The BeatBuds, are in the business of smiles, especially when it's most needed during the current coronavirus pandemic. The children's music duo, Jonny and Matty, who are signed by Scooter Braun's SB Projects, have been making music that the whole family can enjoy over the past seven years, and continue to bring their tunes into the living rooms of all of their little BeatBuddies via a new live show on their YouTube channel.
Jonny and Matty have been best friends since they were just six years old, and were in bands together as they got older, but musically, went their separate ways until they eventually reunited after Matt suffered a back injury. Matty tells iHeartRadio, "I was rehabbing just a block away from Jonny's studio when he was home from tour, and I was going over to his house regularly and we were just fooling around in the studio, going over, actually some of his adult music — we played in bands together, so I was able to shed some light on some things, and we throw ideas back and forth. And as I was rehabbing, I was playing 'Mr. Mom.' I was taking my then six to nine month old daughter to Mommy and Me classes, and we were doing all those fun interactive classes, and I love those classes. And I thought to myself, 'Wow, you know, I'd love to try my hand at this.' And I'd go over to Jon's house and I started planting some seeds, and Jonny started really feeling it. We started writing, one song became two, and then our kids would come into the studio and [Jon's] nephews."
Jonny added, "I had nephews that were right around that same age, and I just remember thinking to myself, 'Man, we could do this and we can do it really well.' And we had a lot of fun doing it too, because that was one thing about us, is that we wanted to have fun with our kids and do that together and really make it a family experience."
And they did just that. One thing led to another, and after both of their wives had requested burned CDs of their new music, eventually word started to spread, and they began playing at birthday parties until, as Matty explained, "a whole business developed right then and there, out of nowhere."
We got to catch up with Jonny and Matty (remotely) and learned more about their story, some of their favorite shows, including their epic BeatBash, the live show they're doing via their YouTube channel as they bring the BeatBuds to little fans and their families all over, and what life has been like for them and their own families during the pandemic. Read on below.
How do you come up with songs that kids and their families can enjoy together?
Matty: "I have to say it's simpler than you may think. We are in the field with the kids. We do birthday parties, we do classes, we do special events where we're right on the front lines with the kids. And we watch them and they show us the toys they have, we look at the tee shirts that they're wearing; dinosaurs, princesses, princes, sports, all kinds of fun things, and we try to incorporate that into our song content. And then on the other side of things, we also listen to parents because we're dealing with early age children. So, we're obviously dealing with parents and we listen to their needs. And in many cases they need a nap time song to be able to help the kids get to bed, or they need a food song or whatever it may be. But we try to be like a sponge and give them what they want."
Jonny: "Yeah, that's a big part of what we do. And then another aspect of it is that we try to write music for the family. We're not always just writing for the kids. Matty and I, as parents, really do understand that need for family music and not just kid music. There's a lot of music that my son really loves and I don't really love. And it's really important to us that we're making family music that the family can enjoy together as a unit, rather than just the child getting something out of it. And that's probably one of the biggest compliments that we get and most often too, is that we get these emails that say, you know, 'I dropped the kids off at school and I don't even realize that I've just left the BeatBuds music playing all the way home.' Or, 'We went out on date night and left the kid with the babysitter and we had the BeatBuds playing the whole time.' We hear that kind of stuff all the time. And that's probably one of my favorite compliments that we get."
Matty: "Community is what we're trying to make here, and togetherness, and if parents and children are genuinely enjoying something, I think we have a winner."
When you make a new song, do you let your own kids hear it first?
Jonny: "Absolutely. Every time we make a new song, our kids are the first to hear it because they're the barometer for everything that we do."
Matty: "I would never put one of our songs out without letting my child hear. They will tell us."
Jonny: "There is nothing more honest than a child."
Matty: "It's true. I think that's one of the reasons why I love being a part of this genre so much is because, kids tell you if you're good or not — well, they either watch you or they don't. You know, adult music, you're in a bar and you're the greatest band you've ever heard and the next morning they don't remember they were even at a bar. So, I love this genre for that reason. And of course, yes, kids are the barometer."
Jonny: "It's the greatest thing. And, I'll have my son in here and within the first few bars of playing something for him, he'll let me know. And if it's not good, [it's] scrapped, if it's good, you know it, you roll with it and we've got something that we continue to work on and put out there. But it's awesome. They are absolutely the first ones to hear it before it goes out."
You've performed quite a few shows, private events, birthday parties and your own BeatBash concert. What has been the most memorable for you?
Matty: "For me, I already know, are the shows that we get to do for the disabled community. When the music starts, the kids just come alive. It's amazing. Like their whole body moves, they're smiling. It's like I've given them something that they've never had, ever. And I feel the most joy from seeing that type of reaction and knowing that obviously with the hardships that they're going through, I can shut that off for a minute and just give them the ultimate in happiness. That's definitely, hands down, the most memorable BeatBuds experience, and I know they will continue to be."
