Is it possible to be ubiquitous and behind-the-scenes at the same time? That pretty much sums up Don Was and his long career in the music business.

After co-leading the funky pop-rock band Was (Not Was) in the 1980s, Was went on to win an armful of Grammy awards as a producer. He’s worked with Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Ringo Starr and Bob Weir, to name just a few. Since 2012, he has been president of the legendary Blue Note Records.

Was is also a son of Detroit. In recent years, he put together a band under his own name for the first time: Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. “We are on a mission to promulgate the indigenous sounds of our hometown of Detroit, Michigan,” he explains.

This is a tight and powerful group, with an emphasis on the groove, but all eyes and ears are on lead vocalist Steffanie Christi’an. In this Tiny Desk performance, she breathes a very different kind of fire into the Grateful Dead classic “The Music Never Stopped” and smolders on re-working of Hank Williams‘ “I Ain’t Got Nothing But Time.” The entire set is a perfect example of how, as the Dead used to say, “the music plays the band.”

SET LIST

• “The Music Never Stopped”
• “You Asked, I Came”
• “Midnight Marauders”
• “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time”
• “Insane”

MUSICIANS

• Don Was: bass
• Steffanie Christi’an: vocals
• Wayne Gerard Milton: guitar
• Luis Resto: keys
• Dave McMurray: tenor sax
• Vincent Chandler: trombone
• John Douglas: trumpet
• Jeff Canady: drums
• Mahindi Masai: percussion 
• Herschel Boone: background vocals 
• Terena Boone: background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Felix Contreras
• Director/Editor: Maia Stern
• Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
• Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Alanté Serene
• Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
• Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
• Photographer: Vanessa Castillo
• Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
• Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

This article was written by Felix Contreras and originally posted on NPR.org.

On this week’s show, we heard new tracks by Craig Benedict Valentine Badynee, formerly of Pas/Cal, along with a new Allman Bros. cover by Jill Jack and a groovy pop song by Pesky Kid!

We had some in-studio guests, including Deadbeat Beat, who brought some new music to spin. We also talked about Detroit X Detroit happening this weekend with Danny VanZandt.

Deadbeat Beat’s new album and upcoming release party

Deadbeat Beat sprouted from a teenage friendship between drummer-vocalist Maria Nuccilli and guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Alex Glendenning, leaning into an intersection of garage rock drive and indie-pop catchiness. The band was rounded out by bassist Zak Frieling, who came from the Flint scene to join these high energy east siders as a power trio, releasing an album and touring fairly extensively.

There’s been new energy, though, over the last couple years, with the addition of Pete Steffy on keyboards and synthesizers. Deadbeat Beat’s 2019 album “How Far” was recorded by Jeff Else in his North End home studio, where Steffy lived at the time, and during these sessions he gave valuable advice.

The band talked about the ideas and stories behind the album’s title, and it’s two new singles, one of which was exclusively premiered on the show tonight.

Deadbeat Beat also discussed moving away from the well-prepared-yet-quickly-executed style of basement recordings to the more deliberate process of working with celebrated engineer Chris Koltay at High Bias Studio.

Deadbeat Beat have their album release party at the Paris Bar on June 12, which will be followed up by some touring and some more high-profile gigs that they also detail during our interview.

Detroit X Detroit this Saturday

Also, the annual Detroit X Detroit Showcase is Saturday April 15, 2026 at the Loving Touch.

This is a super-fun concert with more than a dozen local bands doing short, high-energy cover sets of other notable Detroit and Michigan artists. These contemporary bands and songwriters can choose to do covers of icons like Stevie Wonder or Bob Seger, or they can select a set of later trailblazers like The White Stripes.

Singer-songwriter Danny VanZandt, who performs solo but also has a full band, will be doing a set of Seger covers, with his group, at the event.

On the show, I also spun a track by the artist, Annemarie Jo, who will be doing a set of Marvin Gaye covers.

In the middle of our interview, VanZandt treated us to a live cover of “Night Moves.”