An old ukulele — bought at an Army-Navy store — started Merrill Garbus on the path to drum-looping, face-painting renown with her band tUnE-yArDs. She told Kurt Andersen that her mother’s uke helped her make the career switch from aspiring puppeteer to inventive musician and critical darling.

Garbus brought her ukulele to WNYC’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space for a special live taping of Studio 360. She brought the audience to its feet with songs off her new album w h o k i l l, including “Bizness” and “Gangsta.” It was a special thrill to watch her use a loop pedal to layer her voice and beats live.

Garbus’ full interview will air this weekend — but for now, you can watch both songs, recorded live.

Video: Merill Garbus’ tUnE-yArDs performs “Bizness”

Video: Merrill Garbus’ tUnE-yArDs performs “Gangsta”