Wayland High School alumnus Lucas Alvarado’s musical career is gaining momentum.
Alvarado, who plays the electric bass, appeared at the premier Governors Ball in New York on June 6. This summer he will be performing at the world-renowned Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago in August with rapper Beno. He also shared the stage with Ed Rox at the 2023 Music Midtown Festival.
At the Governors Ball, he accompanied the up-and-coming reggaeton rapper and vocalist JimmyBoy. JimmyBoy, a Cuban-born, Puerto Rico-raised reggaeton rapper and vocalist, was named by Billboard magazine as a Latin Artist to Watch.
“Being able to complete the show this year has been incredible, we got rained out last year at Gov’s with Glasshouse, said Alvarado, who graduated from Berklee last year.
Alvarado was scheduled to be musical director and producer with BPMI for Glasshouse, an alternative rap trio, at the 2025 Governors Ball but was rained out.
The Governors Ball, commonly called Gov Ball, is the most prominent major music festival in New York City. Established in 2011, it has a reputation for regularly booking top-tier A-list headliners and emerging acts across hip-hop, pop, rock, K-pop, and alternative music. The festival is known as a launchpad for artists’ careers, according to Live Nation Newsroom. Billboard and Rolling Stone magazines cover the event. This year, the three-day festival featured headliners Lorde, Baby Keem, Stray Kids, Kali Uchis, A$AP Rocky, and Jennie.
As part of the Berklee Popular Music Institute, Alvarado produced Jimmy-Boy’s Governors Ball performance in addition to accompanying him. As technical director, he guided JimmyBoy’s performance from an initial idea to the final performance by helping him refine his sound, improve song arrangements, and ensure the final product matched the artist’s vision.
BPMI is an immersive, experience-
based program designed for students studying the business of live music, artist management, and touring. It is a three-semester experiential course with students acting as industry professionals, taking on roles in A&R, booking, promotion, marketing, and artist development. Students gain real-world experience as they go from the classroom to the festival stage, helping scout, develop, and tour with Berklee artists at massive global music events. The program is ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the top music business programs.
Although Alvarado has recurring gigs at Tempo and the Burren, and plays occasional shows at larger venues such as Brighton Music Hall and Roadrunner, he said, his primary focus is CNA Productions, which he co-founded in 2024 with fellow Berklee College alumnus and musician Brayden Cranford. CNA Productions, short for Cranford and Alvarado, is a Boston-based professional music direction, live performance arrangement, and track production company. It is designed to provide high-level technical and creative support to help independent musical artists scale up their live performances. Alvarado said they have more than 10 clients. Some of their clients are Glasshouse, Beno, JimmyBoy, Ed Rox, La Jota, Rafi, and Rown Grace.
The company’s major musical projects and festival credits include the 2025 Boston Calling Music Festival, where they provided technical backing, track programming, and playback engineering behind the scenes at The Arena stage; oversaw complete live music direction, arrangements, and multi-track audio playback programming for the artists Beno and Music Midtown; and managed stage playback engineering and custom live transitions for featured breakout artists at Lollapalooza.
Alvarado plays the electric bass and trombone, but he said his primary instrument is the piano, which he has been playing since he was three years old.
He played the trombone in the Wayland High School orchestra and the jazz band, but COVID disrupted his high school musical career, he said.
However, he won the first chair for trombone in Junior Districts and an award at the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education competition earlier in his high school career. He started playing the trombone in fourth grade.
According to the personable Alvarado, he learned to play the bass two years ago. He said he writes music, but most of his focus is on musical arrangements. Alvarado said he likes all types of music: rap, pop, R&B, rock and roll, K-pop, and Latin music. His dad turned him on to Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, he said.
There is a growth opportunity for musicians in rap music, Alvarado said. Modern solo rap artists almost always have a live DJ on stage to run the set. He said adding band members, such as a bassist, adds more interest. He predicted this would be the future direction of rap performances.
Berklee College of Music has produced some influential figures in modern music history, with its alumni collectively winning over 300 Grammy Awards. The school’s roster includes John Mayer, Laufey, Quincy Jones, Melissa Etheridge, Branford Marsalis, and Ela Taubert.
