with, like, the puppets and was like, "you can do it, too." i'm like, "me? i can do it, too?" yes. ♪ though i fall through glass hi, i'm bushwalla, and you are watching "beta records tv." >> what's up, folks? i'm brandon johnson with "beta records tv," and if you're in a good mood, you're about to get in a better mood because in the studio today, we have bushwalla. what's good, man? >> hey, how are you? >> so, you are originally from cleveland, ohio. when did you really start to begin your whole quest for entertaining and performing? >> 25 years ago. i was 9, and, uh, i started in a theater company called kids on broadway, and, uh, my fifth-grade teacher really liked my vibe and helped get me in to the theater company, and from there, i went on working with the cleveland opera, uh,

great lakes shakespeare festival, and i was just in all the regional theaters, and in cleveland, i was an announcer for the cleveland rockers. i was a wnba announcer. i just did anything i could. instead of, like, getting a regular job as a teenager, i became a clown. i found a lot of self-fulfillment in that because i was still performing, and little did i know at the time i was really working in a show that i do now by doing clowning work and singing telegrams and the theater work. like, all of that came together in the past four or five years, and i realized that it was all important and i can use all of that. >> did this all start when you were on the east coast in new york city as far as the street performing and stuff? >> yeah, street performing started in new york. i would juggle. like, companies would hire me to juggle out in front. like, in the middle of winter, i was dressed like a -- you know, all the way, juggling. i don't even know who -- i was juggling for myself. i become a better juggler. i don't think i helped the companies much, but, uh... i was a bucket player. i played, like, the buckets, you know, and did stuff like that, and i'm always able to

just kind of go back to juggling. >> it sounds like you're very involved with, you know, helping kids, educating kids. was that an experience that you had as a kid? were you around somebody that was sort of a mentor for you? >> yeah. i've always had a mentor. i've always looked up to somebody, you know, and i always loved that -- you know, that guy that came in with, like, the puppets and was like, "you can do it, too." i'm like, "me? i can do it, too?" yes. so i'm very much in the "you can do it, too" business. >> i love that, i love that. what am i gonna experience at a bushwalla show? >> well, i am as much the audience -- for the audience as they are the audience for me, and it's very much a big sing-along. it's interactive. most of it is made up as we go, you know. there's songs that kind of, like, are good reference points, but i never want to, you know, negate creation. >> that's something interesting you talk about, too -- just sort of the progression of you as a writer. >> there's a certain amount of vulnerability i think that comes with music writing that you

should allow, you should express, you know? let people know what you're about, and i think for a lot of artists that have early success and then find trouble later once they make the megabucks is the fact that they've lost that kind of hunger. so when you're in that hunt, all these great things come out. so to really stay true to where you're coming from and what you believe in is important in writing. you just stay in practice. every time you do something, you get better. if you were to juggle, and you practiced for two minutes a day, eventually you'll juggle. nobody is ever closer to a divine source than anybody else. they're like, "well, i can't do that or i can't write that way or it's got to be a certain way." just do it, just stay in that, you know? and you always feel the best when you are. it's like when you go to yoga class virtually saying, "oh, i know i got to go to yoga class." when you go, you're like, "oh, this is great." >> right. sometimes the hardest part is just getting there. >> just anticipation of it. that's the worst. i'm the biggest procrastinator in the world. >> really? >> yeah. >> i would not think that at

all. >> oh, gee whiz. i love netflix. >> [ laughs ] >> ♪ though i fall through glass ♪ ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ and i'm holding on

>> hi, this is bushwalla, and i'm performing the song "fall through glass." ♪ though i fall through glass ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ and i'm holding on check it out. [ rapping ] ♪ now, stop, pop ♪ she can dance to this ♪ now special edition of a breadboard check list ♪ [ rapping indistinctly ]

♪ who is the master? ♪ rock the ghetto blaster ♪ though i fall through glass ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ come on ♪ and i'm holding on ♪ ooh [ rapping ] ♪ dirty little brother gonna rock it on the floor ♪ ♪ with a beat like this, you couldn't ask for more ♪ [ rapping indistinctly ] ♪ though i fall through glass ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ and i'm holding on ♪ and i'm holding on ♪ yeah ♪ and i'm holding on [ beatboxing ]

♪ what? what? here we go again [ beatboxing ] ♪ here we go ♪ i am always looking for there's something ♪ ♪ but i'm finding nothing ♪ when shall we be released? ♪ partner, catch this so i get down, mother-ther-ther ♪ ♪ though i fall through glass ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ and i'm holding on ♪ i fall through glass ♪ i'm higher than ever ♪ and i'm reaching the sky ♪ and i'm holding on ♪ and i'm holding on

