Front Row Our favorite new bands, from the best seat in the house.
Special Series

Front Row

Our favorite bands, from the best seat in the house

The Olivia Tremor Control live at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. Ryan Muir for NPR hide caption

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The Olivia Tremor Control In Concert

Bill Doss, singer of The Olivia Tremor Control and co-founder of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, died at age 43. In September 2011, NPR Music recorded this performance of the seminal psych-pop band.

Conor Oberst, a rock 'n' roll lifer at the age of 31, played a two-hour set with his band Bright Eyes at Auditorium Shores in Austin, Tex. Shantel Mitchell for NPR hide caption

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Bright Eyes, Live In Concert: SXSW 2011

On the new People's Key, Conor Oberst is no longer a prodigiously gifted kid; he's become an adventurous, fully formed folk-rock icon. Listen to Bright Eyes cap SXSW 2011 with a two-hour concert.

Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein (right) of WILD FLAG perform at The Parish in Austin, Texas. Shantel Mitchell for NPR hide caption

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Wild Flag, Live In Concert: SXSW 2011

True to its name, WILD FLAG — a brand new band made up of Carrie Brownstein, formerly of Sleater-Kinney, and members of Helium and The Menders — harness a wild power.

Raphael Saadiq performs live at Stubb's Bar-B-Q at SXSW 2011. Katie Hayes Luke/Katie Hayes Luke hide caption

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Raphael Saadiq

He's been a member of Tony! Toni! Tone! and a hitmaking producer, but in his solo career, Raphael Saadiq has proven himself as an old-school soul throwback.

Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs performs at The Parish in Austin, Texas. Shantell Mitchell for NPR hide caption

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tUnE-yArDs, Live At SXSW

On stage, tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus performs with a microphone, some drums, a ukulele and a loop pedal. She's got a stunning instinct for harnessing limited resources to maximum effect.

Khaira Arby performs at The Parish in Austin, Texas. Shantel Mitchell for NPR hide caption

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Khaira Arby

The queen of Malian desert rock, Khaira Arby has the chops to overwhelm her incredible band, who create a hypnotic backdrop for her gloriously swooping vocals.

Joy-Formidable performs live at the Parish in Austin, Texas. Shantel Mitchell/Flickr hide caption

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The Joy Formidable

A Welsh pop trio based in London, The Joy Formidable plays spiky, bouncy rock that benefits immeasurably from the charisma of frontwoman Ritzy Bryan.