Every year, NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest brings musicians out of their shells, dive bars and basement studios and into the light to share their original works with the world. It’s an opportunity to discover acts of all experience levels, from every corner of the country — and right here in Iowa as well.
This year’s crop of Iowa entries spanned classical, jazz, rock, folk, alternative, hip-hop, R&B and more. From well-known commodities such as Weary Ramblers and River Glen to artists just beginning their journeys, here are the Iowa standouts from this year’s contest.
Derry & the Dirty Dishes — “Goo Goo Ga Ga”
Derry & the Dirty Dishes is a kid-friendly family band, led by Des Moines musician Derek Lambert, who preaches positivity and encouragement. Like Koo Koo Kangaroo, the band is a recurring favorite at Hinterland Music Festival's children’s zone.
Inside an elementary school classroom, 13 bandmembers jump, dance and perform their song, “Goo Goo Ga Ga,” all dressed in confettied coveralls. It’s the closest to the “Linus and Lucy” scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas you’ll find in real life.
In another non-Tiny Desk submission from the same classroom session, the band is joined by 13 MORE smaller bodies for the track “Keep On Drawing.”
ghostwives — “American Dream”
In terms of songwriting, this entry takes the cake.
Under a painting of Jesus of Nazareth, Maz Louise, AKA ghostwives, delivers a mournful lament on modern life. The Des Moines alternative folk artist’s lyrics cut deep. Their vocals pang with sadness: “I used to be pretty, but I was crawling in my skin / I don’t covet being wanted, being young or being thin.”
If Dolores O’Riordan’s controlled wavering is your favorite part of “Linger” by The Cranberries, ghostwives may just be the artist of your “Dreams.”
the theys and the thems — “un pinche Saturday”
The theys and the thems are an alt rock/dream pop fivesome whose genre fluidity is half the fun. Like local contemporaries Bootcamp and KL!NG, the theys and the thems represents a talented and fast-rising crop of queer, hard(er)core Midwest acts that call Iowa home.
Fans of Milky Chance, Cuco and especially Divino Niño will, like me, fall in love with the Des Moines band’s musical curiosity, knack for earworms and fun-loving vibe. I cherish the few singles they’ve put out thus far, like “too long” and “your type,” as well as their entire 7-song Bamboozled! EP — all of which were released in 2025. The band’s bid for a Tiny Desk concert of their own gave us our first taste of new the theys and the thems music in 2026. In their entry, they debuted their unreleased Spanglish rocker, “un pinche Saturday,” which is on their upcoming debut album.
This entry took home gold in the key categories of Catchiest Song, Best New Band and Recording Session I'd Most Like To Have Been In The Room For. Come for the DIY filmmaking/edits, stay for the music and return to YouTube to quench that unshakable the theys and the thems thirst.
Mary Jane Knight — “Exhale of Peace”
This is a gorgeous song and an intimate, sun-kissed video from Iowa City singer-songwriter, pianist and music educator Mary Jane Knight. According to Knight, lyrics for “Exhale of Peace” were written during a trip to Ireland, where the artist sat by the brim of a well as she “wrestled with the pain, struggle, hope, and beauty in [her] life.”
Jasper Tide — “Poltergeist”
Spooky! Jazzy! And featuring some familiar Halloween-time riffs!
Just one locked-in bassist, a careful drummer, a keyboard player who’s feelin’ himself and a sassy tenor saxophone player were, evidently, all it took for me to enjoy a nearly 10-minute jazz odyssey. Perhaps our longest entry, “Poltergeist” doesn’t take long to suck you in. At the 1:35 mark, the beat drops and the Ankeny band’s funky instincts come to the fore.
Weary Ramblers — “Fiddle Without a Bow”
You know em, you love em! The award-winning central Iowa duo of Chad Elliott and Kathryn Severing Fox, better known as Weary Ramblers, have established themselves far beyond the borders of the Hawkeye state. Earlier this year, the pair won first place in the solo/duo category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
Here, Fox and Elliott fiddle and pluck (respectively) their way through a new, unreleased track, “Fiddle Without a Bow,” in a stripped-out building with exposed brick and high ceilings.
Hambone & The Maple Babies — “Strawberry Point”
I’ve never gotten to see Hambone & The Maple Babies in action before, so their submission was high priority for me.
Despite what their name may suggest, Hambone & The Maple Babies is not a traditional folk, bluegrass or jug band. The Iowa City three-piece describe their sound as “Genre Flexible Breakfast Rock” in their IG bio, where they also promise "savory licks and sweet riffs." Both are accurate, but neither do justice to the band’s tight chemistry, rock ability or lead Michael Hamlett’s captivating vocals.
Their new EP, Hootenanny, came out Mar. 23, 2026.
The Textures — “Do-Right”
The Textures’ 2026 Tiny Desk submission is so fun it should carry a FOMO warning label.
Alternating Currents in the Quad Cities is a sprawling, multi-venue showcase of regional music and is one of the state’s largest summertime platforms for Iowa artists. However the festival is so dense in programming that a good band or two always slip through. Last year, The Textures, a Davenport-based soul pop project, was my big miss.
The band's performance of “Do-Right,” led by powerhouse vocalist Kelsey Kays, gets the blood pumping. Like other successful big Iowa bands, such as Diplomats of Solid Sound, Avey-Grouws Band and The Swampland Jewels, The Textures puts on a show designed to get audiences on their feet.
The Carousel — "Under My Skin"
A rock band with a violin. Need I say more?
Check out The Carousel, a rising Des Moines rock band, and their orchestral, emo-tinged unreleased track, "Under My Skin."
