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Deftones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Deftones peforming live on April 14, 2007 at the Brixton Academy, London. Left to right: Stephen Carpenter, Chi Cheng (fore), Frank Delgado (behind), Chino Moreno and Abe Cunningham
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sacramento, California |
| Genre(s) | Alternative metal Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Label(s) | Warner Music, Maverick Records |
| Associated acts |
Team Sleep Phallucy Decibel Devils Kush |
| Website | Official Site |
| Members | |
| Stephen Carpenter Chi Cheng Abe Cunningham Frank Delgado Chino Moreno |
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Deftones are a Grammy award winning band from Sacramento, California consisting of Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Chino Moreno (vocals/guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), Chi Cheng (bass) and Frank Delgado (turntables/keyboard/samples). Deftones have a diverse sound that has been described as ranging from alternative metal and dream pop[1] to progressive[2] and experimental rock.[3]
Critics have often praised them as one of the more unique rock bands of recent years for their innovative, atmospheric music; as Johnny Loftus writes, "Rock critics usually reserve a special place for Deftones above or at least away from the rest of the turn-of-the-century metal movement [...] Deftones have always seemed more curious, more willing to incorporate traditionally revered sounds like dream pop or D.C. hardcore into their northern California alt-metal."[4]
Moreno's poetic lyrics—described by a TIME magazine critic as "suggesting emotions rather than announcing them"[5] —are often evocative, yet sparse enough to allow for multiple interpretations. Moreno has cited Morrissey, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, The Cure's Robert Smith, Bad Brains' H.R., and Depeche Mode's David Gahan among his favorite singers, and, beyond an occasional similarity in vocal technique, these singers' sweeping sense of drama is often evident in Moreno's vocals.
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When Carpenter was sixteen years old, he was confined to a wheelchair for several months after being hit by a car while skateboarding. It was during this time that he began to teach himself how to play guitar by playing along to Anthrax, S.O.D. and Metallica.[6] It has been reported that the driver paid Carpenter a cash settlement that afforded him equipment to start a band,[1][6][7] but drummer Abe Cunningham commented in an interview that this was "a myth about how our band was started."[8]
Carpenter, Moreno and Cunningham went to same high school and otherwise knew each other as childhood friends and through the skateboarding scene in Sacramento.[6] When Moreno found out Carpenter played guitar, he set up a jam session with Cunningham and the three began playing regularly in Carpenter's garage circa 1988. After playing with several bassists, the band settled on Chi Cheng and had soon recorded a four track demo.[6] Within two years the band had begun playing club shows and later expanded their playing territory to San Francisco and Los Angeles playing shows alongside bands such as Korn.[7][9] While closing for another band in L.A. after the majority of the audience had left, the band impressed a Maverick Records representive and were soon after signed to the label after showcasing three of their songs for Freddy DeMann and Guy Oseary.[9][7]
The name "Deftones" was made up by Carpenter who wanted to pick "something that would just stand out but you know, not be all cheese-ball at the same time."[10] Carpenter combined the hip hop slang term "def", which was used by artists he listened to such as LL Cool J and Public Enemy, with the suffix "-tones", which was a popular suffix among 50s bands whose music he enjoyed. Carpenter said the name is also intentionally vague to reflect the band's tendency to not focus on just one style of music.[10]
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The band's debut album Adrenaline was recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, Washington and released on October 3, 1995. It was produced by Deftones and Terry Date, who would go on to produce the band's next three albums. Initially unsuccessful, extensive touring, word-of-mouth and Internet promotion built the band a dedicated fanbase, as well as helping Adrenaline to sell over 220,000 copies without the singles "7 Words" and "Bored" (as well as their music videos) receiving any airplay.[1][11] The band contributed the non-album track "Teething" to the soundtrack for the 1996 film The Crow: City of Angels and are also seen performing the song live during one of the film's scenes.
