Phony Ppl: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

March 4, 2019 | Bobby Carter -- “I wish I could’ve savored that moment longer,“ Phony Ppl lead singer Elbee Thrie said to me as we rode the elevator down, following the band’s Tiny Desk performance. “I’ll never forget this.“ Throughout the set, you see Thrie scan the entire office, taking mental inventory of the entire experience. Phony Ppl is a group that emits a vigorous energy on and off stage. In this case, the spirit was exchanged between the band and the NPR staff from the moment they gathered behind the desk and gave a zesty greeting. The Brooklynites formed in high school and stand out as one of a handful of R&B bands in the industry that makes eclectic choices in fashion and lyrical narratives. Their fifth full-length, 2015’s Yesterday’s Tomorrow, was praised for the way the band seamlessly melds jazz, R&B and hip-hop. After consecutive residencies at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City — and a tour with rapper Pusha T — Phony Ppl arrived at the Tiny Desk more refined than ever. They entered t