The Pulse
April 8, 2026

A new concert-recording project inspired by an immensely popular NPR series is leveraging human connections made in an intimate space to create a valuable digital product for artists.

"A great, appealing thing about the Tiny Desk format is how natural it is," said Tony Flanagan, an organizer behind the Pocket-Sized Series of concerts. "I appreciate the effort they put into really communicating a stripped-down live show, with very little distracting from the human element of the performer."

Tiny Desk Concerts mostly take place at the NPR offices in Washington, D.C., with artists like Chappell Roan, Usher, U2, Wu-Tang Clan, and Dua Lipa racking up hundreds of millions of views. Typically, artists perform more acoustic versions of their material than usual, even if they play with a near-comical number of musicians in the modest space.

In Edmonton, the Pocket-Sized Series is a six-month engagement taking place at Paper Birch Books at 10825 95 Street NW on the third Saturday of the month. The Mbira Renaissance Band played the first show in February, and its video was posted on April 3. The March show featured Mallory Chipman. The shows have room for about 50 people in total, including the band, audience, and recording crew. The stripped-down component at the concerts mostly comes down to the fact that the Pocket-Size Series team forbids amplified vocals.

"It's rather uncommon to play behind an un-amplified vocalist as a member of a seven-person band," Flanagan told Taproot. "Both groups dealt with the challenge that presents, where they have to play gently enough and quietly enough to allow the vocalist to communicate to this room of people."

The Pocket-Sized crew didn't come up with the vocal rule just for cozy purposes. Flanagan said vocals heard directly from a singer and instruments played with restraint allow his team to get ultra-crisp sound recordings.

The recordings are meant to amplify performers in the other sense of the word. Flanagan received a $25,000 major projects grant from the Edmonton Arts Council in 2025, specifically to help Edmonton musicians reach a larger audience; he's now executing on that with collaborators Tomáš Andel, Anthony Goertz, Holly Mazur, and Chris Larsen. Videos that can be shared and watched on a viewer's schedule can go much farther in audience growth than a single concert, and the visual aspect has an edge that audio-only output does not.

"We think there are a ton of great artists in Edmonton who deserve to be showcased," said Flanagan, who is also a musician. "Having a video of them performing be accessible to as wide an audience as possible … is so helpful. It goes beyond just being able to provide (an audio) sample to somebody."

The next Pocket-Sized Series concert is on April 18 with the Biboye Onanuga Blacktet, a jazz ensemble that interprets classic hip-hop artists and showcases contemporary rappers. Onanuga told Taproot that the unmic'd recording format is fun, challenging, and leaves more control in an artist's hands. And video is invaluable for gigging musicians.

"Examples of videos is the thing that bookers of festivals — and even just venues — look at, after how many tickets you can sell," said Onanuga, who, like Chapman, has served as musician in residence for the Edmonton Public Library. "Seeing how you interact with the crowd is invaluable in getting more bookings. Recorded music and live music are honestly just two different things."

