Deftones:BACK TO SCHOOL
A look back at the very start of the Deftones plus new material for the new year.
By Corey Zuccaro

Define the Deftones: a charismatic sound of angry, dark and soulful
harmonies colliding together to form a very unique rock group. As I sit here drinking my Grey Goose and coke and rocking out to this one of a kind five-some, a thought comes over me, what can I say that has not yet been said. Through out all of the reviews, press coverage and album after album there is not much left for
me to write.

So I’m going to let you in on a secret. The long time coming of
the new album due to be released this May.

This is a band that has been able to keep the pace without selling out. For those of you in the industry, you know what a challenge this can be. The monster buries its claws deep into us and controls which direction the musical race is ran. The Deftones however have slain the dragon and stayed true to their natural form.
If you pay close attention you can hear the influence these guys have put into most of today’s modern music. It is my opinion that dept of their artistic grasp is far beyond any tangible comprehension. The Deftones are straight out of Sacramento, California and had put out their first album Adrenaline in1995. Signed on Maverick Records, this new sound brought together the masses of disenchanted and alienated youth. While lurking in the shadows of the Seattle grunge scene of Nirvana and Alice in Chains, they paid their dues going from city to city and show to show promoting their music with dreams of making it big. Well they did. And now with the soon to be released fifth album they continue to put it down, rocking generations of people young and old alike. Chino Moreno (originally known as “Wong”), lead vocalist, accounts for the sometimes subtle, but more often not, thrashing and wide range of deranged lyrics that make up the inner core of emotions often felt through the music. Stephen Carpenter is the man responsible for painting the darkened images with use of his guitar, widely considered a guitar champion for the ages. The brilliant bass lines come from the over intense, but easy going mind of Chi Cheng.

Not from a book a fairy tales, but from the school of hard knocks, the three were all friends from high school. They added, now former, drummer John Taylor and the band was then formed.
As their talent grew, so did their love for music. In retrospect, I wonder if they could have anticipated the fact that the Deftones would forever be leaders in the arena of rock.

Taylor would quit the band, giving way to auditions for a new drummer. Abe Cunningham, then drummer for the band Phallacy, agreed to fill the chair until they could find a permanent fixture. Abe became that fixture, leaving Phallucy and choosing to take a run at things with the ‘tones, so is the tale of how they came to be.
More recent incarnations have included DJ Frank Delgado, who lies down a blanket of freaky sequencing, loops, and effects to give the final element that finalizes the unmistakable Deftones sound.
I was fortunate enough to interview Chi Cheng, the bassist and back up vocalist for the band. I asked him what the new album is called and what the fans should expect. Cheng simply replied: “We don’t know what we are going to name it yet, but the fans can expect the best shit we have ever come out with and the best shows we have ever done. We are taking our music very seriously these days.”

In today’s industry it feels to me that there are too many musicians that will take for themselves first and leave nothing for the music and most importantly the fans. With a band like the Deftones, that seem to only put out an album every three years or so, it becomes pretty self evident that these guys are quite the contrary. At times they seemingly only care for the music and their fans, choosing quality rather than pumping out CD after CD like a cheap vending machine. This is a thought not to be taken lightly and this writer feels to give respect where respect is due. Still this left me curious on how they can get though over a decade of music and continue to be fresh.

Says Chi, “We have always been friends! Its friends first, then it’s the band. When it comes time to sit down and make music, we can stay connected.”

When asked were the ideas come from he put simply, “Truthfully we find all of the inspiration we need in each other, we spark off of each other musically and find ourselves deep within it, all though a lot of my personal influence comes from musicians like Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, and Bad Brains. I like people that flip shit up.”
While we are on the topic of modern rock music, I asked Chi how he felt about today’s industry. He said, “I am not personally into today’s contemporary stuff, it just doesn’t have the heart that should be in the music.”
Although Chi’s favorite place to be is in Australia, he does enjoy coming out to Vegas when he can. He likes to visit with friends and provide some skin for one of his tattoo artists, Schwab at Las Vegas ink haunt Iron Horse Tattoo. I talked to Schwab who recently did ink work on both Mr. and Mrs. Cheng, and asked him about his feelings toward the ‘tones.

“I’ve been a huge fan ever since Adrenaline! I actually have the Deftones star from Around the Fur on my right forearm. They have been a major influence in many forms of my life. Either when I’m on stage or tattooing.”
There’s more history to the Sacramento band and their Sin City leanings. Another long time friend of the ‘tones is Las Vegas live music institution, Tim Driver, owner of Production Avenue. Driver grew up with the members before coming to Las Vegas a few years back. In Sacramento they played his battle of the bands production back in 1994, and Chi has come out to be a judge in some of his more recent efforts.

Driver recalls earlier bands of the ‘tones. One story in particular was about Chi’s brother giving him his first bass guitar. Chi started playing it and when he asked his brother how it sounds, he would reply “like dog shit on a stick.” So his first band was called DSS. I’m sure you can figure out the assimilation.

Driver has nothing but fond memories and kind words for the group. “They are old friends. I am just happy they got some where. You know, you sit around and watch them for years before they finally break through, just knowing how much talent they have.” He continues on, “Chino came to me one day and says dude I quit college, I want to devote myself to music, The Deftones are going to make it, And make it they certainly did.” say’s Driver.
It’s hard not to find bands that are influenced or have borrowed sounds from the Deftones, yet I feel that they go unrecognized for their hard work and efforts. It is up to us, the fans, the media, and the radio to dictate who the true and talented musicians are, not the corporate moguls who sign bands for a buck. They cause music flow in a backward direction and create a haze that leaves a lot of amazing music hidden in their pollution.

The Deftones have been signed onto an average size label and have been fortunate enough to share a marriage with the people at Maverick Records. A good label allows a band to grow and evolve just as the Deftones have done. So in May look for their new album and be prepared for what you might find.