Alum Featured on NPR’s 2023 Tiny Desk Contest Winner
Chris Shemwell B.M. ’20 plays drums in Little Moon, the winner of NPR's 2023 Tiny Desk Contest.
Image courtesy of the artist
Fourth time's a charm for Utah-based indie-pop band Little Moon, who after as many years of entries to NPR's annual Tiny Desk Contest, beat out 6,000 other entrants and was the unanimous choice according to the judges. "Little Moon's entries have impressed contest judges since 2020, but this year, the band leveled up," NPR reported in their announcement.
The winning video features the band's latest single, "Wonder Eye," and shows each member arranged in a tableau of candles and red backlighting, which fits the song's haunting mood. "The song is a dynamic and explosive tune with a deeply emotional story," said Tiny Desk series creator Bob Boilen. Opening with just lead singer Emma Hardyman and a nylon-string acoustic guitar, the song bursts open at the one-minute mark, anchored by bassy, pounding drums led by Chris Shemwell B.M. '20. While at Berklee, Shemwell majored in electronic music and production. "I’ll forever be fascinated by rhythm, electronics, and the combination of the two," Shemwell has said, speaking to the impact his studies had on his drum style.
The band is set to play an official Tiny Desk concert in Washington, D.C., soon, before setting off to headline the contest's On the Road tour beginning in June.
Watch Little Moon's winning entry for the Tiny Desk Concert 2023: