Sit with your thoughts - Live at Nana's (2026 Tiny Desk Submission)

Here’s my 2026 Tiny Desk submission. I’ve been holding onto this one for a while and am happy to finally have it out there.

This performance was part of my “Live at Nana’s” project/album. I wrote and arranged a bunch of new music, assembled a band to perform it in my grandmother’s (Nana’s) living room in front of live audience, and recorded the whole thing.

Tiny Desk was as a very helpful role model for this project. I remember having a big realization (obvious in hindsight) that I was basically trying to record an album in the spirit of Tiny Desk. They have very generously written articles and posted videos about the microphones they use and their recording techniques/philosophies which I endless consulted while making a recording plan. I knew I wanted to submit a song from this project for the next Tiny Desk competition. I chose “Sit with your thoughts” since it holds a special place in my heart and in the project. The Live at Nana’s concept emerged while I was writing the song. The slightly unusual assortment of instruments (wurlitzer, cajon, tenor sax, violin, and cello) that became the foundation for all of the arrangements was formed for this song. So we set up a (tiny) desk on the stage for this song and recorded this video.

Eli Silverman-Lloyd - wurlitzer 206/200, vocals
Seamus Masterson - violin
Maeve Masterson - cello
Oz McClamrock - sax
Corey Silverman-Lloyd - cajon
Natalie Myrick - good vibes
Sam Levine - good vibes

Adam Sewell @DolphinRecords - Video and Audio Engineer
Leila Bower - Videographer
Aden Fisher-Brown - Production Assistant

Written, arranged, mixed, mastered, and edited by Eli Silverman-Lloyd

More about Live at Nana’s:

Nana moved into this apartment in 1967 with her husband and 4 kids and has lived here ever since. It’s located right on Central Park West with her bedroom overlooking the reservoir. After her kids (including my mother) moved out, there’s been a whole enclave of different temporary residents. I moved in with her in the summer of 2021 to become the latest lucky soul to live here.

This apartment has always had a surreal quality to it, at times magical, at times haunted. The living room is especially astounding, full of old books on built-in bookshelves and artwork from all over the world. Nana, a professional psychologist and psychoanalyst, is also a huge art lover and casual art critic who picks her pieces both meticulously and instinctually. The artwork ranges from extravagant to raw, childlike to erotic, simple to profound, all from artists with strong personalities and distinct styles. The living room has hosted many big feasts, family gatherings, parties, and deep conversations.

And what a wonderful place to have a concert. I wrote a bunch of new music and assembled a band that I thought would be great for the space. We packed the room with about 35 people for two shows (Friday 3/7/25 and Saturday 3/8/25). It was a truly magical experience. I recorded the whole thing, and it will be my second album. I had a wonderful team of people to help me pull it all together and am excited to finally be releasing it. Big shoutout to everyone who was involved and who came to the show!