BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Surrounded by books, a desk and a baseball cap shaped like Kermit the Frog, indie rock band We're From Antarctica belted out the lyrics to their new song "TV Dinner."
- Lehigh Valley musicians made videos in hopes of winning NPR's Tiny Desk contest
- The winners are expected to be announced in May
- The winner of the Tiny Desk contest gets to tell their story on 'All Things Considered' and headlines a tour with NPR Music
The group — consisting of Lehigh Valley musicians Jessie Rae, Carlos "Paco" Brown, Jon Blanco, Mackenzie Kressley and Christopher Rauch — filmed the video at Bethlehem Public Library's Studio 11. It's a recording space open to the public and equipped with professional microphones, mic stands, headphones and a studio monitor.
The group recorded the tune last month in hopes of winning NPR's Tiny Desk contest.
"The opportunity was there and we felt we should at least try to see what happens," Blanco, the band's lead guitarist, said.
"We've had a few people reach out to us because they saw the video on the website, so it's cool to see people receptive to it."
All songs considered
The winner of the Tiny Desk contest will get to tell its story on the NPR show "All Things Considered" and to headlines a tour with NPR Music.
Pennsylvania saw more than 500 entries to this year's version of the contest, which started in 2016.
Among the submissions, 14 were from residents of Bucks, Monroe, Northampton and Lehigh counties.
"The Valley has embraced us so much and been the most supportive community."Jon Blanco, guitarist for We're From Antarctica
According to NPR, previous winners have gone on to receive Grammy nominations, release popular studio albums and go on global tours.
To enter the contest, artists had to create a new video showing one original song. The song had to be performed at a desk and uploaded to YouTube by March 13.
The winner of the contest is expected to be announced in May.
We're From Antarctica, which formed about a decade ago in high school, has branched out into the Philadelphia and Baltimore scenes over the past few years.
Still, nothing beats performing at home.
"The Valley has embraced us so much and been the most supportive community," Blanco said.
"The way everyone wants to lift each other up; it's not competitive. We all want each other's shows to be the best."
We're from Antarctica will perform at Yergey's Brewing in Emmaus on May 13.
Exposing fans to new music
For her video submission, singer-songwriter Bren didn't have to search far when finding a spot to film.
The Lehigh Valley favorite, who describes her style as "unapologetic pop music," recorded the video to her single Happy Birthday" at ThreeBirds Coffee House in Easton, where she moonlights as a barista.
She said she entered the contest as a way to showcase new work.
"Happy Birthday" also is featured on her first album, "Too Late for Flowers," due in August.
"I've been wanting to enter the Tiny Desk contest for years," Bren said. "I had some really good friends who entered this year and I saw that I had a couple of days until the deadline.
"It was a very last-minute call. It was a song that I just put out and I thought it would be good for the song."Singer-songwriter Bren
"It was a very last-minute call. It was a song that I just put out and I thought it would be good for the song."
A Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts alum, Bren has performed for 10 years, including shows at Musikfest, National Sokols and the Icehouse.
Check her out free concert May 13 atPalette and Pour atArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.