The album spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Heatseekers chart reaching a peak position of 23.[12] When asked what he attributed the album's success to, Cheng responded: "One word: perseverance. We've been together for almost eight years, on the road for two and we do it with honesty and integrity - and the kids can tell."[13] The album was RIAA certified gold on 7 July 1999 in recognition of 500,000 units sold.[14]
Regarding the recording of the album, Abe Cunningham said, "At the time we did the first record - which I really like and think is good - you can tell the band was really young. We'd been playing most of those songs for quite a while, and we were just so happy to be making a record that we didn't really think a whole lot about making the songs better."[15] Moreno felt that Adrenaline was recorded "really fast"[16] and performed all his vocals live with the band in the room using a hand-held Shure 58 microphone.[17] A review of Adrenaline praised the album's musical control and precision, overall groove and Cunningham's "surprisingly sophisticated drumming" but also felt that "there is a bit of sameness in Chino Moreno's whispered vocal melodies, which drags the record down a bit."[18]
Deftones' second album Around the Fur was recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, Washington and produced by Terry Date. Released on October 26, 1997, the album included a collaboration with singer Max Cavalera (of Sepultura/Soulfly) on "Headup", a tribute to Cavalera's late stepson Dana Wells, to whom the album was also dedicated.[19] Although not yet a member of the band, Delgado is credited as "audio" on five of the album's tracks, and Cunningham's wife, Annalynn, provides guest vocals on "MX".
"Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)"
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"When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with," said Moreno in a 1998 interview with Chart magazine. However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio.[16] The band expanded its sound, spending more time with Terry Date and giving more thought to the album's production. Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types of snare drum on almost every track.[15] The album was praised for its loud-soft dynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals and the strong rhythm-section grooves created by Cheng and Cunningham.[16][20][21] Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review noted that "while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound, Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own."[22]
The album was highly anticipated and propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)".[1] Around the Fur sold 39,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 29 (its peak position), remaining on the charts for 17 weeks.[21][23] The band went back to touring, making appearances at the Warped Tour, Pinkpop, Roskilde Festival and Ozzfest as well as releasing a live EP on June 22, 1999. Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999.[14]
On June 20, 2000, the band released their third album, White Pony, again produced by Terry Date and Deftones. It was recorded at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California and at Larrabee Sound Studios, West Hollywood, California. The album debuted at number three in the US Billboard chart with sales of 178,000 copies.[24]
Of White Pony, one reviewer wrote, "Moreno is exquisitely mind-blowing" and that "Deftones went soft, but in an impressive way, to twist around its signature punk sound."[25] Delgado was now a full-time band member, and he added much to the atmospheric album. Reviews were positive, noting Moreno's increasing sophistication as a lyricist and the group's experimentalism.[26] "Teenager", for example, incorporates elements of glitch and trip hop, with programming duties carried out by Moreno's friend and Team Sleep bandmate DJ Crook ("Teenager" was originally a Team Sleep song). A collaboration with singer Maynard James Keenan of Tool is present on "Passenger", and the refrain in "Knife Prty" features vocals by Rodleen Getsic.
A limited edition print of 50,000 black and red jewel case versions of White Pony were released with a bonus 12th track titled "The Boy's Republic". The band re-recorded "Back to School (Mini Maggit)", a rap-influenced interpretation of the album's closer, "Pink Maggit", after their record label said they had run out of marketable singles. The song was placed as the new opening track (with "Pink Maggit" still the closer), and, under altered cover art, re-released White Pony on October 3, 2000. The band notably expressed their resentment towards Maverick's lack of faith in their art and immediately regretted recording "Back to School". Moreno has stated that he hates that song, and said that he reluctantly agreed to record it to show his label how easy it was to write a hit.[citation needed] Deftones played "Back to School" on tours in support of White Pony but rarely thereafter. It was only until their South American and European tour in early 2007 that the song began appearing on their setlists.
In interviews, Moreno has stated that some of the lyrics are intentionally misprinted to cover up vulgarity.[citation needed] For example, at the beginning of "Feiticeira", the liner notes read "Stop I'm drunk" when Chino quite audibly sings "Fuck I'm drunk". In the song "Street Carp", the lyric booklet states a line of lyric as "Now take it home and have fun with it", when what he actually sings is "Now take it home and fuck with it." Similarly, on "Change (In the House of Flies)", the booklet reads "Give you the lung, blow me away", when he actually sings "Give you the gun, blow me away".
White Pony eventually achieved platinum status,[14] selling over 1.06 million copies[24] and earning the band a 2000 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite".[27]
Deftones was released on May 20, 2003, entering the Billboard 200 at number two and selling 167,000 copies in the first week.[24] Deftones remained in the Billboard top 100 for nine weeks, supported by the first single, "Minerva".[28] The track was featured in the video games NHL 2004 and True Crime: Streets of L.A..
Later, the band shot a video for their second single, "Hexagram", with fans watching the band play the song in an indoor skatepark in Simi Valley, California. The band made a video for the track "Bloody Cape", but it was never released for play on television. The video was only made available on the band's official website for one day. It was later released on their B-Sides and Rarities DVD.
