Father Figures: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

In a small, packed Washington, D.C., living room late one December night, I heard a cacophony of horns, keys, drums and guitars that simply floored me. It was brash, zany, brainy, scary and danceable. At the end of a long year of amazing live music, this would turn out to be one of the most memorable concerts I'd seen.

I walked up to Adam Schatz, the man behind the saxophone and chief instigator in Father Figures, and told him his band needed to play the Tiny Desk. How this music would translate to the brightness of day — to say nothing of a busy office — was hard to anticipate. But from the moment the band squeaked its first squawk, it was clear that it would conjure up an adventure. These guys mix rock and jazz the way King Crimson did at its fiercest.

Father Figures formed at New York University in 2007 with Adam Schatz on sax and effects, Jas Walton on sax, Spencer Zahn on upright bass, Ian Chang on drums and Ross Edwards on keyboards. If they come to a club or living room near you, drop all plans and go. This video is just the beginning.

Set List

"Doomed To Fail"
"This Is The Way We Mean"
"Where Did You Come From?"

Credits

Producer: Bob Boilen; Editor: Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Gaby Demczuk, Gabriella Garcia-Pardo; photo by Elizabeth Chen/NPR