• Edmonton city council is considering a bylaw to reduce the maximum wall height for new RS Zone infill developments from 10.5 to 9.5 metres. This proposal, discussed at a public hearing on April 7, aims to address "massing" concerns while still allowing three-storey builds. Buildings with pointed roofs could still reach 10.5 metres if tapered. The bylaw also includes variances for existing property alterations. Councillors deferred the vote to April 27, with new rules taking effect Aug. 1 if passed.
• An audit found a faulty Arc Card machine in Edmonton enabled about $65,000 in fraudulent transactions between September 2024 and June 2025. Roughly $20,000 was recovered, reducing losses to about $45,000. Police were notified, but no charges were laid due to unregistered cards and delays in detection.
• Edmonton city council has approved a rezoning application for a new modular home development near Terwillegar Drive. The decision paves the way for the construction of modern, prefabricated homes on the land, proposed by Atco's Viva Homes. The project will have 32 units. The company said the modular design will lead to lower rents. A nearby church opposed the development over fears of increased traffic.
• The Criminal Trial Lawyers' Association (CTLA) has called for a criminal probe into Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel and police lawyer Megan Hankewich. Edmonton lawyer Tom Engel, representing the CTLA, requested Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery investigate potential extortion, obstruction of justice, and intimidation. The move comes after both made public statements before the September 2005 sentencing of Ashley Rattlesnake in the death of eight-year-old Nina Napope. Justice Jody Fraser, who sentenced Rattlesnake to eight years in prison, criticized the police comments as "reprehensible" and a "veiled threat" that might have obstructed justice. The CTLA said an out-of-province attorney general should handle any criminal charges.
• Edmonton charities, including Edmonton's Food Bank and Hope Mission, are feeling the pinch of soaring gas prices, which could impact their ability to serve vulnerable Edmontonians. Tamisan Bencz-Knight of Edmonton's Food Bank noted that it spends more than $10,000 monthly on fuel for its 22 trucks, potentially diverting funds from food purchases.
• Postmedia columnist Keith Gerein argued for tougher rules in Edmonton's civic elections concerning corporate donations and third-party advertisers. Businesses, including those connected to developers, used multiple corporate entities to donate to candidates, potentially circumventing donation limits. Union-backed Working Families Edmonton, a third-party group, endorsed candidates and campaigned, raising concerns about collaboration with candidates, despite rules against it. Gerein suggested requiring candidate agreement for endorsements and imposing tighter expense limits and truth-in-advertising rules.
• The United Nurses of Alberta is demanding immediate action against violence in Alberta's hospital emergency departments, following a stabbing at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital that left one person with life-threatening injuries. The union said the incident is not isolated and that nurses routinely face violence and weapon threats. Despite nurses advocating since 2023 for weapons-detection systems, and a request for proposals being issued, the system has not yet been installed. The union pointed to overcrowding and staffing shortages, and made several demands, including an expedited system installation and updated safety protocols.
• Public health officials issued a warning confirming a measles exposure at Edmonton's Stollery Children's Hospital. The exposure happened on April 4, affecting those in the Emergency Department waiting area (4:17pm to 7:26pm), M-Pod (5:26pm to 10:16pm), and X-ray Department (7:16pm to 10:04pm). Measles is highly contagious, with symptoms appearing seven to 21 days after exposure. If symptoms develop, individuals should stay home and call the measles hotline at 1-844-944-3434 before visiting any health care facility.
• An Edmonton court is hearing a legal challenge from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation over Alberta's changes to its citizen initiative law, which could enable a separation referendum. The First Nation is seeking to restore a removed safeguard requiring initiatives to comply with the Constitution, arguing the change threatens treaty rights and could cause irreparable harm, including increased racism and potential foreign interference. The Alberta government is opposing the request, saying the alleged harms are speculative and that granting an injunction would interfere with democratic debate. The case is the first of three similar challenges from First Nations opposing the prospect of Alberta separation.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Bioeconomy Guild Night starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
• All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite & Collision starting at 5:30pm at Rogers Place
• Spice Harmony: Indian Vegetarian Flavours & Techniques starting at 6pm at Get Cooking
• Bridgeland Distillery Blending Seminar: Make Your Own Canadian Whisky starting at 6pm at Color de Vino
• MacEwan Youth Jazz Orchestra Concert starting at 7pm at Allard Hall
• Poetry In Motion starting at 7pm at The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse
• The Olive Reading Series starting at 7pm at Rooster Cafe & Kitchen
• After Dark at Delavoye: A factory tour and dessert experience starting at 7:15pm at Delavoye Chocolate Maker
• New Standards Music ft. Sakâw Laboucan starting at 8pm at The Common
• NorthwestFilmFest at Garneau Theatre (until April 14)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• April 12: Spring Clothing Swap at Earth's Refillery Coop
• April 15: Energy Talks: From Origins to Obligations at Edmonton Public Library (Strathcona)
• April 22: Irrational Trivia with Helluva Thing at Irrational Brewing Company

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

Need a hint for 8-Across? Here you go.