Anna & Elizabeth: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Anna & Elizabeth are almost single-handedly resurrecting the "crankie." If, like me, you didn't know what a "crankie" was, it's like a mural on a spool — each drawn and crafted to be hand-cranked and unfurled at the pace of a song. The effect, as experienced here in "Lella Todd Crankie," is breathtaking.

Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle are story-gatherers and storytellers. They came to NPR and brought many of us to tears with some of the most yearning harmonies I've heard at the Tiny Desk. These songs are given few embellishments — sometimes a fiddle is added to a single voice, sometimes a banjo or guitar chimes in — but always the power is in the sparseness. If you've never thought your tastes would lean to mountain music, take a deep breath and soak it all in.

Set List
"Long Time Traveling" 00:00
"Lella Todd Crankie" 01:30
"Goin Cross The Mountain" 08:18
"Little Black Train" 11:27

Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Brian Jarboe; Editor; Morgan Walker; Videographers: Maggie Starbard, Morgan McCloy; Production Assistants: Emily Jan, Annie Bartholomew;
photo by Emily Jan/NPR