Deftones pictures, interviews, magazine scans.

[theis]

Vocally and lyrically, you can just hear that he was in a bad, bad place.

EDIT: I think the guy (looks like Anthony Hopkins) in your sig's checking out the chick in mine.

It's the Mystery Man (played by Robert Blake) from David Lynch's Lost Highway.

One of the scariest movie characters ever.

[Vesanic]

I only said he looked like Hopkins, I didn't imply that it was him.

[from_musings]

I didn't imply that it was him.

you better not, this is the movie thread - you gotta know your shit !

[Vesanic]

 

[sing blue silver]

2003 to 2008 will never be topped for me. glad he's better now though.

[Far away]

ESP Guitars: Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) Interview 2011

He is really humble, isn't he?

[Vesanic]

http://thesilvertongueonline.com/?p=26176

Interview with Deftones' Abe Cunningham

April 19, 2011

Over the years Deftones have released a number B-sides and rarities. And in support of "Record Store Day"  the band released all of their covers on vinyl. A small pressing of 5000 "Covers" were released on April 16th at independent music stores. Currently the band is headlining the Diamond Eyes tour which made it's way through South America and is now working it's way through the states.  Between tour stops TST spoke to drummer Abe Cunningham about the Covers release and tour.



TST: On April 16th you released  "Covers". What inspired you guys to put this only on Vinyl?

Abe: It's in support of Record Store Day. We thought that we could give a "Special Trinket". ITunes has each of the covers available to download.


TST: Deftones have taken these cover songs and really made them emotional. Connecting the listener to music making them feel every word. What is it that Deftones can emotionally connect their fans to the music?

Abe: It's who we are....We are a real band...We are not manufactured....We try to squeeze in 1 or 2 cover songs in the tour for fun. We know some songs we just can't fuck with...but we take each song and make it our own.


TST: April starts another leg of the "Diamond Eyes" Tour. This tour is mainly the States.

Abe: We will start in South America...and then into the States. We were here the first part of this tour but did not focus here. We went overseas mainly. We wanted to focus and have a full tour in the States. We're looking forward to our first real headlining tour here in the States.


TST: Over the past few years you guys have collaborated with a number of artist, including Flava Flav, and now with Tech N9ne on "I Know".  How did you guys get hooked up with Tech N9ne?

Abe:  I know Flava Flav was one our bus one time. That could have been Stephen working with him. Stephen is into Tech N9ne pretty big and vise versa so the collaboration just worked out.


TST: Is there anyone you would love to collaborate with now?

Abe: Sure , I mean Prince, and there is a long list. But its about it happening naturally. Not forced. We could come across someone out on tour and strike up something together. So its not about planning, its about a organic process. Being open to what is possible.


TST:  So how is CHI doing after his accident?

Abe:  Its been 2 and half years and the progress has been slow. But just this week he was taken back to New Jersey to special group of doctors. We are supporting him and hoping these doctors can help him. But the good thing is he is back in New Jersey and CHI has a huge support system.


TST: "Eros" was the last cd CHI worked on. Is the album still on the backburner?

Abe:  Yes. This was his last cd he worked on,so out of respect for that we are putting "Eros" on simmer till he gets better.


TST: What are the plans for after this leg of the tour?

Abe: We have a lot of tour left. But after this leg of the tour we are going to meet in July and start writing. Well hopefully we start writing that is the plan. Stephen is in this World Poker Championship so it will depend on when he is finished with that.


TST:  Who are you listening too right now?

Abe: OOHHH thats a hard question to answer. I am into Baroness but since I have thousands of songs on my ITunes I usually put it on Random and let it go!


TST: Have a few fan questions for you! Will the Deftones be coming back to Scotland?

Abe: Well we do have some UK Festivals in the works right now. So its very possible we will be back in the area!


TST: What's your favorite Star Wars Character?

Abe: Hmmmmmm I would say Lando Calrissian


TST: One more for fan question. What was the inspiration of "Change in House of Flies?"

Abe: This song is special. It was the first song we all wrote together as a band. Usually we do in parts but this song was all together each of us. It was also the first song wrote for "White Pony" cd.


TST: Thank you Abe for talking with TST. We look forward to your Atlanta date on May 28th.

Abe: Thank you and we will see you all!


