Fernando G.

Fernando is of El Salvadorian descent and was born and raised in San Diego, California. Early on, he was greatly influenced by the music his parents listened to. Artists like Miles Davis, James Brown, Tito Puente, and Led Zeppelin.
During 1999, Fernando started developing an interest in playing music after watching an inspirational performance at a local music venue. He soon joined the school band program, with expectations of playing drums right away, but instead was disappointed after being stuck on the french horn till the end of the semester. Months later, he received his first drum set and joined many local start-up rock bands. As Fernando progressed, he joined the high school drum-line, and in 2007 he traveled to New York for a week long drum camp. There he studied with Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Dave Weckl, and Steve Smith.
The beginning of 2009 marked the time when Fernando started playing professional gigs around Southern California. He began performing with a variety of artists and musical bands ranging from reggae/ska bands and small piano trios to live salsa orchestras. "Music is all about connecting with people, whether they are musicians or non-musicians, music is good for the soul. I love all music, I try to keep an open mind because, you can always learn something new from every musical experience." His mastery of his instrument has given him the opportunity to travel and play with many different artists. Fernando now works on his original project and tours with The Steph Johnson Trio and is one of the founding members of The Afrojazziacs. In addition to his freelance work, he currently teaches private lessons and provides customized drum tracks for artists all over the world.