NAME: ALEXEY POBLETE AGE: 9 HOMETOWN: L AS VEGAS, NV LIVES IN: L AS VEGAS CURRENT BANDS: AC GENERATION DAY JOB: BEING A 9-YEAR-OLD GENIUS KIT SETUP: PEARL DRUMS AND SOULTONE CYMBALS
ALEXEY POBLETE BY C OL L EEN SIVIT ER PHOTO C OU RT ESY OF A RT IST
Watching an eight-year-old flawlessly execute the drums during a cover of “Nightmare” by the California heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, it’s hard not to be at least a little skeptical. How could this kid be so good? And at the time, Alexey Poblete had only been playing for a year and a half. A scan of the comments on one of her many YouTube videos (some with tens of thousands of views) reveals an ongoing debate about the authenticity of her drumming, with fans quick to defend her talent. “I don’t really deal with it,” says the now-nine-year-old, who speaks with the confidence of someone who knows her abilities. A hefty schedule of school, practice and performing keeps this girl way too busy rocking to respond to naysayers. Since beginning lessons with instructor David White in 2009, Poblete has competed in and won a number of national drumming competitions, the first after she had only been taking lessons for six months. Her love of performing for an audience has led her to play with legendary musicians Patti LaBelle and Stevie Wonder, among others. With supportive and marketing-savvy parents on her side, Poblete has been the subject of online videos for more than two years, some sponsored by Soultone Cymbals, covering songs by such bands as Rush, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath. Her penchant for classic rock covers is balanced by a healthy dose of Lady Gaga
and Britney Spears pop hits, and she effortlessly crushes some of the most complicated drum lines. Her list of inspirational drummers is a little more diverse and includes Cindy Blackman, Emmanuelle Caplette, Sheila E, Neal Peart, Eric Singer, and a slew of YouTube drummers. She decided she wanted to play drums after watching Nickelodeon’s The Naked Boy Band and the carryover influence is obvious in her band AC Generation, which also features her brother Cidney on bass and keyboards. Doing mostly covers, AC Generation offers polished Nickelodeon-worthy jams and even have their own music video. It’s clear that Poblete loves what she does and sees drumming as a lifelong career. “I want to play on stage mostly everyday in front of people,” she says when asked about her goals. “I really like to give performances, it makes me feel good.” Cut through all the marketing and Poblete is a truly talented and promising drummer that has the potential to reach prolific status. She pushes the boundaries of what we expect a kid can do, therefore broadening our understanding. Accomplishing her dream of being one of the greatest drummers in the world will take a lifetime to determine, but we definitely look forward to witnessing the journey.