Thousands of musicians from across the country have been waiting to see whether they’ll get to perform on one of the biggest stages in music media today.
This week, NPR announced the winner of the annual Tiny Desk Contest, which provides an unsigned artist with the opportunity to record one of the namesake shows — and get all the exposure that comes with it.
Ruby Ibarra was chosen as this year's winner for her performance of the song "Bakunawa."
Nearly 40 artists from Vermont submitted entries this year, and we’ve chosen a few to share with you.
We’ll hear more from pop band Fawn and five-piece Americana band The Wormdogs.
Fawn
Who: Pearl Stuart (vocals, songwriting), Matthew Linkkila (drums, background vocals, production), Brady Jalili (bass), Maddie Winklosky (guitar), Tyler Lam (keys)
What: A pop band that grew out of the University of Vermont and Burlington music scenes. (They placed second in UVM's Battle of the Bands.) Several band members studied music tech and business at UVM, as well.
Fun Fact: While filming in a cramped bedroom, keyboardist Tyler Lam is facing away from the camera. Band members propped up a mirror so Ty was visible in the video. (And look for an Easter egg in their Tiny Desk Contest video entry — a decorative mask on Tyler Lam's keyboard. It's the same mask featured in the YouTube video for their single, "Dogbone.")
The Wormdogs
Who: Braden Lalancette (upright bass), Danica Cunningham (fiddle), Eric Soszynski (guitar), Nick Ledak (guitar), Will Pearl (drums)
What: The Wormdogs is a five-piece Americana bluegrass-rock band that performed an original tune, "Bobo's Dream," for the Tiny Desk Contest.
Fun Fact: The Wormdogs call their tour van "Pup." They traveled in Pup to New Orleans in January for a month-long tour, hitting North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and other points in the South along the way.
Watch The Wormdog's entry to the Tiny Desk contest here.
