Modern Drummer

The Stoic Drummer by José Medeles. Life (Drum) Lessons: A Quartet of Books Written by Drummers

Subtitled A Look at Drumming and Musicality Inspired by the Writings of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Others, The Stoic Drummer by Breeders/Modest Mouse/Ben Harper drummer and Revival Drum Shop owner José Medeles is, in his words, a collection of axioms relating the philosophy of stoicism to the practice of drumming. You don’t need a doctorate in philosophy to find value here; the bite-sized chunks of wisdom couldn’t be easier to absorb. That doesn’t mean this is “light” reading, though. Sometimes the simplest concepts are the toughest to apply to our own lives, so the benefits to readers are ultimately up to them. But if you’re looking to challenge your attitude, as opposed to, say, your beat-displacement abilities, you could look to worse sources than this elegant little publication. It’s even presented in a classy hard-cover design and comes with a fancy ribbon-style bookmark. ($25, josemedeles.com)