♪ and i'm holding on there it is. [ mid-tempo music plays ] >> this past march, "beta records" returned to austin for the annual south by southwest music, film, and interactive conference to check out some awesome bands and, of course, get our yearly dose of barbecue. south by southwest draws tens of thousands of people from all over the world to austin every spring to catch over 2,000 performers in more than 90 venues, making it one of the largest music festivals in the u.s. [ mid-tempo music continues ]

although south by southwest has earned its fame as a music festival, it isn't all about music. the week before the music conference, there's a huge film festival, and south by southwest also has a growing interactive section. and though south by southwest showcases some of the hottest new bands, there's also a lot of music history on display in austin. >> resonator guitars were built in the late 1920s before electronic instruments. they've got a round tone inside of them that produces volume which was what was needed at the time to be able to compete with horns and other band instruments. they're really loud guitars. [ mid-tempo music plays ] >> hi, i'm john pickering of the picks, buddy holly's backup trio.

one of the problems at the studio was that it was mono recordings, and if you made one mistake, even if it was the last note, you had to start over. >> the schedule for a band performing at south by southwest can be hectic, as we saw when we followed "beta records'" favorite, carney. they played show after show. some were public and some were industry only, and they did this even before they had a record to promote. >> ♪ i will testify ♪ i just want to listen to your heart beat ♪ ♪ tell your people that you're still alive ♪ ♪ there ain't nothing sweeter than your mercy ♪ ♪ i will testify ♪ it's all... ♪ for yo-o-o-u [ slow tempo music plays ]

>> whoo! >> whoo! [ slow tempo music continues ]

>> after making the rounds at south by southwest, carney returned to los angeles, and britt caught up with them at the el rey where they were having a release party for their first album, "mr. green." >> brittany: so, tell me. what does it feel like getting ready to play a show, especially one that you get to play all your new material for the first time? >> we try to, like, bookend the new material that we're a little bit nervous about with things that we know they're gonna like. so in case it doesn't go well, then it's like, "all right, we're back in," you know. >> it's been nice having an album out lately because we used to do a lot of opening and a lot of shows where we didn't have a lot of time for sound check. lately we've had a little bit

more time. so it used to be literally just sort of plug in and spend about five minutes making sure everything works, and now it's nice 'cause we get to actually, like, set our tones and, you know, get our monitor levels right and all the mics are working. >> it's nice 'cause it gets you comfortable with the stage and kind of walk around and hear how the set feels, and then you're not as timid during the performance. >> i actually don't like long sound checks 'cause it kind of just -- i like the spontaneity of going onstage. as long as you know that it basically sounds right, 'cause it changes as soon as people get in the room, anyway. definitely we're gonna play "testify." that's always my favorite to play. >> "mr. green" -- those are on "mr. green volume 1." we're gonna play some songs that are on "mr. green volume 2," which actually is coming out in november/december of this year. >> brittany: so, is that kind of weird that you guys are just releasing your album now, but you already have another one that's kind of in the works? >> we recorded 19 or 20 songs in these "mr. green" sessions, and then it kind of became clear to everyone, "okay, let's split this up into two albums." especially with the way the recording industry is these days, let's put out two albums within six months of each other and keep doing that, you know. less songs, more frequent.

>> that way, if you don't like this one, just wait six months, you'll probably like the next one. >> we wanted to find the right time to release it, and i think now just seems to be the right time. there's so much other stuff going on with us. there's obviously this whole thing with me doing a broadway show. we wanted to be able to tour the album. the easiest way to do that was to release it now because we're gonna be obligated to the production a little while. >> brittany: how do you go about capturing, you know, your live essence in a track? was that hard for you guys? >> well, there is a song on "mr. green volume 1" called "testify," which people come up to us after the show. it's usually one of their favorite songs of ours. we recorded that song without a click track three times, and we used the first take. so that kind of helps get it live 'cause it really was. >> there are also songs that we love to expand upon in the studio because you can't always do certain things live in the same way, so some of the bigger productions on the album are songs like "there she goes" and "nothing without you," where we have, like, layered vocals. when you're in an environment not watching a band play, sometimes you need a little extra something to spice it up. >> brittany: guys, thank you so much for letting us come by, and good luck tonight at your show. everyone, again, this is carney,

