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The punk-infused art band from Washington, D.C. brings a kinder, gentler and sparer version of the group's music to the Tiny Desk.

"The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on," she writes.

In a video for "Don't Live Up," the band finds that rock-star life isn't what it's cracked up to be.

Dinosaur Jr. helped define and shape indie and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early '90s. The reunited band is now back on the road after issuing re-mastered versions of their first three albums: Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me, and Bug.

Lil' Ed's energetic onstage antics — everything from flying leaps to toe-walking — have helped him build a fervent fan base among blues enthusiasts. The Chicago band started out playing in clubs and cafes while its members worked day jobs to make ends meet, but it didn't take long for word of mouth to make the group a career unto itself.

With quirky melodies and a uniquely clever songwriting style, Sparks has remained one of the most innovative art-pop bands of the past three decades. While never gaining much more than a cult following, Sparks' peculiar brand of pop smarts has influenced everything from '80s synth-pop to Queen.

Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Eric Burdon was the lead singer for two seminal acts: the British invasion band the Animals and the 70s funk group WAR. His distinctive growl is instantly recognizable on his new solo album, Soul of a Man.

For all its success, Death Cab for Cutie hasn't lost track of the accessible emotions that first attracted a devoted following. Ben Gibbard's vocals, always faintly familiar in a boy-next-door way, observe love and life with a resigned delicacy, and the band's songs are poetic and yearning but never over-the-top. Hear the band perform a session on World Cafe.

Quirky and prolific, Ariel Pink just released a breakthrough album with his band, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. Before Today features the songwriter's quirky, lo-fi sound in its most accessible forms.

That's some key advice from Grammy-winning jazz bassist, composer and bandleader Christian McBride.