Great Grandpa: Tiny Desk Concert

Great Grandpa: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Lars Gotrich | January 7, 2026

Great Grandpa writes lullabies for the restless. The indie rock band eases you into its sonic twists and turns with dreamy allusions that reveal deeper meaning upon each listen, only to burst at the seams with doomy distortion. That thoughtful intensity remains intact at the Tiny Desk, just at a quieter volume.

Much has happened since Great Grandpa first began making grungy pop-punk out of Seattle a little over a decade ago, a truth perhaps best evidenced by the little kids who borrowed crayons during sound check and the baby napping sweetly nearby. (Let it be known that Tiny Desk is a family-friendly environment.) Another development: Co-vocalist Al Menne, as part of a gender transition, had to "reconfigure physically where I sing from in my body," which has presented challenges but also uncovered new spaces, he told NPR last year. Members are now spread across the United States and Denmark. Life moves on, but blooms.

These changes have allowed Great Grandpa to graduate from chunky power chords to beautifully intricate music that considers the mysteries of existence. If 2019's Four of Arrows stretched the sound, then 2025's Patience, Moonbeam is the sophisticated, kaleidoscopic response. Here, Great Grandpa performs material from both albums, with string and pedal steel arrangements that reflect its reshaping world.

SET LIST

"Sleep"

"Never Rest"

"Junior"

"English Garden"

"Digger"

MUSICIANS

Al Menne: vocals, bass

Pat Goodwin: vocals, guitar

Dylan Seawright: guitar, background vocals

Carrie Goodwin: piano

Cam LaFlam: drums

Nick Levine: pedal steel, background vocals

Jeremiah Moon: cello

Abby Gundersen: violin

TINY DESK TEAM

Producer: Lars Gotrich

Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant

Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell

Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern

Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai

Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Dora Levite

Photographer: Maansi Srivastava

Copy Editor: Daoud Tyler-Ameen

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #greatgrandpa

Support for NPR Music comes from Moises. A platform created by musicians, for musicians and used by 70 million artists worldwide – to learn, create, and collaborate. Available for download.