Jonny: "To see the way that music is received and the performance is received and the way it's responded to. Yeah, I agree, that's really amazing. There's another side of the coin because we have done so many different kinds of shows. We present this in so many ways; we do Mommy and Me classes, we do a two man presentation of this, we do a three piece presentation of it, we do a large scale BeatBash presentation, which is like six or seven band members on stage in huge theaters, like The Palladium and The Fonda with carnivals that happened outside after the shows. But the other side is those large shows. I love the BeatBash — 1,000+ kids, so many families where you get to really see the tentacles of this thing, and then see how far it reaches and all these families. And, you get to see everything from little babies sitting in laps and enjoying the BeatBuds, to six year olds sitting on their fathers' shoulders like they're at a rock show. I mean, it's just the coolest thing in the world.
Matty: "I'd say that those shows are like the culmination of all the little shows that we do have. So, it's all the families that we play for, they come together in one venue and it's just like, the energy is through the roof."
With the current coronavirus pandemic in the world, this is an extremely difficult time, especially for families with kids who are now home from school. Since many have been doing their part and staying home, you have been performing on YouTube recently — tell us about that?
Matty: "I'd have to say that the Coronavirus pandemic has really thrown a curve ball at us. Considering our whole business is based around live performance, and being near kids, and communicating with kids right in front of us. That's something that we cherish, and we hope we'll come back really soon. I know we'll come back really soon. But, in light of the circumstances, obviously, we have to keep social distance and we need to do things virtually. So we, together, came up with the idea of doing this YouTube live show and I gotta tell ya, it's been really, really fun. We get to create in the studio right here and give kids new ideas that we wouldn't normally do within the confines of the live setting. I'm super inspired to be able to do it."
Jonny: "It's been great. From a creative standpoint, we're doing something different every day, which is different from what we've done in our live appearances when we're in people's homes and living rooms, and doing these shows at the malls and the BeatBash, and everything else. You get into that routine of playing an instrument, getting on stage. In this live show, we're almost treating it like a variety show. We're playing something different, we're crafting and we're doing, you know, it's kind of fun. It's neat. And doing it in front of a camera, where you're not getting a response from a physical human being, that's also a new experience for us. So, you're not riffing off of an audience, that's a new experience for us. So, you know, it's something to be learned for us and in new territory for us."
Matty: "But a necessary territory. I think there's always a silver lining. I think this is a way that we can reach people all over the world. And we were a regional act, generally speaking, until now. So this has given us a platform, and more than anything, we're just happy to be able to give kids continuity in this crazy time. That's the most important thing. But, we're in the business of smiles and we need to get those smiles. I need to see those smiles."
Jonny: "This is important for us. It's important for us to do this, it's continuity for us, as well, because as we play all these shows and for that to just end was really difficult for us. So this gives us some continuity, as well as it does for all of our clients and fans that have been out there, it offers them some continuity as well. It's a pleasure for us to offer that sense of normalcy and to come back into their living rooms and to be there for them. So, we enjoy it, we hope they enjoy it. It's been a pleasure for us to do, and we will continue to be there for all of those families."
Matty: "That's right. That's our goal: smiles."
What has life been like for you and your family/kids throughout this pandemic?
Matty: "There's no denying that this coronavirus thing has turned my world upside down as a parent. I'm having to be teacher, right? My kids are home from school, so more of a parent than I would normally be. And obviously, with the BeatBuds, trying to juggle that at the same time. So, I got a lot of hats on and I'm struggling to get through it. But, I'm also trying to maintain a sense of positivity, which the BeatBuds helps me with, so that I can give off a vibe to my children, one of positivity. I can't just come home and throw my hands up in the air and say, 'I can't handle this.' I gotta be the rock. And that's not easy to do, but I'm trying my best and I'm thankful for the BeatBuds to give me that continuity, at least every day doing the YouTube thing, and just come in here to the studio, and working on new material. That allows me to be that rock for my wife and my kids."
Jonny: "For me, with my family, it's a lot of the same, but I have a younger son, and my son's just a little older than two. So, this is vacation time for him and it's a lot of quality time with mom and dad right now, because we're both home. So, what he does remember of this time in his life will be really, really great, great memories, and really strong bond building, because it's getting a lot of dad right now. So you have, like you, the stress and all that other stuff. We tried to shield him from it, but it's there, because it's there for all of us, and we know that. And especially as parents in this field that we're working in, we really do understand and relate to all you parents, and we want to, if we can, take a moment to really applaud every single parent that is out there, the teachers, the doctors, everybody else, because you're doing an amazing, amazing job, because we are wearing so many different hats right now, and everyone's doing a really great job out there. So, at the same time, like I said, trying to shield my son from everything that's going on out there, and just be a positive light and being a positive light to all the kids that are out there by doing our BeatBuds show and BeatBuds Live show, and continue to do our birthday parties and just try to bring a sense of normalcy to the world that, right now, doesn't feel very normal. Matt touched on it earlier, but we're in the business of smiles. So, we just want to keep bringing smiles to all the kids that are out there — all our little Beat Buddies."
*This conversation has been edited for length and clarity