“Four Answers for José Medeles”
by Brendan Buckley

-WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A YOUNG DRUMMER?

Practice often. Create, create, create. Combine persistence with passion. Learn empathy.

-WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS YOU ADMIRE IN A DRUMMER?

I admire a drummer who can put his or her ego aside to become a team-oriented player.
I admire a drummer who embodies consistency (in time, feel, professionalism).
I admire a drummer who blends creativity with stability.

-WHAT SHOULD A DRUMMER ASK THEMSELVES BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS?

Am I comfortable? Am I prepared? Am I ready to create art?

-NAME ONE VIRTUE A DRUMMER SHOULD POSSESS IN YOUR OPINION.

Control. An elite drummer should possess control of time, dynamics, arrangement, breathing, body-mechanics, emotion, syncopation, subdivision, expression, communication.

Favorite Albums of 2020

— Deftones: Ohms
— Charli XCX: How I’m Feeling Now
— Perfume Genius: Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
— Atwater Punx: EP
— Run The Jewels: RTJ4
— Tame Impala: The Slow Rush
— The Soft Pink: Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?
— John Scofield: Swallow Tales
— Four Tet: Sixteen Oceans
— Soccer Mommy: Color Theory
— Joe Wong: Nite Creatures
— Nubya Garcia: Source

Favorite Films of 2020 (… I didn’t see much)

— Greyhound
— The Social Dilemma
— Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
— Class Action Park
— Hamilton
— Onward
— * The Mandalorian

“Girl Like Me”

Black Eyed Peas with Shakira

I co-wrote this song with Shakira, Albert Menendez, and Tim Mitchell as a batch of material during the “She Wolf” and “Sale El Sol” recording sessions. Over 10 years later, this song gained new life thanks to the up-to-date production of the Black Eyed Peas.

A TINY AUDIENCE (season 3)

I was asked to be part of the rhythm section for the tv show A Tiny Audience along with my friends Tim Mitchell (guitar), Albert Menendez (piano), Adella Rudnizki (guitar), and Luis Guzman (bass). In the show, we perform with various artists, rearranging their hits into acoustic “unplugged” versions. This season included: La India, Robin Thicke, Becky G, Leslie Grace, Justin Quiles, Aleks Syntek, Jesse Reyes, Jay Wheeler, Danna Paola, Carla Morrison, Guaynaa, Manuel Medrano, and Zion & Lennox.