Advertisement
Get Tickets: The ARTery's Massachusetts Favorite Of The Tiny Desk Concert With Frances Forever!
The internet exploded after Lizzo’s Tiny Desk performance for NPR Music two weeks ago… and just imagine: the next Lizzo could be from right here in Massachusetts. The ARTery, WBUR’s arts and culture team, gathered entries of all the local musicians who entered NPR Music’s 2019 Tiny Desk Contest. Out of 254 submissions, the panel of judges selected Frances Forever for her band’s disarming performance of the song “Space Girl.”
“Frances Forever’s video quickly stood out. In the end, our panelists agreed that ‘Space Girl’ had all the ingredients of a great song: an indelible melody, an original conceit, lyrics that hang together,” said Amelia Mason, music critic for The ARTery and a judge of the contest. “Her songs are reminiscent of the smart bedroom pop of peers like Sidney Gish and Clairo, cheerful-sounding ditties that belie more complicated emotions: sadness, longing, resentment.”
As the local favorite, Frances Forever will perform a special concert at WBUR CitySpace at the Lavine Broadcast Center on Friday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. One of The ARTery’s other favorite submissions this year — hip-hop artists All The Time Always — will open for Frances Forever at the show. The concert is co-presented by WERS 88.9FM with community support from Newbury Comics, DigBoston, KillerBoomBox and The Record Company.
Panelists for The ARTery’s favorite Tiny Desk Contest entry from Massachusetts included Mason, musicians Akrobatik and Mark Erelli, Allston Pudding editor-in-chief Christine Varriale and ARTery arts engagement producer Arielle Gray. Last year’s local favorite winner was Anjimile, a Boston-based singer-songwriter with an exquisite sound and a growing fanbase.
NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest debuted in 2014 and is a national competition offering unsigned artists a shot at performing on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk concert series. Of the thousands of eligible entries from the 2019 contest, 254 were from Massachusetts. Alaska-based musician Quinn Christopherson was the national Tiny Desk winner selected by a panel of judges at NPR Music.
About Frances Forever
Frances Forever is the musical project of Frances Garrett, a 20-year old student at Clark University whose family lives in Melrose. She has been performing as Frances Forever – a play on her first name and the song “Francis Forever” by Mitski – for less than a year. Frances Forever has self-released an EP called “Pockets” and two singles.
Read Garrett's profile written by our arts and culture reporter, Amelia Mason, here.
The ARTery's Mass. Favorite Of The Tiny Desk” Concert: Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. at CitySpace; $10 general admission or $5 for students.