Brian Muñoz

Tell us about yourself as an artist/musician. What do you do?

Well, I'm a drummer. I do all sorts of percussion and drumming. I like to play bongos and congas in the background, but I'll do the drums if I do the main song. I'm also starting to learn how to produce music and get into Pro Tools, so I'll probably start making and recording my own music in the future.

Since you mentioned how percussion and drumming are your main thing, how long have you been mainly doing it?

Since I was nine, so for sixteen years, I've been just playing drums. I haven't played any other instrument, but I've been trying to learn how to play piano a bit. For now, it's just mainly drums.

What sparked your interest not only in drumming but in music overall?

All my brothers are musicians themselves. My oldest brother is great at the piano. A sound engineer and my other brother are a guitarist and produces his own music. He even graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in music and culture.

So basically, you guys can form a band at this point?

We legit could form a band. So I just grew up with music my whole life. I was born into it with my family and all that.

Tell us about your time at NOMU so far?

Honestly, I've been in and out of Norco College, but I finally came back and took it seriously. I'm going back for Audio Production. Honestly, these classes don't even feel like classes. They feel more like a fun experience. I always wanted to record and work with other musicians, so it doesn't feel like a class. The classes feel like a career move that I'm already trying to do. I like these classes a lot more compared to the prerequisite classes.

Do you have a favorite memory or experience during your time here so far?

I guess just this song that I'm working on right now with Christopher Dumond and David Lee. My favorite memory was when we started getting together and forming the song with the ideas that we had and joking around about different ideas. We were all just messing around, having a good time, and not taking it too seriously. At the same time, we were also having our musicianship collaborate with one another.

When you're writing or playing music, what influences constantly inspire you as a musician/artist (specific artist, film, art piece)?

I get a lot of my influence for drumming a lot from classic rock and funk as well. My influences range from Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Doors, and Carlos Santana (I'm also into a lot of Latin). Whenever I play the drums, I just put everything I picked up from them into my drumming. I put my feelings into the drums. So those are my influences.

What are your plans or goals in your life now concerning school, music, or just personally, any other pursuits?

So obviously, for school, I'm trying to get the certificate for Audio Production and maybe get the Bachelor's Degree in Audio Engineering. After school, I would like to pursue a career in selling my music or even be a concert promoter. I would like to throw shows and see people have a great time with shows that I've promoted or people that I work with have promoted. Basically, my future is music.

Any hobbies outside of music that you're interested in?

Definitely, my hobbies are skating, snowboarding, kickboxing, video games, and Hacky Sack. I also like to dance although I'm not as good as Christopher Dumond...or David Lee. I also like to read motivational books as well in my spare time.

Are there any motivational books that you would like to recommend?

"You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life" and "Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick" both by Jen Sincero. Those books helped me out through tough times. The author is very engaging, and you can connect with her. Motivational books really do help people out.

Is there anything you want to say to people reading this?

Just be happy. If you're going through tough times, it's ok. Charlie Chaplin said, "Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles." Be happy with the loved ones you have. Be nice to people. Be social, make new friends, don't be afraid to go out to the world and experience new things. You only have one life, so you might as well make the most of it and be a good person while doing it. Be legendary and make a staple from it.

Album Credits:

Gravity

Lately
Stay

Louder than Words

Listen
Without You
Used
Listen (Acoustic)