Interview by Michele Meow.

[mono]

Interview with Deftones’ Abe Cunningham

Stephen is in this World Poker Championship

jaja nice...waiting for the participation of stef in the "world marihuana smoker championship"

[Vesanic]

http://www.guttersnipenews.com/features/homepage-features/deftones-vancouver/

Long interview of Sergio and Abe after their first show in Vancouver. Nice read.

[Vesanic]

Nice and long interview of Sergio and Frank. Interesting to hear how Frank became a full-time member back in the ATF days.

Deftones' Frank Delgado & Sergio Vega interview 2011 for Undercover

[MommaBear]

Vesanic, do you know any info about the documentary they were talking about?  Who's putting it out, when it's coming out or how it's being released (i.e., internet, DVD)?

[Vesanic]

Vesanic, do you know any info about the documentary they were talking about?  Who's putting it out, when it's coming out or how it's being released (i.e., internet, DVD)?

I will have to ask, I'll let you know.

[Vesanic]

http://www.nwitimes.com/entertainment/music/article_342176ba-5dc8-5f91-989b-8b9dbe2fbc18.html

Deftones soldier on after tragedy

In fall 2008, Cali–based hard rockers Deftones' professional and personal lives were turned upside down when founding bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident.

At the time, the band was working on material for what was to be their sixth album when Cheng was injured in Santa Clara and, to date, Cheng remains under medical care.

While the band halted work on new material immediately following Cheng's accident, they didn't rest for long.

"It's tough him not being here, but for us to keep on, I think that was our instinct," said Deftones keyboardist Frank Delgado. "From the day the accident happened there was a lot of seeing how he was and his situation. By the time we did get together, I figured we'd talk about it but we really didn't.

"We got together about a month or so later with a friend to play bass together and just jam, because that's what we really wanted to do, and I think a week later we went into the studio because it felt so good."

Slated to play to a sold-out audience at Chicago's Riviera Theatre on April 30, the Deftones – Delgado, front man Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham – found mainstream success with their 2000 set "White Pony," which featured the Grammy Award winning hit "Elite." Continued success came with 2003's self–titled set and 2006's "Saturday Night Wrist."

To fill in for Cheng, the Deftones brought in Sergio Vega, former bassist with the East Coast Big Apple–based alt–metal outfit Quicksand. According to Delgado, Vega was and remains a stellar replacement for Cheng.

"He was open to a lot of different things and he listens to a lot of different styles music, and that influenced how we wrote and what we wrote and what we played," Delgado said of Vega. "And we get along really well. He's got a lot of enthusiasm, and he's a really happy dude, and that was well received."

With Vega on board, the Deftones scrapped the material they were working on with Cheng and started over from scratch for what became last year's "Diamond Eyes." The set, which the band penned and recorded over the course of only a month, debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart in the sixth spot and received kudos from both scribes and fans.

"Sonically it's one of the best sounding records for us," Delgado said. "Considering the short amount of time that it was written in and the creativity that was happening in that amount of time and to be able to capture it all made for a really good experience. And it's a lot of fun, still, and I think that's the most important."

In addition to continued touring over the course of the next four months, the Deftones released a vinyl–only set, "Covers," last Saturday in conjunction with Record Store Day, which finds independent retail shops and artists hosting celebrations throughout the globe. "Covers" finds the band putting their spin on original works written and recorded by the varied likes of The Cure, Duran Duran, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Cars.

Opening for Deftones is New Jersey hard rockers Dillinger Escape Plan, whose last set, "Option Paralysis," came out last year.

[Vesanic]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20110421-ENTERTAIN-104210301

Soul searching: The Deftones' 'Diamond Eyes' and 'new' bassist

By Christopher Hislop
April 21, 2011 2:00 AM


"Time will see us realign," sings Chino Moreno, the frontman of Sacramento, California's alternative metal pioneers the Deftones — at the onset of the chorus from the title track of their latest record, "Diamond Eyes."

For the band, no words ring as true.

