Little Moon, Big Break

_{By Zach Collier}

The band may be called Little Moon, but they have huge amounts of positive energy. That’s because frontwoman Emma Hardyman exudes it. Like some holy conduit of tranquil benevolence, she has a way about her that makes me not at all upset that she’s called me Brad the last 5 times we’ve crossed paths. Each time, she’s called me Brad with such sincerity I couldn’t bring myself to NOT be Brad. And that good-natured spirit carried over when she finally realized her mistake. Instead of being an awkward interaction, her laugh was full and grand. It’s one of my favorite memories in the Provo music scene.

That kind of character bleeds into her work. It’s the same energy that led to a quirky mishap in the live video of her runaway hit “Wonder Eye.” In the YouTube description of that video – the same video that won NPR’s Tiny Desk Competition – Hardyman wrote:

“Little Moon” got jumbled up with “tiny desk” in the brain and accidentally created the name “tiny moon”‘ in the title card

(⊙﹏⊙✿ ) please ignore that part of the title card–it was done in loving error. thank you ♡

Description from the YouTube video “Wonder Eye (Little Moon’s Tiny Desk 2023)”

I can imagine a future where the uninitiated say “Little Moon,” but diehard fans have studied the lore and affectionately refer to the band as “Tiny Moon.” The atmosphere around the music is all so authentic, positive, quirky, and endearing.

With someone like that at the helm, it’s no wonder that good things are coming to Emma, her husband, Nate, and the rest of Little Moon: Bly Wallentine, Chris Shemwell, Grace Johnson, and Bridget Jackson. They’re all like that.

“A lot of the people in my band are a little more shy or oddball or out of the mainstream, but brilliant minds,” Emma said outside of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in downtown Provo. “For them to get validation means the world to me. Everyone is finally seeing what I’ve always seen in these people.”

Things have been wild for Hardyman ever since winning NPR’s Tiny Desk Competition. While we walked downtown, we were stopped no less than three times. One guy in full Kansas City Chiefs-branded athletic gear (who couldn’t look further from a guy who follows the Provo music scene) did a double take and said, “Wait. Hey. Aren’t you that musician who can sing really high? The one who won that one competition?”

True to form, Emma responded graciously. But the experience of going from zero to 100 has been an exhausting one. “That’s happening a lot lately. ‘Hey! You’re the person with the poofy hair that sings high!” she laughed. “It’s all a blur. It’s been like a week-and-a-half of constant craziness. NPR flew us out. We’re getting ready for a lot of shows. Luckily, everything has been on NPRs dime. The flight. The tour.”

“This is the cushiest first tour you can ask for,” said her husband, Nate. “It’s cushier than the nicest vacation we could imagine. Flying!? Per diems?!”

They’re both grateful that the band is going through this experience with NPR instead of another major organization or corporate entity. “They’re NPR,” Hardyman said. “They’re really for the people. The whole experience was so wonderful and validating. It turns out the people at NPR are fellow eccentrics. Bob Boilen [the host of NPR’s All Things Considered and creator of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts] feels like one of us. They create a really cozy home.”

That cozy home has welcomed some of Hardyman’s favorite performers. Tiny Desk Concerts she’s enjoyed include Anderson Paak, Sesame Street, and The Beths. It’s wild to her that she’s now among their ranks.

It started to rain in the middle of our interview, and we all took shelter on the doorstep of Velour Live Music Gallery. It was there that Hardyman told me why she kept applying to the competition year after year, despite several rejections. “Applying was just a ritual,” she said. “Tiny Desk was a really good excuse to collaborate with friends and just make a video.”

That love of music – making art for art’s sake – shines through in every Little Moon performance. It’s wonderfully authentic. When asked what advice she has for others who want to play Tiny Desk themselves one day, Hardyman said, “Just be really sincere in who you are. Don’t try to be someone else. NPR really cherishes that individualism. It’s not a cover competition for a reason.”

Hardyman hails from Mission Viejo, California and her husband comes from Rigby, Idaho. Little Moon is about to tour all over the country, but despite this they plan on calling Provo home for a long time.

“I think relationships are everything to me. The intimacy and the connectivity of this strange music scene is what has kept me around,” Hardyman said.

As if scripted, Gabe Davis (the bassist of Local Kin) interrupted our interview immediately after this comment. He was on his way to Velour for a concert. “Hey,” he said. “It’s been years! I haven’t seen you since Idaho!”

Turns out they used to be in a band together when they attended college in Rexburg. Watching them catch up and interact proved Hardyman’s earlier statement true. The Provo music scene is definitely strange and intimate. Everyone is closely connected and immensely talented (Davis would go on to win Velour’s prestigious battle of the bands three days later).

So amid all the craziness, all the tour dates, all the stops on the street, Provo will be home for Little Moon. This quirky, intimate music scene is a nice home for a quirky, authentic folk act. The band is currently recording a forthcoming full length album at Studio Studio Dada in Utah. The studio version of “wonder eye” is the lead single.

The future is bright. “I’m just really grateful,” Hardyman said. “For the music scene, Utah, and everyone really trying to come together to make something magical in this intimate town.”

Make sure to follow Little Moon on Instagram and watch their Tiny Desk performance below.