Rio Rancho brothers jump-started music biz with sax appeal

RIO RANCHO – How about those talented Buckner brothers of Rio Rancho?

Joseph Buckner plays saxophone. Jonathan Buckner plays center field.

Together, the Rio Rancho High School brothers, a freshman and sophomore, respectively, collaborate on electronic music projects that they hope someday will earn them cash, if not a living. You won’t see them at a Taylor Swift concert.

“Joseph makes music and I do everything else,” Jonathan said, which includes research and social media posting. “For me, it’s fun.”

For now, it’s mostly seeing rave reviews on Instagram from people who have heard Joseph’s compositions on Spotify and other streaming platforms, but “mostly on Instagram,” says Joseph, known in the RRHS hallways as “JAAB Music.”.

Joseph, 15, said he’s not sure why he chose to pick up a saxophone as a fifth grader and make that his instrument of choice, it’s just how things happened during his years at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary and then Lincoln Middle School.

“I was like, the saxophone looks cool,” he said, recalling when he made his choice among instruments. “It wasn’t, really, like a reason.”

Now, he says, whenever a music director is looking for someone to do a solo, he’s more than ready.

Some of his initial interest came from listening to Kenny G, but when it comes to creating jazz, Charlie Parker gets it done for him.

“I got exposed to electronic music from a game … that’s how I started,” he said. “I didn’t even know it existed. I just have so much fun, making that kind of music.”

Now, he’s in the RRHS marching band and jazz band, and had the opportunity to join the University of New Mexico pep band, playing in The Pit during the sold-out Lobos’ basketball game vs. San Diego State on Jan. 13.

“I sit in here for hours and hours every day,” Joseph said. “It doesn’t feel like a chore for me. It’s fun.”

Occasionally, the two will go outside and shoot baskets, with a hoop out front.

Jonathan, 16, doesn’t have any interest in playing an instrument, his role in the partnership is research and development of a sort, namely finding platforms to get his brother’s music on.

“I help Joseph by managing and stuff,” he said. “Before he even started the music stuff, I wanted to get into drop-shipping or something; I was trying to figure out some kind of product. And then when Joseph started doing music and stuff, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s easy; that’s perfect, the perfect thing.

“Working together with my brother, that’s so cool to do,” he added, remembering when they got a bright idea while “We were looking for something to sell.

“What if we start promoting your music? What if we make your music the product? We can do this,” Jonathan remembered. “We’ve made a tiny bit (of money so far).”

You’ve got to love their creativity and enthusiasm, all granted them by their parents, Jonathan Sr. and Amalia Buckner, who the boys say prefer music genres of hip hop and Spanish, respectively.

“They help us stay balanced,” Jonathan said. But how can they mind? Their sons are doing well in their studies, with both earning grade point averages of 4.0 and better.

Plus, says Jonathan Jr., “School comes first for us,” without his parents prodding him. “I feel like school is the key to our future, it’s like the root of how all of this works.”

“This homie is grindin’ on thanksgiving,” which you can see on YouTube – the Buckners have 58 YouTube subscribers and over 11,000 Instagram followers (@Jaab_Music_Official) – and shows Joseph playing the keyboard with his Thanksgiving meal at his left; he seems too intent on making his music than making himself full.

“I just want to perform shows,” says Joseph, who also finds time and a little cash to do some DJ work locally. He’s a fan of DJVI and Alan Walker.

“We have a lot of ideas that we want to start,” Jonathan concluded. “We get a lot of feedback, which is so nice that people want to support young artists.

“This is fun for us.”