I recently had the chance to sit down with Jack Pawela, General Manager of The Music Company, to learn more about the Beach Break Sessions — a unique live-style video series spotlighting local bands in an intimate setting. He shared some honest and fascinating insights into the challenges, goals, and impact of these sessions. Jack plays a major role in running these sessions and has been one of the biggest players in bringing them to life. In this interview he discusses the origin story of the sessions, challenges they faced early on, and where they’re headed.
Q: What inspired The Music Company to create the Beach Break Sessions?
Jack explained that the goal was to provide a professional platform where local artists could showcase their music in a raw, live format. “We wanted to capture bands performing in a way that felt real and powerful — something that isn’t just a polished studio track, but the energy of a live show.”
Q: Were there any early challenges getting the sessions off the ground?
“Absolutely,” Jack said. “In the beginning, we had tons of technical issues — audio cutting in and out, equipment not cooperating, and just figuring out the whole workflow. It took longer than we expected to smooth things out, but now we have a solid setup and process.” He emphasized how important it was to create an environment where artists felt comfortable. “It’s weird for a band to perform like it’s a concert when it’s just a couple of people and cameras in a room. Many of these musicians have never done a live-in-studio recording before, so part of our job is helping them relax and feel confident so they can really open up and deliver their best performance.”
Jack then recalled one of the early sessions with artist Joe Marson: “When we filmed Joe Marson’s session, there was a power outage that morning right when we were about to load in. We had no idea how long it would last, and it ended up taking about 2 hours. We were all feeling ready to go and getting antsy to get started, and we knew we couldn’t keep the band there all night. Even though we knew what we were doing by that point, after 2 hours of waiting, we felt a lot of pressure to get the session up and running as quickly as possible once the power came back. It went smoothly, they played great, and we made a really great video of the session, but it was totally an exercise in working under pressure while putting forth a relaxed and smooth tone for the session.”
Q: How do these sessions benefit the artists?
Jack sees the sessions as a valuable tool for bands to diversify their content and engage fans in new ways. “Plus, it’s great material for them to show venues and promoters. It’s like part of their electronic press kit — it helps them get gigs and build their careers.” He also talked about the bigger vision for the sessions: “We want to grow into a platform that helps local artists get noticed, kind of like NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. That’s the dream — to build a reputation for quality local music discovery and help launch careers.”
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of running the Beach Break Sessions?
“For me, it’s seeing bands who haven’t had this experience before walk away with something professional and meaningful. It’s a lot of work on our end, but knowing that we’re helping artists create something they might not have been able to do on their own makes it all worthwhile.”
Q: How do Beach Break Sessions support The Music Company’s nonprofit mission?
“At the end of the day, Beach Break Sessions are about access,” Jack said. “A lot of these artists wouldn’t be able to afford a high-end studio production like this — and we’re giving them that chance. That’s core to our mission at TMC: creating opportunities for musicians who need support, and helping them reach new audiences with professional-quality work.”
Q: Why are Beach Break Sessions important to the local music community?
“We’re not just filming cool sessions — we’re building something bigger,” Jack said. “This series is about lifting up the San Diego music scene and giving it the spotlight it deserves. We want to be a launchpad for local talent and a space where collaboration and community can thrive. That’s what TMC is all about, and it’s why we like to say that we’re, ‘Turning Up the Volume on San Diego Music!’”
The Beach Break Sessions are a true testament to The Music Company’s commitment to supporting and growing the local music scene with genuine, high-quality content. If you’re an artist interested in being featured visit our page of past sessions HERE & fill out an application HERE
