All Songs +1: Glen Hansard Plays Our Sweet 16 Celebration : All Songs ConsideredThe Irish singer's band The Frames was one of the very first acts ever played on All Songs Considered, and he brought the house down at the show's Sweet 16 bash at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
The All Songs Considered Sweet 16 party, at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., ended with a group photo that featured the NPR Music team, a birthday cake and a balloon drop.
All Songs Considered hosts Robin Hilton (left) and Bob Boilen (right), welcome singer Glen Hansard as the first surprise performer for the All Songs Sweet 16 birthday.
Singer Sharon Van Etten was one of two artists billed for the night. The other was Dan Deacon. But her solo performance was no less surprising, and included a brand new song she'd never played live before.
Sharon Van Etten is one of our all-time favorite discoveries. Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio shared her music with us during a guest DJ session in 2009.
One of our favorite discoveries from the 2012 South by Southwest festival, Kishi Bashi signaled a new way of making music, with multiple layers of musical loops recorded on the fly.
All Songs host Bob Boilen joined Dan Deacon for the final song of the night. Bob played a reproduction of the Arp Odyssey synthesizer he used to play in Tiny Desk Unit, a band from the early '80s.
On Wednesday night, All Songs Considered threw a Sweet 16 party for the ages, full of performances by some of our favorite musicians from the show's history. We're still recovering, but we couldn't let the week end without sharing at least one highlight, so here's a video of the brilliant Glen Hansard singing the heck out of "When Your Mind's Made Up," a song from the Once soundtrack. Bob Boilen and I are in there too, talking about — and showing video from — the very first episode of All Songs.
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We'll post more highlights from the Sweet 16 party in the coming days, including appearances by Dan Deacon, Kishi Bashi, Laura Gibson, The Suffers and Sharon Van Etten. Thanks to all the performers and fans who helped make it an unforgettable, joyful celebration.