YouTube

People ask me all the time to name my favorite Tiny Desk Concert. It’s my desk and I’ve seen almost all of the nearly 400 concerts up close. So you’d think this would be easy. Moon Hooch have made it a lot easier.

Up there with the ear-shaking voice of Adele, the desk dancing of Gogol Bordello, the stripped down version of Phoenix — not to mention magic moments with Alt-J, Angel Olsen and Lucius and more — Moon Hooch blew me away with just two saxes and a drummer. Their music is a mix of the best jazz, EDM and rock have to offer. It’s out there, it’s danceable and you may find yourself feeling a sense of reckless abandon!

The band is saxophonists Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen, and drummer James Muschler. They all studied in New York at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and every single moment of every song I’ve ever seen them perform has been full throttle. They call their music “cave music,” taking the best elements of electronica — the brutal stops, starts and shifts — and performing those unnaturally precise hairpin turns organically by blowing on horns and banging on drums. This for the boldness in all of us. Embrace Moon Hooch. —BOB BOILEN

Set List

“Tubes”
“Number 9”
“Bari 3”

Credits

Producers: Bob Boilen, Denise DeBelius; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Olivia Merrion; Production Assistant: Alex Schelldorf; photo by Alex Schelldorf/NPR