We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexsa Gencarelli. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexsa below.

Alexsa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was in 2022 when I decided to quit my 9 to 5 customer service job to go back to school and pursue a career related to music. I enrolled in community college to pursue a degree in music business and started looking for a job teaching guitar. Once I quit my customer service job, I spent a year working at a deli that better suited my school schedule until I found my current teaching position. It took a lot effort and applications, but I finally found a job that I enjoy and aligns with my goals.

Despite being a former college drop-out, I graduated from community college with straight A’s and successfully got into the university I attend now. As a self-taught musician, it has been a lot of work learning classical guitar and getting up to speed on formal music education. Its definitely a change from the rock and metal scene. Aside from school and work, I’ve been writing, recording and gigging with my band Bride Riot. We are an all-female band with diverse influences in punk and metal.

It has been difficult and I still have a long way to go, but everything I have accomplished thus far has been worth the risk. Its been a journey with a lot of sacrifices. I certainly don’t get enough sleep and have a crippling caffeine addiction but nothing beats getting to do what I love. I know I’ll look back one day and be grateful I did all this.

Alexsa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I first became interested in music when I was six years old and heard Linkin Park for the first time. They quickly became my favorite band and I knew I wanted to be a musician just like Chester Bennington. I didn’t have a natural talent or come from a musical family but when I got a guitar at thirteen I quickly became obsessed. I remember getting a chord sheet from my band teacher at school and from there I started teaching myself from videos on the internet and by listening to songs. I got into a lot of legendary bands like Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Motley Crue, and Avenged Sevenfold, learning and meticulously studying their catalogs. My favorite guitar players were Marty Friedman, Synyster Gates, Yngwie Malmsteen, and George Lynch. In high school, I formed several bands and in the process picked up other instruments like drums. Once I graduated I started gigging locally.

My current band Bride Riot has gigged all over New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. In 2024 we released our first E.P Burn the Altar, the dual-single Wedding Bells, and a cover of Chappell Roan’s HOT TO GO! What sets us apart is the energy of our live shows and music. Our writing process is different from other bands I’ve been in, but has allowed endless room for creativity and experimentation. I am most proud of the band’s hard work and resiliency. Being a DIY band we’ve faced our own unique challenges and struggles, but have always pulled through. Bride Riot is certainly not a band for the faint of heart, but we are five kick ass girls who have genuinely become great friends and have a unique bond. We put in the work and follow through on our goals. We want our audience to see us and feel empowered to pursue whatever it is they feel passionate about.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I’ve had to unlearn is being a perfectionist around my work. As a kid, I used to obsessively watch documentaries of my favorite bands making albums in the studio. It felt like research, trying to uncover whatever secret there was to creating great music. From watching these documentaries, I thought the key to making meaningful music was to obsess over every note and keep rewriting the same song until it was absolutely perfect. I spent so many years and created hundreds of demos testing this theory with little success.

Of course, I learned many valuable things about songwriting through this process, but it is my band that has helped me the most creatively. All the songs on Burn the Altar were created with a much more freeing process. The song Broken Glass is a perfect example. It started at a rehearsal with the drum beat and a riff. I didn’t think it would turn out to be anything special, but decided to just let go and trust the process. After about 15 minutes, we pretty much had almost the same instrumental you hear on the recording.

A big thing I’ve had to work on is to just let the music be and let it come together naturally. Even in the studio, I’ve had to prevent myself from becoming too picky or pestering the engineer to do a million retakes. In the studio, we typically cut the songs on the floor, playing all together live. I’ve come to accept the little imperfections as they make the songs what they are and maintains the raw energy of the live performance.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As a mostly self-taught musician, I certainly wish I had more resources and mentors in my early musical journey. In a way, having to learn by myself taught me to be a self-starter, be independent, and resourceful. However, there are so many things I could have learned sooner and quicker given the resources.

Having a mentor and strong musical community is super beneficial to young musicians. I see that now being both a college student and a teacher. Its important to be surrounded by like-minded people and an encouraging environment to develop your talents. As a young musician I was always very hard on myself. I was always trying to walk before I could run and didn’t have much direction. Musical skills are the same as any other in that they take time to develop and it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out who you are as an artist. I think allowing myself the room to grow and make mistakes would have been beneficial. If I could go back and give thirteen year old me advice, I’d tell her to be more daring and not be so afraid to fail.

Now that I teach young musicians, I always strive to be the teacher I never had. Of course this includes providing my students with all the technique and theory knowledge that I wish I had at their age, but also supporting them through struggles and providing clear direction to reach their goals.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexsa_playguitar
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsa-gencarelli/

Image Credits

@ranch.cam