Brandon Harwood didn’t plan on being a New York City transplant in North Carolina. He simply followed his wife home to her birthplace, discovering a music community along the way that gave him room to breathe.
After cutting his teeth hauling gear through subway cars and playing compressed 40-minute sets, the artist behind Island Moons has found himself fielding requests for three-hour performances and having actual conversations with venue staff after shows.
In the Triangle’s more collaborative atmosphere, Harwood has been able to level up as a performer, dust off forgotten catalog tracks, and embrace the imperfections of last-minute lineup changes. With two counterpart EPs set for this year — separated into DREAM and BELL — he’s crafting what he calls “two short stories from the same author,” capturing both polished studio work and raw, intimate acoustic recordings.
What’s something you’ve been listening to lately?
Brandon: So before Tom Petty formed the Heartbreakers, he had this initial band, like a high school kind of flash-in-the-pan, apparently. Some of the Heartbreakers were with him; Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench were also in the lineup. They’re called Mudcrutch. This is just the kind of guy that Tom Petty was, man: even after all of his fame and success with the Heartbreakers, he wanted to go back to his high school dudes and crew and make a record with them. They put out two albums, and I’ve been listening to their second one, Mudcrutch 2.
There’s a song on there called “Beautiful Blue”. It’s a really amazing, semi-psychedelic, laid-back, meandering song, but it’s got some drive to it. Another track on there called “Dreams of Flying” rips from the outset and has some amazing lyrics.
You got your start in New York City after the pandemic. What brought you to North Carolina, and what has been the biggest difference?
Brandon: My wife was born here. We met and were living in New York together, and when the opportunity came up for us to relocate, we put roots down here. There’s something poetic about her coming back to where she was born. Not to sound too cheesy, but for me, it’s like that Joseph Campbell quote, “follow your bliss and doors will open where they never appeared before.” She’s my bliss, and I’ve been following her since I met her.
I’m just starting a second pass through different gigs, talking to people, and seeing the same faces and stuff. But it’s clear that this really is a close-knit community. People know each other, and everyone’s kind of moving and grooving. That’s different than New York, where it’s like someone’s here today, gone tomorrow. I think that makes everything much more accessible. Like I did a radio interview in Hillsborough before a show, directly across the street from the venue, and then right down the street was a record store. I did all three in that same block, just bouncing around town.
The community is also not as run-and-gun as New York. I’ve played shows where you have a 40-minute set – and that’s generous – and you feel like someone’s breathing down your neck right when you play that last note. Someone is getting up on the stage, so you’ve got to get your stuff and scoot. But here, I’ve been able to catch my breath a little bit and play longer sets.
As a fellow transplant, I completely agree. The tempo of our community here in the Triangle – and in North Carolina as a whole – is like a half-step down and much more cooperative. What was your biggest culture shock moment?
Brandon: The first show I played in Chapel Hill was a standard 45 minutes, maybe an hour. But the next gig I booked, I couldn’t believe it when the venue asked if I was available for three hours. I flinched and checked in with the producer I work with – he’s a mentor who knows everything about producing and being an artist – and he said, “I would 100% take that. Don’t be nervous.” I had to dust off a lot of songs from my own personal catalog and learn some new covers, but I loved having the freedom to try some new things. And covers are such an important tool; people kind of listen for which ones you pick. It’s a little window into who I’m feeling or moved by.
That show was indicative of the experience I’ve had where I’ve been able to level up, have fun, and just be given that platform. I cut my teeth in New York hauling my stuff around on my back, in little shopping carts, and on the subway. I’ll always be grateful for that. But being here has given me more opportunities to get better as a performer and as a live performing artist.
I played a gig before where I never even met the drummer. Someone called out sick, and then my bassist couldn’t make it on last-minute notice, so it was just White Stripes-esque duo of me and a drummer. That gig was our rehearsal, which can be nerve-wracking. I’ve gotten very dark and stuck with the perfectionism of, “Oh, man, we got to know these songs back. Everyone’s got to come in at the same time or remember this bridge.” But I’ve had to loosen up with that because, honestly, no one probably is able to pick up on it except me.
Your EP, DREAM, is described as part of a pair of projects. What’s the relationship between the two?
Brandon: So I discovered myself as an artist once I came upon my artist name, and I thought I was going to be recording a single as a first foray into recording as Island Moons. We get into the studio, and we’re ahead of schedule. But I was chatting with another person who is a Brooklyn-based guitarist and he was like, “In this day and age, if people like your stuff, they want to click around. I wouldn’t just release a single. I would make sure that you have other songs, like an EP or a few tracks in your back pocket.”
But I wasn’t able to get back into the studio for a year. We get in, recorded the tracks, did all the overdubs and we were ahead of schedule again. By that time, I had new songs ready that I was excited about. And my producer’s just like, “Hey, you know, if you’re excited about those, man, just get in there, just get in the live room and just record them acoustic.” I was just playing my nylon string, getting these songs tracked, and they’re so raw. They have an amazing quality to them, like this real intimacy.
I feel like there’s something cool and easily digestible about an EP that gives a window into your sound. Initially I thought that all the tracks would be kind of woven together, but over time I got this idea to separate them. They’re like two short stories from the same author, if you will. I feel like they’re related; they’re from the same artistic moment in time, so I didn’t feel like they should be totally separate. The name in itself, “DREAM BELL,” kind of works together, and it works apart.
Who are some of your favorite local or North Carolina-specific artists?
Brandon: I got to start with my buddy Robinson, who’s the lead of The River Otters. He introduced me to a bassist and is an amazing guitar player. And just a wealth of knowledge when it comes to music history. Knows his stuff, knows North Carolina stuff. One guy I’m connecting with on Instagram is shacked up in Puerto Rico right now, passing the winter, but his name is Micah Kolk.
I did this radio interview with Chapelboro, and before my segment aired on the radio, they were playing Charles Latham and the Borrowed Band. They have a really cool song called “Laundry Song” and he’s a great songwriter.
Also gotta shout-out Jack the Radio. So polished and talented, can’t forget JTR.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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