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Juan Alderete

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Juan Alderete

Juan Alderete (September 5, 1963) is an American bassist known for his work with the band The Mars Volta. Prior to his work with that band, he was known for playing in Racer X, where he received credit as John Alderete.

Biography

Juan Alderete was born John Peter Alderete in Los Angeles, CA the fourth of five children to Angel and Alicia Alderete. After moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco in the late '70's, he began to build interest in playing music when he was a teenager.

He was exposed to jazz music on a weekly basis by his father who was a big fan of jazz music, and often played it around the Alderete household. Alderete's other early influences included his brother Carl's progressive rock albums, which included bands such as Yes, Rush, King Crimson, etc. He started learning the basics of the bass guitar when he was 16, and was influenced by such players as Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee, and Stanley Clarke. His fascination with the bass guitar revolved around it being a somewhat "underappreciated" instrument at the time.

After high school, Juan enrolled in Musicians Institute in Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA). He enjoyed his time in the school, explaining that he was able to learn techniques and styles that he had never even considered prior to his enrollment. Juan and fellow student Paul Gilbert started their musical relationship during an audition that Paul held to find a drummer. Juan showed up at the audition, bringing a Musician's Institute student and drum-playing friend named Bill Lescohier. Although Lescohier was turned down for the part, Paul was impressed with Juan's bass playing; the two quickly sought to form a speed metal band that would incorporate Paul's advanced neo-classical metal guitar technique with Juan's solid bass lines. To complete the band, Harry Gschoesser joined to fill the drummer position, and Jeff Martin became the vocalist; the group named themselves Racer X (a title that Lescohier had suggested). With this lineup, the band released their debut album, Street Lethal, in 1986. Juan has been recording with Racer X ever since (note: there was a ten-year hiatus starting from 1989), and their latest album was released in 2002, titled Getting Heavier. Juan is credited as John Alderete on all Racer X albums.

However, four years after the creation of the band, Paul Gilbert left Racer X to form the band Mr. Big. The remaining members of Racer X decided to stay active in music, although they went their separate ways. For the next ten years, Juan would be involved in several different bands (including The Scream, DC-10, Big Sir, and Distortion Felix) as well as becoming an instructor at Musicians Institute. Not long after, he released his first instructional video on bass techniques and modulation. Juan has also played with Metallica.

Although Extreme Volume II: Live was released in 1992, Racer X was not actually reunited. That year, Paul Gilbert was touring with Mr. Big, and Juan was recording with a hard rock band called The Scream. In actuality, the album was just a compilation of songs that were recorded in concerts before the hiatus. However, around 1999, Juan got a telephone call from Paul Gilbert, who asked if there was any possibility of recording another Racer X album. Juan agreed, and Racer X reunited to record Technical Difficulties, which features new material as well as older songs that were never recorded.

In 2003, while working as a radio producer Alderete received a call from Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta while on their European tour with an offer to audition for the band:

Eventually I auditioned, but they gave me no sign of whether I was cutting it or not. But they said I could leave my gear for the next day. On the second day, I didn’t think I played that well. We jammed some more on the third day, but I was having trouble with this crazy drum break in “Roulette Dares” from the first record. I just couldn’t hear what I was supposed to be doing, so I told Omar, “I don’t know why I’m not getting it, but I’ll really work on it,” and he said, “You’d better get it down, because we have a show on Thursday.”[1]

He went on to record Frances The Mute in 2004. Since joining the band, he has played at Madison Square Garden and was featured on the front cover of the March, 2005 issue of Bass Player Magazine.

In addition Alderete co-produced the film The Sentimental Engine Slayer with Rodriguez-Lopez and former Mars Volta bandmate Paul Hinojos.[2]

Personal life

On May 1st, 2007 Alderete announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare blood disease called Polycythemia vera. However he also mentioned that he is feeling fine, will experience no side effects from the medication, and will continue to play music.[3] Since discovering his condition, Juan had agreed to become a spokesperson for the MPD Foundation.

Technique and Equipment

Juan Alderete's Equipment as of 2005:

Basses

Juan had sold all his Fender basses on ebay and donated money to the MPD Foundation for research on blood disorders. He now exclusively uses Lakland basses.

The Laklands that Juan had on tour are:

  • a white Darryl Jones Signature
  • a black custom fretless
  • a red Bob Glaub signature

Lakland had made Juan a bass that if popular, will become a signature model, assumed to be based on his modified 70's fretless Fender Jazz that he used during the "Frances the Mute" tour.

  • Darryl Jones model body
  • Fretless neck with painted lines
  • Volume/Volume/Tone. (Passive)
  • Precision/Jazz pickup orientation
  • "Curb" style thumb rest
  • Killswitch

For live shows he was most recently using a white model with a white pickguard and maple fingerboard.

Amplifiers

  • Mid-'70s Ampeg SVT Amplifier (now Ampeg SVT-VR heads with 8x10" SVT cabs)
  • Early '70s Acoustic 360 preamp and folded 18" cabinet (the "Jaco rig")

Juan was featured on the first issue of the online magazine Resonate, talking about his Ampeg Rig.

Influenced by players like Jaco Pastorius, Juan's main playing technique was to use the "standard" fingers to pluck the strings with his right hand (two fingers: index and middle). He would occasionally use Dunlop Gel picks, as well as his signature picks. He was also known to use two-handed tapping techniques and even slapping/popping.

Effects Pedals[1]

  • MXR DC Brick
  • Electro-Harmonix Bass Synthesizer ('70s version)
  • Two DigiTech Whammy IV Pedals
  • moogerfooger MF-102 Ring Modulator
  • DigiTech Digital Delay
  • Boss LS-2 Line Selector
  • Fulltone Fuzz
  • Musitronics Mutron III
  • Musitronics Mutron Micro V
  • Electro-Harmonix Sovtek Fuzz (second issue)
  • MXR Phase 100
  • Digitech Bass Synth Wah
  • Boss PN-2 Pan Tremolo
  • Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
  • Two Boss CS-2 Compressor/Sustainers
  • Dunlop Bass Crybaby Wah
  • Boss OC-2 Octave
  • Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
  • Line 6 DL4 Delay
  • Ernie Ball Volume Pedal

Discography

With Racer X

With The Scream

With Paul Gilbert

With Distortion Felix

With Big Sir

With The Mars Volta

With Omar Rodriguez-Lopez

With Free Moral Agents

With B'z

With Vato~Negro

Misc.

References

  1. ^ Back on Track
  2. ^ Da oportunidad a talento de EP - Diario.com.mx: Edición Cd. Juárez
  3. ^ BLABBERMOUTH.NET - RACER X Bassist Diagnosed With Rare Blood Disease

[2]

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