Juan Alderete: Life Sucks…And Then You Play!

Bass and pedal master Juan Alderete talks tone, injury recovery, and his new role holding it down for Marilyn Manson.

Juan Alderete: Life Sucks…And Then You Play!

Bass and pedal master Juan Alderete talks tone, injury recovery, and his new role holding it down for Marilyn Manson.

Alderete rocking with Manson Juan Alderete is a master of versatility. From the progressive rock of the Mars Volta to the alternative hip-hop of Deltron 3030 and Dr. Octagon to backing up singer/songwriter Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) and blasting out high-octane punk-rock shows with actress Juliette Lewis, Alderete has performed in just about every genre of popular music over his 30-plus-year career. But it hasn’t always been that way. Alderete cut his teeth as a “band” guy, first in ’80s shred-metal act Racer X and then the Scream, a blues-rock outfit that included one-time Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi. “It was always my own band, so it was basically my rules — meaning how I approached playing bass and songwriting,” he recalls. “When those two bands ended, really, the only way to do shit was to play for other people. It was a lot of figuring out how to get work.” Clearly, he’s figured it out, as his ethos has led him to some unique gigs, most recently a
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