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Watch Moonchild play “Money”, “The Other Side” and “The List” at the Tiny Desk.

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Dec. 16, 2019 | Bobby Carter — Many bands make considerable adjustments to their playing style in order for their sound to properly fill the Tiny Desk space. LA-based trio Moonchild, along with three background singers and a drummer, arrived promptly for their load-in time, unpacked their gear and were ready to go within minutes. Aside from being especially efficient, their natural musical instincts made for a custom fit in our corner.

Amber Navran, Max Bryk and Andris Mattson joined forces in 2012 at the University of Southern California and their debut album, Be Free soon followed. This year, they released their fourth album, Little Ghost, intricately meshing jazz, R&B and hip-hop sounds under Amber’s subtle vocal feats.

For their set, they pulled out all the stops: flutes, flugelhorns, saxophones, keyboards, ukuleles and some the best harmonies I’ve heard in recent memory. From the moment Amber walked into the building and throughout the performance, she wore a smile on her face and expressed sincere gratitude for the Tiny Desk platform. She took advantage of the moment and amplified a cause near and dear to her heart. She asked us to “spend our privilege” and do more in the fight for people of color in the United States. They closed with a jam from 2017’s Voyager.

SET LIST
“Money”
“The Other Side”
“The List”

MUSICIANS
Amber Navran: vocals, saxophone, flute; Andris Mattson: keys, guitar, flugelhorn; Max Bryk: keys, saxophone, flute; Erin Bentlage: vocals, ukulele; Efa Etoroma Jr.: drums; Michael Mayo: vocals; Micah Robinson: vocals

CREDITS
Producers: Bobby Carter, Abby O’Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, Alex Drewenskus; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Jack Corbett; Production Assistant: Zoe Jones; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Catie Dull/NPR