BIOGRAPHY

Fernando was first a geologist for a few years after studying everything but music at Boston and Oxford Universities. But soon as he devoted himself to playing professionally (though he began drumming at age 12), Fernando began an odyssey, the range of which challenges the imagination: sharing the stage with the likes of Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd.), Eddie Money and FAUN; US and European tours with acts like Christian Death and After The Crash; a London musical with Ezra Axelrod; the Panama Jazz Fest to SXSW; top-40 band residencies at five-star hotels in Macau and Shenzhen; tracks for Volkswagen commercials and online Ultimate Arcade games; even live soundtrack performances of F.W. Murnau’s silent film, Nosferatu. The man rolls with it! Life gave him a snare drum– he played it with rudimental precision in the Boston Crusaders Drum Corps. Buckets and sticks– he taught grooves to street kids in Central America. Steel thermos and ballpoint pen– he improvised infectious rhythms while dancing amongst Algerians on the banks of the Seine River in Paris, exuberantly accompanying their folkloric music. To work with Fernando is not just to work with a drummer, but a unique, rhythmic co-creator. To tour with Fernando is not simply to have a tour-mate, but an adaptable, personable globe-trotter. Fernando Medina is the nexus of musical and life experience seasoned with intuition, energy and a resilient sense of humor.

 

NEWS

ONLINE LINKS

CONTACT INFO
fernandogrooves (at) gmail (dot) com

FACT SHEET

Equipment:
Drum Kits = Tama
Snare Drums = Tama, DW, Yamaha
Cymbals = Soultone
Pedals = DW
Hardware =Tama & Yamaha
Drum Heads = Remo & Evans
Cases = Gator
Sticks/Other Implements = Vic Firth, ProMark, hardware store, recycle bin
Other = mounted & hand percussion

Influences:
Tony Allen, Stewart Copeland, Deantoni Parks, Tom Waits, JoJo Mayer, Budgie, Neil Peart, Dave Grohl, Billy Cobham, Bill Bruford

Genres/Styles:
rock (indie, prog, alternative, punk, metal, etc.), singer-songwriter, pop, reggae, world music, funk, r&b, folk, blues, electronica, neoclassical, experimental, instrumental

Notable Past Venues & Festivals:
CBGB’s Gallery — New York, NY
Knitting Factory — New York, NY
Roxy Theatre — Los Angeles, CA
Whisky A Go-Go — Los Angeles, CA
Rainbow Bar & Grill — Los Angeles, CA
Middle East — Boston, MA
TT the Bear’s Place — Boston, MA
Lupo’s — Providence, RI
Newport Blues Cafe — Newport, RI
Hard Rock Cafe — Chicago, IL
Double Door — Chicago, IL
Elbo Room — Chicago, IL
The Note — Chicago, IL
Ophelia’s — Denver, CO
Mishawaka Amphitheater — Bellvue, CO
Dirty Dog Bar — Austin, TX
O’Riley’s — Dallas, TX
The Masquerade — Atlanta, GA
Downtown Disney — Orlando, FL
Leicester Square Theatre — London, UK
Union Chapel — London, UK
Dingwalls — London, UK
Mars — Oslo, Norway
Studion — Stockholm, Sweden
Vega — Copenhagen, Denmark
Paradiso — Amsterdam, Holland
Magasin 4 — Brussels, Belgium
La Locomotive — Paris, France
Garatge — Barcelona, Spain
Caracol — Madrid, Spain
Backstage — Munich, Germany
Knaack — Berlin, Germany
Logo — Hamburg, Germany
La Case A Chocs — Neuchatel, Switzerland
Binario Zero — Milan, Italy
Frontiera — Rome, Italy
Woodstock Club — Athens, Greece
Mandarin Oriental Bar — Macau, China
V-Bar — Shenzhen, China
Florida Music Festival — Orlando, FL
SXSW Music Festival — Austin, TX
GFEST — London, UK
Panama Jazz Festival — Panama City, Panama
Tribal Vision — Taos, NM
Taste of Chicago — Chicago, IL
Lincoln Park Arts & Music Festival — Chicago, IL
Go Girls Music/SXSW Music Festival — Austin, TX
CMJ Music Marathon — New York, NY
Black Easter Festival — Ghent, Belgium
Wave Gotik Treffen Festival — Leipzig, Germany

 

NEWS

NOTABLE ARTISTS TOURED AND/OR RECORDED WITH

SELECT TESTIMONIALS

“You’ve just confirmed my admiration for you as a consummate, tasteful & brilliant musician (well beyond being a good time keeping drummer).” 

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David Bergeaud – Composer / Multi-Instrumentalist / Producer, Los Angeles

“He is a highly dedicated musician with a real passion for the art of rhythm.”

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Anthony Schultz – Owner of Big T Productions / Chair of Boston Section of Audio Engineering Society, Boston

“Fernando Medina is an outstanding percussionist and wonderful to work with!”

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Tim Janis – Producer / Director / Filmmaker / Composer, Boston

“You are one of the most unique and talented musos I have ever encountered. You weave melodies out of percussion, a feat rarely achieved by drummers. You have given incredible backbone to my music.” 
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Ezra Axelrod – Composer / Songwriter, London

“…The planetary drumming and percussion of former (and lifetime) Neovoxer-ist Mx. Fernando Medina.”
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Michael Pope – Filmmaker, NYC

“Fernando stepped into difficult and time-constrained circumstances while substituting for Future Rock. He conducted himself as a total professional and nailed our original compositions in the first rehearsal. We were impressed.”
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Felix Moreno – Bassist, Future Rock, Chicago

“Great stage presence and faultless player. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending him for any gig, tour, recording session.”
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PJ Phillips – Professional Bassist / Director of Regulus Music Ltd., London

“He is one of the most musical, textural, melodious drummers I’ve had the pleasure to play with ~ a rhythm painter.”
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Ariana Saraha – Vocalist / Songwriter, Flight Behavior, Denver

“I had worked with Fernando Medina on my album, Dead Lover’s Society. He arranged and played the drum section for my single, “Little Black Cat.” Fernando is very professional and easy to work with. During the recording session he nailed his part in every take. He is an awesome drummer!”
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Lucien Desar – Composer, NYC

“Endlessly creative and energetic, Fernando set the standard for what I hope for when I hire a session musician.”
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Steve Berman – Composer, Berman-Branco Music, Boston

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