Juan Alderete de la Peña
| Juan Alderete | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born |
September 5, 1963 Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock, hard rock, heavy metal, speed metal, Progressive metal, experimental rock, Hardcore punk, Hip hop music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Associated acts |
Racer X The Scream The Mars Volta Big Sir Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Group Vato Negro Distortion Felix Zavalaz Deltron 3030 Halo Orbit |
| Website | http://www.pedalsandeffects.com |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Fender Jazz Bass Lakland Daryl Jones Fender Precision Bass |
|
Juan Alderete de la Peña (born September 5, 1963) is a Mexican-American musician, best known as the longtime bassist of Racer X and The Mars Volta.
Alderete was born in Los Angeles, CA the fourth of five children to Angel and Alicia Alderete. After moving from Los Angeles to Novato, California in the late 1970s, 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.
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