locked in the house during the COVID-19 pandemic. I was scrolling on Instagram and found him playing his bass guitar to looped and chopped samples he cooked up. The Carrtoons rabbit hole led me to other producers who created similarly on social media. A few of my favorites including Kiefer, who plays keys for this set, got together for a special Tiny Desk (home) concert in 2021. The family vibes were in abundance for this performance. Carr's father Richard plays in the string section, and the vocal power trio of Haile Supreme, Joanna Teters and Julia Zivic are frequent collaborators. Carr graciously lent his spotlight to play highlights from his albums Saturday Night and Homegrown.
SET LIST
"Sparkle"
"Give It Up"
"Spaceships"
"Dial It Back"
"Be There For You"
MUSICIANS
Carrtoons: electric bass, vocals
Joanna Teters: vocals
Julia Zivic: vocals
Haile Supreme: vocals
Kiefer: keys
Diego Ramirez: drums
Nate Smith: drums
Richard Carr: violin
Sasha Ono: cello
Shaan Ramaprasad: violin, string arranger
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Valentina Rodriguez-Sanchez
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Estefania Mitre
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
#tinydesk #nprmusic #carrtoons
All Comments (21)
-
I … I just can’t fathom it … Every time I flip on Tiny Desk, it seems, there’s another group of magical musicians. Carrtoons … I had no idea … and I ❤it!
-
Come through Carrtoons! The Vocalists are 🔥🔥🔥
-
Wild that Kiefer is just here for this. Amazing.
-
40 years old and I’m still watching Carrtoons 😂 only this time I’m sipping coffee ☕️ 😊
-
Randomly clicked on and was like..”Wow..that Soccer Dad is cool with that bass..” and then I was like “Is that Kiefer!?”..then those two started singing and the violins and the beat and I blacked out and came to after and I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re driving. 💁🏾♂️
-
Kiefer needs his own Tiny Desk, but Carrtoons is an entire vibe. Such soulful vibes
-
Kiefer on keys, absolutely killing.
-
This is one of the best tiny desk concerts ever
-
Tried to keep Carrtoons to myself since i heard "Give it up" in 2021 but I guess the secret is out....Thank you Tiny Desk for showing this greatness.
-
love the groove, pianist's chording, vibe, etc. but as an older musician who played in (gulp) bars and restaurants with his two sons as they grew up, seeing a father 'n son in a hip ensemble just warms my heart.
-
Love that his dad is there
-
This soulful white man and his bass has me in TEARS!!! Bravo to all the amazing musicians in this performance….in my opinion, one of the most fluid, brilliantly executed Tiny Desks EVER🙌🏾🙌🏾
-
Geez. killer vocals
-
Had no idea what to expect, but whatever that was, the actual performance blew it out of this world. So soulful, transcendental.
-
Okay Tiny Desk! 👏🏽👏🏽 Thanks for putting on great content and for giving me new groups to follow! This is hot! 🔥🔥🔥
-
I absolutely like this multi talented artist Carrtoons and His Band, who I first discovered on Instagram. I can’t wait to see this group perform on their tour this year in Philly!
-
Just had a flashback to the 70s. So comforting.
-
First heard him when he opened for Mac Ayres. How spoiled was I? Incredible stuff
-
I love tiny desk because there's 0 chance I'd ever have heard of Carrtoons otherwise. And also that guy's dad seems really cool. Smooth...
-
TikTok brought me here… that vocalist in the back has the tones of a grandmother who has been through! I love it!
