Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Vallejo
Hi Alex, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Our band VALLEJO came to Austin in 1995 and slowly built our following on 6th Street at venues like Steamboat and Antone’s. In 1996 we were signed to TVT Records (Nine Inch Nails, Sevendust, Lil’ John) and toured all over the world opening for 90’s alt-rock bands such as Stone Temple Pilots, Fuel, Matchbox 20 and Three Doors Down.
In 2000, the band was signed to Crescent Moon/Sony Music (Emilio Estefan’s record label on Epic Records and husband of Gloria Estefan from the Miami Sound Machine). The band continued touring and slowly building recording studios in Austin, where we recorded our own albums and also started recording local bands. In 2002, VMG (Vallejo Music Group) was started consisting of two recording facilities, VMG Studios and 512 Studios on South Lamar in Austin, TX.
In 2008, I co-founded the Pachanga Latino Music Festival with Rich Garza (Giant Noise) and helped build the Creative Media Center for local music non-profit Austin Music Foundation. Though my involvement with the Latin festival, I partnered with Event Production Services and became a talent buyer and production manager for regional iconic events such as Austin’s New Year, Blues On The Green and Festival At the Switchyard in Carrollton, TX. EPS also books the national anthem performances and artists for the Austin FCs soccer team at Q2 Stadium.
In 2016, I added two School Of Rock locations in the Austin area (Round Rock and Southpark Meadows) to the mix and am also currently the Director Of Operations. We now offer opportune to local artists and still perform as Vallejo a few times a year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The band has been professionally active for 30 years, so we’ve been through pretty much everything a band could go though. We’ve had an amazing experience, but definitely went though many struggles throughout the years dealing with bad managers, record deals and the usual substance abuse that many bands experience. Now that we’re older, we’ve learned so much over the years about the music business the we can share with up and coming local artists.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What sets us apart is that we infuse Latin rhythms and lyrics with classic album rock influences to come up with a sound that is uniquely your own.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
That my favorite movie is “The Birdcage” with Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vallejomusic.com
- Other: schoolofrock.com and epstx.net
Image Credits
Drum photo: Stan Martin
