Alejandra Villarreal
Alejandra Villarreal | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alejandra Villarreal Vélez |
| Also known as | Ale |
| Born | 13 December 2004 San Pedro Monterrey, Mexico |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
Alejandra Villarreal Vélez (born 13 December 2004) is a Mexican musician. She is the bassist, backing vocalist, pianist, and songwriter for the band The Warning.
Life and career
Villarreal was born in Monterrey, Mexico.
From early childhood she took part in music appreciation and dance classes. At age six she began piano lessons.
In 2012, she began bass lessons, after taking an interest in the instrument through watching concert recordings with her family. After a month of playing, she had her first outing with her sisters, playing as a band at a Mexican Christmas party known as Posadas at their school.
The following year, with her sisters Daniela and Paulina, the band would be formally named The Warning.
Videos of the band practicing and performing covers were posted on YouTube to share with family members. In 2014, their cover of Metallica’s ”Enter Sandman” went viral, now having over 25 million views.
Alejandra's bass teacher, Pablo González Sarre (bassist for Los Claxons), encouraged the three sisters to explore songwriting and composing music.[1][2]
The band's first single, "Free-Falling" was released on 24 March 2015 with their first EP, "Escape the Mind", following on 14 April 2015.
Through a successful GoFundMe campaign and a donation from The Ellen DeGeneres Show[3], the family was able to fund the three sisters to attend a 5-week training program at Berklee College of Music.[4] Alejandra was given an age-waiver as the minimum age for the course was 14, Alejandra was 10.
Equipment
Bass Guitars
2012 Alejandra played a Red Yamaha TRBX174 at a School Posada.
2013 - late 2016 Alejandra used a Red Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Bass.[5]
Notable showcases of her using this Bass can be seen in the 2014 viral cover of Metallica’s ”Enter Sandman”, during The Ellen DeGeneres Show performance in 2015, for the 'Young Girls Love to Rock' TEDx presentation in 2016 and in The Warning's first music video, XXI Century Blood (2017).
The Bass would later be referenced in the music video Six Feet Deep (2024) with a depiction of young Alejandra practicing in her room.
2016 a 2009 Gibson SG Standard Bass was used for their cover of Foo Fighters' ”The Pretender”.
Late 2016 - early 2018, Alejandra switched to using a White Fender Mustang PJ Bass.
Notable appearances of this Bass are seen during the 'You’ve been warned!' 2017 TEDx presentation. Opening 2 nights for Def Leppard in Mexico, Fall 2017 and for the Dakota Studio Bar show in Monterrey, N.L., Mexico (Jan 19, 2018).
Spring 2018 a fan of The Warning gifted Alejandra two Spector Bass guitars, a Black Metallic Flake - Euro4 Rachel Bolan signature and a White Euro 4LX bass.
Alejandra talks about upgrading the preamp to a Spector HAZ US 9v preamp in an interview she conducted for Spector.[6]
The Euro4 Rachel Bolan signature was first showcased when the band opened 2 nights for The Killers in their home-city of Monterrey, Mexico. It can also be seen during the band's showcase of their 2nd album, Queen of the Murder Scene, held at Lunario CDMX del Auditorio Nacional (Mexico City, Mexico) (Nov 25, 2018).
2019, Alejandra used a Martin BCPA4 Acoustic Bass[7]for a series of acoustic sessions.
During this year Alejandra became a Spector artist, age 15, and set about with the Spector team to design her own signature bass. Her signature bass guitar, a custom Spector NS5-XL called "Ale's Inferno" was delivered to her in 2020 during the production of The Warning's third studio album, ERROR.
This time-period also marked her switch from playing 4-string to 5-string Bass guitars.
2021, Alejandra would mix between her signature "Ale's Inferno" alongside a gifted Natural Tan finished Spector NS-5XL bass, first seen at Welcome to Rockville festival and later in the music video MORE.
A Black Spector Euro 5LX Alex Webster signature, makes appearances in music videos for DISCIPLE, Martirio and for the Las Wawas wedding band in Qué Más Quieres.
"Ale's Inferno" can be seen in numerous music videos, such as EVOLVE and CHOKE along with being used during the band's complete showcase of ERROR at Teatro Metropólitan (Mexico City, Mexico) in Fall of 2022.
Alejandra would return the favour of the gifted guitars in the Fall of 2023 where she presented the same fan with the first production model of the Spector USA Custom Shop NS-2 Neck-Thru “Ale’s Inferno” Bass Guitar w/ EMGs.
2023, a gifted Spector NS-5XL with Hyper Blue finish became her main live bass alongside "Ale's Inferno", seen in the live performance recording of Hell You Call a Dream held at the Pepsi Center (Mexico City) (Oct 28, 2023) also being used during The Warning's trip to Japan in 2024, where they recorded and shot a music video for SHOW THEM, a collaboration with Band-Maid.
Alejandra's Bass Guitars would all be modified to include LED lights along the side of the fretboard, installed by a UK company Sims Guitar.
Strings
2020 Alejandra was using DR Strings DR Bass Strings HI-Beams 040-100.
2023 during a Gear Masters interview[8] by 'Digital Tour Bus' she states that she uses D'Addario NYXL 45-130.
Pedal-board
2016 Alejandra discusses her pedalboard for Guitar Gear.[9]
2023 during the Gear Masters interview by Digital Tour Bus she discusses her pedalboard[10] made up of a: Pre-Amp - Aguilar Tone Hammer, Dark Glass - Microtubes B3K - CMOS Bass Overdrive and Tuner : Peterson StroboStomp HD.
References
- ↑ "Sopitas - Interview with Pablo González Sarre". 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ↑ "Ser FAMILIA las hace una BANDA muy UNIDA - The Warning" (Interview). Mexico: Revista C-Level. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ "The Warning - Ellen DeGeneres TV Show (2015)" (Interview). Interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres. The Warning Army. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ Keefe-Feldman, Mike (14 August 2015). "Berklee Summer Programs". Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ Osweiler, Rich (23 December 2013). "Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Bass Review". Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ↑ "From a Distance: Alejandra Villarreal" (Interview). OfficialSpector. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ Osweiler, Rich (11 August 2013). "Martin BCPA4 Bass Review". Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ↑ "The Warning's Alejandra Villarreal Vélez - GEAR MASTERS Ep. 473" (Interview). Digital Tour Bus. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ "Pedalboards: Alejandra The Warning" (Interview). Guitar Gear. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ↑ "The Warning's Alejandra Villarreal Vélez - GEAR MASTERS Ep. 473" (Interview). Digital Tour Bus. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
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