Credit: Photo: Estefania Mitre

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

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Tags: Genre: R&B/Soul  Carrtoons  Series: Tiny Desk