Carrtoons: Tiny Desk Concert

Bobby Carter | February 12, 2024
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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