I reckon even Spanish-speakers will agree that ‘The Warning’ sounds better as the name for a rock band than ‘La Advertencia.’ Or even ‘Aviso.’ ‘Alarma’ is bit too abrupt. Since the sisters sing in English, ‘The Warning’ strikes me as an entirely appropriate moniker.
Yes, the sisters, three of them, hailing from that notorious center of rock music, Monterrey, Mexico. How they came to be a current worldwide sensation is a story in itself. For the record (no pun intended) they are: Daniela (guitar, vocals), Alejandra (bass, vocals) and Paulina (drums, vocals — the occasional primal scream). All three also play piano. I want to see them perform Mozart’s concerto for three pianos, the hard rock version. I think Mozart would have loved them.
They started out jamming in 2013, so their current ages as of this writing are 24, 19 and 22. They were noticed by the wider world of music when much younger thanks to their video cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” They have released three albums so far. By coincidence, their fourth, Keep Me Fed (which I somehow doubt has anything to do with food) will be released on June 28.
Where does music come from? Whence the inspiration for a particular style? Or genre? Imagine that you are a child growing up in a place like Monterrey, where the traditional musical influences are norteño and mariachi. You sing in school. If you continue your music education, perhaps you are guided toward the violin or flute. One of you chooses guitar (likely not electric at first) and your closest sibling decides on drums. When your youngest sister at age seven decides to pick up a bass, a light comes on. You form (what else?) a preteen rock band. How to learn rock? Why, the same way so many of your peers learn everything from how to cook to how to shoot a gun: by watching video games. In this case, the Rock Band series.
You practice. Your dad sells his motorcycle to buy you professional gear. Then you cover not Gloria Vetri (also from Monterrey), but Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” That video goes viral, and before you can say, “I’m a Mexican teenage girl — so what?!” you score contracts, tour dates and promotional deals. This is how bands from the US and Europe sometimes progress, a tale rather less frequently told in places like Latin America.
I’ve read dozens of comparisons to describe what the music of The Warning sounds like, from The Muse to the Beatles. The girls themselves claim to have been influenced by “everything,” classical to heavy metal. Though you can clearly hear influences throughout, I believe they have their own sound. They are, among other achievements, the first Mexican band (of any gender) to perform on the MTV Video Music Awards show. Other invited bands were given three takes to get their recorded performances and video right, The Warning did both their songs in a single take, “More” and “Evolve.” Subsequent to their performances the show’s stunned producer was reduced to repeating the same flabbergasted expletive over and over. You may find that your reaction is similar. Check YouTube for a clip from that appearance, their performance of their song “Evolve.”
They have a slew of videos up on YouTube. Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, et al. Would be proud (in fact Alejandra looks a little like Harry).
The obituaries for rock, especially hard rock, are not just premature, it’s being resurrected by all-female bands, and The Warning is another manifestation of this phenomenon.
All-female rock bands have been around for a long time, but the genre’s spread worldwide has resulted in some astonishing changes. This rebirth is most notable in Japan, where bands like Baby Metal, Band-Maid and most notably Lovebites have taken the region by storm (I consider Nemophila to be metal more than rock). I eagerly await the first explosions from China. All three of the aforementioned bands have performed in the US and Europe, though like other non-Anglo groups they rarely get airplay here. To find and listen to them you have to go to Spotify or, better, YouTube (live performances are invariably more entertaining).
“Let there be rock,” as AC/DC always said, and now it can truly be found everywhere. If you need more proof, seek out the all-girl band Voice of Baceprot. They hail from another hotspot of hard rock, Garut, West Java, Indonesia. They first gained notice with a cover of — you guessed I t— “Enter Sandman.” Controversial at home, as you might expect, they bravely rock their hijabs (yes, they wear hijabs while performing) hard. The title of one single, “God, Allow Me to Play Music,” tells you all you need to know about their journey. Muezzins may not approve, but music-lovers worldwide certainly do.
What unites us makes us stronger, and these days it’s harder to think of anything stronger than a good riff.
Prescott resident Alan Dean Foster is the author of 130 books. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster. com.