Forming in 1989, the Deftones are one of the few remaining bands that were at the forefront of a burgeoning alt-metal movement that stayed strong throughout the '90s, but fizzled pretty substantially at the turn of the century. The Deftones are well known for their heavy, speed driving approach — exemplified in the fuzzed out sludge that Stephen Carpenter fires out of his guitar, prompting head banging from all corners of the room, and the shrill cat-like screech that Moreno belts out from time to time just to make sure you're paying close attention. The pounding rhythm section of drummer Abe Cunningham, and bassist Chi Cheng is the force that has always driven the Deftones' music into a pulse raising fury. As the band has grown and developed their own unique sound over the years, they have always taken a proactive approach in letting keyboardist and turntablist Frank Delgado weave some interesting, and often subtle underlying ambient tones that you're unlikely to hear in most "metal" acts' music.

The Deftones have been in a state of flux since Nov. 4, 2008 when founding member — bassist Chi Cheng — was involved in a serious automobile accident leaving Cheng, who sustained a traumatic brain injury, in a semi-conscious state ever since. Home-shot footage of the once powerful man with larger than life stage presence is on www.oneloveforchi.com depicting a man that has seemingly lost the ability to hold his own head up. His lifeless eyes are fixated on nothing in particular while his family sits around him and take turns holding his hand and touching his skin — tracing the contours of his heavily tattooed arms. It's one of the most heart-wrenching and tragic bits of video you'll ever watch.

May of 2010 marked the release of "Diamond Eyes" — the Deftones sixth official release and a project which was recorded rather quickly after the band decided to shelve their much anticipated album, "Eros," which had been in the making for quite some time (writing began in 2007). "Eros," was shelved due mostly in part to the fact that it was the last effort Cheng had been working on with the group prior to his accident, and they deemed it a tad unjust to move forward with it in light of the condition their comrade was/is in.

"Diamond Eyes" marks the debut of the Deftones' "new" bassist, Sergio Vega, who is no stranger to the band. Vega befriended the members of the Deftones while a part of the Warped Tour with his own band, Quicksand.

"They were cool," Vega said in a recent interview about his first interaction with his new bandmates. "They were very down to earth. Just a bunch of dudes making cool music for really nothing more than the notion of playing tunes they liked, for themselves — playing music for the sake of playing music. You know, they were into Black Sabbath, Pantera, and the Bad Brains, so really, we were friends before we even met (laughing)."

Vega has filled in for Cheng once before when Cheng hurt his foot back in 1998, so he is indeed no stranger to the band.

"Diamond Eyes" is heavy. Heavy in the sense that sonically it sits somewhere between "Around the Fur" and "White Pony" — earlier releases from the band — and in the sense that the severity of Cheng's situation weighed heavily on the minds of the band throughout the songwriting and recording process. Rather than exuding bitterness or resentment towards the situation, the Deftones have done some serious soul searching here and corralled their emotions and have ultimately created a piece of work that is inspiring in it's drive to push forward while carefully respecting and holding the past close to heart, hoping that someday the past will again be present.

"The first thing I said when I walked into the studio was, 'man, this situation sucks,'" said Vega. "I asked the guys, 'what do y'all want, what do you need?' to which they responded, 'dude, why you trippin'? Let's just jam.' The energy that ensued was contagious. I felt like I was a young kid getting geared up to make my first record again. I'm truly appreciative of how unassuming the guys in this band are. There was no forecast. It was just get up and make music. The sessions were fast, furious, and fun. We accomplished a lot, and it's nice to see that the fans are feeding off the same energies we were locked into while recording this thing."

The Deftones will be at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on Thursday, May 5 — out in support of "Diamond Eyes," and in the midst of their realignment, which, taken in stride seems to be going fairly well for them.

"The common denominator here is that this is not a means to an end," Vega said. "This band, this group of guys — it's about having a sense of community and through music there is connectivity. That's all that we're looking to achieve right now. When it comes down to it, the bells and the whistles don't matter. It's about doing something you love, and getting excited to make it happen.

"I hold Chi in very high regard. He is a fantastic dude who gave everything he had to his music and his fans. I don't see myself as his replacement, but rather as a brother in arms. I'm going out there to help spread this music, and to help bring the community that surrounds it together, and to stay strong. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with people I admire."

[Vesanic]

Tragedy brings Deftones closer for a new album

BY KEVIN C. JOHNSON | Posted: Thursday, April 21, 2011 9:00 am |

The Deftones had a tough task in front of it as it recorded its latest album "Diamond Eyes."

