Hello all-

My name is Estevan “Pudge” Barrientez. I am 25 years old and from San Antonio, Texas. I’ve never written a blog before, so please bear with me as I get used to this. I am preparing to chase my dream as a professional musician in Nashville, but before I get to that….a little about me…

I started playing Piano when I was in the second grade, and I began classical percussion in 6th grade. I have been studying percussion for about 13 years now including middle and high school. When I finished high school I moved to Austin, TX to attend the University of Texas at Austin. I began as a freshman studying music education and quickly, for lack of better phrase, got lost in the sauce. I lost my way musically and in my education, so I moved back to San Antonio. This turned out to be one of the best things to happen to me as I began to Attend the University of the Incarnate Word, pursuing a degree in Music Industry Studies. At this point of my life, I began to focus on drum set. After playing in the University’s Big Band, Jazz Combo, and some outside gigs I realized that I had found my way back to my music path. I attended the University of Incarnate Word for the next two years and finished my B.A. in Music with an emphasis in Music Industry Studies. 

After completing my undergraduate degree, I was once again faced with a lost path. Unsure of what to pursue next, I began to research getting a teaching certificate in Texas. As I got started down this path, I realized that I was missing something. The calling to perform and chase the dream of becoming a professional musician hit home, and I decided to apply to Belmont University to pursue a MM in Commercial Music with a Performance Emphasis. After being accepted to the school of music, I am now in the process of moving up there. 

I feel like something important to mention is some of my musical influences and some of my hobbies. My biggest musical influences, in no particular order, are: Steve Jordan, Buddy Rich, Nate Smith,  Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Bernard Purdie, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, The Eagles, the Bee Gees, James Brown,  OutKast, Michael Jackson, Daft Punk…the list goes on and on.

In addition to drumming something I have always had interest in is music production and poetry. These two things I have always had fun with and have been a hobby for me since high school. My other big passion is basketball (Go Spurs Go!). While I probably won’t go into too much detail about these subjects, I figured these are some important things to mention. 

As I begin this journey, I thought a blog would be a great way to document my journey and hopefully share some knowledge. I will be doing two main posts in this blog. Every Tuesday I will be posting an original poem to share some original type of art.  In addition every Saturday I will be making a post that will talk about things pertaining to music (ex. practice habits, musicianship, production, new projects, guest musicians). 

I hope that anybody who reads this blog finds something that may help them on their journey. Feel free to shoot me a note in the “Contact” page with any questions you might have or topic suggestions!

Until next time,

Pudge