and you're watching "beta records tv." >> what's up, everybody? i'm brandon johnson. welcome to "beta records tv," and in the studio today, we have the amazing jessie payo. welcome to the show, jessie. >> "amazing." >> so happy to have you here. one thing i want to get into right away that completely blew my mind was you just got done doing a month of no singing or talking. >> a whole month, like, nothing -- not even whispering. i was, like, walking around with a pad of paper, going to the gas station, saying like, "$20 on 4." what happened is that i had vocal nodes just from oversinging and just singing the wrong way. i decided to just take a month and get really healthy. >> what was the best part of it? >> i think people were nicer to me because i wasn't talking loud in their face. like, usually i like to save conversations and be like, "okay, okay, i'm the center of attention," and then i had to, like -- like, get back and

be like... >> so, what was the first word you said? >> i think i sang a [chuckling] song. >> you did? >> i think i just picked up the guitar, and i'm like... "okay, i'm gonna see where i'm at with this." >> sure. >> and my voice had not sounded better in a long time. it was amazing. >> now, before we jump into the solo stuff, let's backtrack a bit to your other band, jupiter rising. tell us about that. >> jupiter rising was awesome. it was very dance pop, kind of like the black eyed peas with an electro feel. i literally, like, learned everything i needed to know about being a really skilled artist in a professional level. >> jupiter rising opened for boyz ii men, lauryn hill, sly and the family stone, black eyed peas. how did you guys get to be a part of such amazing acts? >> i think it helped that we had a really great, young audience that we kind of acquired from being on mtv. they really loved our single "electropop," but, um, my gosh. i had the best time opening up for these people that were, you know, heroes in my eyes.

like boyz ii men -- like, that week was amazing. we did a house of blues tour, and it was packed every night, and i felt like i was in middle school [laughing] again. i haven't had a fan base like that in my whole career, and it's been great to really still keep up with those fans even though that band is no longer existing. we still have the best fans, and i still stand by our records being really, really strong albums. >> i read that you studied at berklee in boston. >> yeah. >> did it help? >> oh, my god, yeah. >> it did help. >> oh, yeah. like, i thought i knew music, and then i went to berklee, and i got my butt kicked. >> how did you get your butt kicked? >> being around, like, everyone that had a musical vocabulary that was not even known to me prior, and i was just absorbing all of this music, and that's where i learned how to play guitar, and that's where i learned how to really write a song. ♪ well, girl, keep your feet upon solid land ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep into quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running

just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪

>> what's up? i'm jessie payo, and this is my song "quicksand." ♪ hollywood girl ♪ picture in a crowded place ♪ such a beautiful world ♪ perfect body with a perfect face ♪ ♪ but she wanted more, yes ♪ she had a dream ♪ she wanted to be the star on a magazine ♪

♪ she took a turn for the worst to satisfy her needs ♪ ♪ oh, yeah ♪ well, girl, keep your feet upon solid land ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep into quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ and, girl, if you're slipping, just take my hand ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep into quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ well, she signed to a model agency ♪ ♪ said you got to get lean ♪ she worked out her heart and didn't eat anything ♪ ♪ she took her pills ♪ her alcohol ♪ numbing her mind and feeling nothing at all ♪ ♪ but she wanted more

♪ yes ♪ she had a dream ♪ she wanted to be the star on a magazine ♪ ♪ she took a turn for the worst to satisfy her needs ♪ ♪ oh, baby, what does that mean? ♪ ♪ ohh ♪ girl, keep your feet upon solid land ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep in quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ oh, girl, if you're slipping, just take my hand ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly into the quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ well, one night the room was spinning out of control ♪ ♪ too deep into her demons ♪ she's losing her soul ♪ her body too thin to pick herself off the floor ♪ ♪ they rushed her to emergency ♪ thank god they got her before ♪ ♪ it was over in vain

in the name of fame ♪ ♪ she'll never be the same ♪ enough time for a change ♪ she said, save me, save me ♪ oh, lord ♪ i'm sinking, sinking ♪ in the quicksand ♪ girl, keep your feet upon solid land ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep in quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ and, girl, if you're slipping, just take my hand ♪ ♪ it's so easy to sink quickly deep into quicksand ♪ ♪ girl, keep on running just as fast as you can ♪ ♪ from sinking in the quicksand ♪ ♪ well, she keeps on slipping, constantly tripping ♪ ♪ always seems to be gripping on that quick quicksand ♪ ♪ quicksand ♪ she keeps on slipping, constantly tripping ♪ ♪ always seems to be gripping on that quick quicksand ♪ ♪ quicksa-a-nd

♪ ohhh [ guitar note plays ]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ on the day before christmas the neighborhood sparkled with brightly lit .. decorations. excitement was in the air. but the youngest members of one household knew nothing of the special events that were to take place.