Sally Baby's Silver Dollars: Tiny Desk Concert

Sally Baby's Silver Dollars: Tiny Desk Concert with tags npr, npr music, national public radio, live, performance, tiny desk, tiny desk concert, tony desk, tiny concert

Bobby Carter | January 26, 2026

This week, we celebrate the Tiny Desk Contest community with concerts by some of our favorite entrants over the years.

We receive thousands of submissions for the Tiny Desk Contest. And every year, there's a clear winner, but there are also a handful of artists we just fall in love with. So, to kick off our very first Tiny Desk Contest takeover, please meet Sally Baby's Silver Dollars.

"I've Got No More Tears Left to Cry," the song the band submitted for our 2024 contest, nearly won the whole thing — it was a photo finish with The Philharmonik. Yet band bassist Zach Valentine told me that taking second place was a blessing in disguise: "We weren't ready then, but we're here now at the perfect time." Since then, lead singer Salvatore Geloso and the crew have traveled beyond their New Orleans home, playing festivals across the country, with new music on the horizon.

While not born in New Orleans, Geloso embodies the city's spirit through and through, and the life highlights and lowlights he writes about have been mostly experienced in the place he's called home for over 18 years. There are many familiar Louisiana sounds in the band's music. "Down in New Orleans" feels like Fat Tuesday on Bourbon Street, but they don't just lean on tradition. Sally Baby's Silver Dollars is inherently funky and timeless, which is why the band has quickly gone from busking and playing tiny dives to doing its thing behind the Tiny Desk.

SET LIST

"I've Got No More Tears Left to Cry"

"Devil's Shoe String"

"Gargoyle"

"Down in New Orleans"

MUSICIANS

Salvatore Geloso: vocals, guitar

Zach Valentine: bass

Steve DeTroy: piano

Trenton O'Neal: drums

Aurélien Barnes: percussion

Nathan Wolman: trumpet

James Beaumont: tenor sax

Oliver Tuttle: trombone

TINY DESK TEAM

Producers: Bobby Carter, Elle Mannion

Director/Editor: Kara Frame

Audio Engineer/Mix: Josephine Nyounai

Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern

Audio Director: Josh Newell

Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dhanika Pineda

Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

#nprmusic #tinydesk #sallybabyssilverdollars

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.