Bob Mould: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Mould came alone, except for his 1987 Lake Placid Blue Fender Stratocaster. We provided the Epiphone Blues Custom 30 amp, which he promptly cranked. Needless to say, he announced his own Tiny Desk Concert without using the paging system.Mould isn't a shy man — his power chords will tell you that — but he's humble and gentle. Many know Mould from his days with Hüsker Dü, an awesome punkish band from Minnesota that laid the groundwork for the Pixies and more. His subsequent work with Sugar managed to do something none of his other records did so well: Copper Blue sold hundreds of thousands of copies.Beauty and Ruin is solo album No. 11 for Mould, and as you can hear from these songs, he's all amped up and ready to go. Sweaty and happy, he makes "Makes No Sense At All" his final calling card — classic Hüsker Dü. --BOB BOILEN

Set List:
"The War"
"I Don't Know You Anymore"
"Hey Mr. Grey"
"Makes No Sense At All"

Credits:
Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Colin Marshall; Production Assistant: Sarah Tilotta; photo by Sarah Tilotta/NPR