Melissa Rooney Writing

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Theme Song(s) Today: Jason Isbell and Amanda Shire’s Tiny Desk Concert

Click on the YouTube link below to listen to Jason Isbell’s Tiny Desk concert. You’ll be glad you did, even if you aren’t a fan of bluegrassy music. The man is a poet.

I love NPR tiny desk concerts. If you haven’t Youtubed “tiny desk” and the name of your favorite musical artist, you are doing yourself a disservice. Mac Miller’s tiny desk concert with Thundercat is apparently the most viewed NPR Tiny Desk concert, which isn’t surprising - it’s AWESOME. And the first Sylvan Esso tiny desk is probably my all time favorite (but I’m kinda biased where Sylvan Esso is concerned. But this Jason Isbell tiny desk concert gives them both a run for their money, albeit in a totally different genre (though Sylvan Esso’s (and Durham’s own) Amelia Meath *was* in Mountain Man).

I was introduced to Jason Isbell when one of my husband’s best buds had an extra ticket to see Jason Isbell in Durham and asked him to go. After the concert, my husband played me the second song in this tiny desk series and told me it made him think of us. He had me sit and listen to the whole song, which made me cry. Jason’s wife, Amanda Shires, isn’t always on the tour with him, now that she’s a mom, which makes this tiny desk concert all the more special. Amanda’s modestly confident harmony and chemistry with Jason are delightful to see and hear.