It's the first album the Deftones recorded without its longtime bassist, Chi Cheng, who was injured in a car accident in 2008.

But the tragedy ultimately brought the rest of the Deftones closer together.

"We appreciate what we have, what we built and the friendships we have," says lead singer Chino Moreno. "But when something like this happens, it's a wake-up call to start realizing we're lucky to have each other."

The band was in the middle of recording an album, to be called "Eros," at the time of Cheng's accident. But the band mates took an extended break to support their friend.

When it was time to reconvene minus Cheng, who remains in an improving but still semi-conscious state, they had a change of plans.

"Instead of trying to piece together what we were working on and try to teach someone else, we figured if we wanted to continue as a band we had to rebuild the infrastructure from the ground up," Moreno says.

The band brought in Sergio Vega, known for his work with Quicksand.

"Having someone new in the band is new blood," Moreno says. "He gave us a kick in our step, and that's a good thing."

Once Vega joined the band, the Deftones hit the ground running. They'd lost a lot time and needed to play catch-up.

They locked themselves in their tiny Los Angeles rehearsal spot for eight hours a day for two months. Usually, they work at a more leisurely pace but figured this time they might "capture lightning in a bottle."

With "Diamond Eyes," Moreno says the Deftones go a little left from where they've been before, something they try to do with each record. "We never want to re-create the same record. It's simplified and straightforward. We didn't get over self-indulgent or experimental."

Moreno says "Diamond Eyes" differs from what would've been on "Eros." Those songs "were long and there was a lot of jamming-style stuff, which was fun to do. But it wasn't as concise."

In addition to "Diamond Eyes," the Deftones are also promoting "Covers," a covers album released in conjunction with last week's Record Store Day. It has songs from Sade, the Cars, the Smiths, Duran Duran and the Cure. "Every time we record a record, at the end of the process we always squeeze in a cover song just for fun. We like to try things people wouldn't expect from us," he says.

"Eros," meanwhile, remains in the vault indefinitely. The band hasn't listened to the music since Cheng's accident.

"When we do, there will be a lot of emotions. It's pretty deep stuff, and it's the last thing he played on."

[from_musings]

Vesanic, do you know any info about the documentary they were talking about?  Who's putting it out, when it's coming out or how it's being released (i.e., internet, DVD)?

i thougt they meant this one Chi Documentary #1 of 4 "The Accident"

[from_musings]

by reading and hearing frank, it seems to stop as a band never was an option and to call sergio to record more songs was done pretty quickly after the accident.Frank's version now vs. chino's old stories about it is quite different, interesting read.I can't understand why they don't talk to one another better and have a common picture to serve media.

and it would'nt hurt if sergio began talking about how sad the situation with chi is before he begins to talk about how excited he was to play with deftones, you get almost the impression that he sees the whole situation as something he can take advantage of when he speaks. not the first time i react at this with this guy

[wheresmysnare]

I think a polished rehearsed media answer to anything to do with Chi would be worse than conflicting accounts of how it happened, plus i think sergio is really happy that he got to play for deftones, i bed he cant believe his fucking luck! - abosultely nothing wrong with that in my opinion how long can you expect him to be apologetic for, he got invited to the band and probably bit their hand off

[from_musings]

I like the truth but am surprised that they leave so different information, can't say that they come off as media trained professionals ^^ at their level i thought deftones had someone who went through this with them when a tragedy like this occurs. "alright let's stick to this story"

sergio don't have to bubble out of joy and jump up and down "look at me im a rock star!" every interview when he got there because of chi's accident. just lack of respect i think.everyone get that sergio is happy to travel around the world and play in a band with friends, but I would urge him to begin an interview with something like "all this with chi is so sad, he's a dear friend of mine and many others, and we all want him to be back on his feet soon .. but in the meantime I will guard his place, we are all waiting for him "

instead of "yeees, he's gone * joink * Stole his place! LOOK AT ME IM THE NEW BASSPLAYER!  him hurting his head is the best thing that ever happened to me!!

[from_musings]

I think a polished rehearsed media answer to anything to do with Chi would be worse than conflicting accounts of how it happened

don't agree on that one, different answers make them look like liars who don't stand up for what they decided to do