Tank and the Bangas Win!

This week on the My Spilt Milk Podcast, Alex Rawls talks to Tank about the NPR Tiny Desk Contest and Concert experience.

Late last February, NPR announced that Tank and the Bangas beat more than 6,000 other artists and won its Tiny Desk Contest. The win meant that not only would the band play NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, but it will also play a series of shows around the country presented by NPR's "All Songs Considered" and get the exposure that comes with the win. Judges in the contest included a number of NPR radio personalities from around the country as well as musicians Trey Anastasio, Miguel, Anthony Hamilton, Ben Hopkins of PWR BTTM, and BANKS.

NPR's Bob Boilen wrote of the band: 

This band combines R&B with hip-hop's poetry and rollercoaster storytelling, with a flair and alchemy that could only come from New Orleans. Their winning song, "Quick," mixes liquor and revenge — a sort of modern day take on a great folk tale, but peppered with their own idiosyncratic flair and humor. What I couldn't see, until they took over my desk, was the depth of their lyricism and the versatility of their players. At one moment fun-filled funk, the next laid-back jazz, rhythm-driven blues — and it all flows seamlessly. And it's fun to watch: There's a magic kinship between Tarriona "Tank" Ball and Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph as they share singing roles, like two best friends finishing one another's sentences.

Recently, I caught up to Tank early one morning while she was on tour to talk about the experience. Tonight they'll close the French Quarter Festival's Tropical Isle Hand Grenade Stage at 7:20 p.m. in Woldenberg Park.

In this week's show, I also talk about Harry Belafonte's When Colors Come Together. There's a corresponding video below.