Meet John

John Fuentes has been passionate about drumming since he was a boy, finding every pot and pan he could to practice as often as possible (annoying his parents to no end)! John's first achievement came as a teenager when he held first chair in the Pasadena High School marching band. As a young man, he played percussion in orchestra, jazz, and latin ensembles, and later furthered his music education at Pasadena City College with a major in music.

John has mastered his craft for decades, performing multitudes of styles and genres with a variety of local and well-known musicians. In the 1990s, he performed throughout Asia to sold out stadiums with pop star Tiffany for her "Dreams Never Die" world tour. John has also studied with some of some of the world's most influential drummers, including Terry Bozzio and Tito Puente. He has been a recording artist for MCA, Fonovisa, and Metalblade records, and most recently toured with Puerto Rican recording artist Noelia. 

In addition to working with various artists, John started his own band called Maya and the Soul Takers ft John Fuentes. This poprock band plays originals and covers featuring a 23 year old rising artist whose voice will capture your soul. The band has already played a sold-out show at St Rocke in Hermosa Beach in December, 2023. John’s experience playing with world reknown artists, teaching new up and comers, and having a large fan base has helped this new band’s early suceess.

John opened Fuentech Drum School in 2003 at its current location in Torrance, CA, and has been successfully teaching hundreds of students for the last 13 years.