Much of the material on the album was written by guitarist Carpenter, which accounts for the album's heavier feel. Delgado plays synthesizer, keyboards or sampler rather than his previous turntables. The recording sessions were helmed by producers Terry Date and Greg Wells for the first four months in Sacramento and then Seattle. Wells had to return to Los Angeles due to the birth of his second child, and Date continued on the record for months. Wells later produced much of Team Sleep's debut record.
In reviewing Deftones Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that "Hexagram", the album's opener, "hits hard — harder than they ever have, revealing how mushy Staind is, or how toothless Linkin Park is."[29] Erlewine goes on to note that "Deftones feel compelled to strengthen their metal roots" and at the same time maintain "the very things that make them better and more interesting than the rest — namely, their love of art rock, whether it's via The Cure or My Bloody Valentine." He closes by writing, "When they do play by the rules, they're good, but they're great when they don't follow a map."
Another review, by Rolling Stone's Greg Kot states, "Singer Chino Moreno sounds like he's conversing with a choir of voices inside his troubled skull. He's the most Dada of the metal screamers: sobbing, stoned and strangely sensual, when he isn't shredding his tonsils. The band brings the requisite brutality, but this album delivers chills when it creeps past the margins of modern post-Korn heavy music: the spooky spaghetti-western drones that hover like vultures over "Deathblow", the space-is-the-place liftoff of 'Minerva' and the ambient doomscape "Lucky You", which might be worth an approving smirk from the Aphex Twin."[30]
As of January 2007 it had sold 520,900 copies in America.[citation needed]
An odds-and-ends album titled B-Sides & Rarities was released on October 4, 2005.
The CD includes various 'B-Side' songs and covers, while the DVD contains behind-the-scenes footage and every music video the band has made. This compilation includes a semi-rough cover of "Savory" originally done by Jawbox, a cover of "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and "Black Moon" featuring B-Real from Cypress Hill, among others.
The band's latest album, titled Saturday Night Wrist, was released on October 31, 2006. It debuted at number ten in the US Billboard chart with sales of just over 76,000,[31] a significant decrease on the first week sales of their two previous releases.
Rather than work with longtime producer Terry Date, Deftones decided to record with Bob Ezrin. Cunningham says that while the group enjoyed working with Date, "At this point, we just needed to change things up [...] And this is definitely a different style. Working with him [Ezrin] is just putting us fucking upside down. He's cracking the whip."[32] After recording all the instrumentals for the record, Chino Moreno decided to record his vocals separately. Chino thus finished recording the album with former Far guitarist Shaun Lopez as producer. Collaborations on the record include Annie Hardy from Giant Drag on the song "Pink Cellphone" and Serj Tankian from System of a Down on the track "Mein".
The album's first single was called "Hole in the Earth", hitting the radio on October 16, 2006.
A music video for "Mein" has been shot, as it was the album's second single in Spring 2007.
As of March 2007, Saturday Night Wrist has sold over 250,000 copies (US).[citation needed]
Deftones are currently in the studio writing/recording their upcoming release. Moreno stated in an interview that the process for this album would be more raw and simplified after dissatisfaction with the long and "pieced-together" experience of recording Saturday Night Wrist.[33]
Deftones members have worked on several side projects, including Moreno's Team Sleep and Cunningam's Phallucy. Guitarist Carpenter works with a group called Kush, featuring members of Fear Factory and Cypress Hill as well as a group called Sol Invicto featuring members of Cypress Hill and Cultura Londres. The Deftones' Frank Delgado has a DJ crew with DJ Crook of Team Sleep, DJ Julez and Matt D Called Decibel Devils. In 2000, Bassist Chi Cheng released a CD comprised of his own spoken word poetry. They have also appeared in several concerts in the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour
| Date of release | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 1995 | Adrenaline | Maverick Records/Warner Bros. |
| October 28, 1997 | Around the Fur | Maverick Records/Warner Bros. |
| June 20, 2000 | White Pony | Maverick Records |
| May 20, 2003 | Deftones | Maverick Records |
| October 31, 2006 | Saturday Night Wrist | Maverick Records |
- ^ a b c d Prato, Greg. Deftones biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
- ^ Lees, Mark (October 31, 2006). The Deftones - Hole in the Earth review. UKMusic.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
- ^ Deftones on MySpace
- ^ allmusic ((( B-Sides & Rarities > Overview ))). All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ Farley, Christopher John (2000-05-09). Off to the Races. Time magazine. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ a b c d Interview with Stephen Carpenter, Guitar World, October, 1997.
- ^ a b c Unknown (December 22, 1997). Hotstar - Deftones. Pollstar. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Interview with Abe Cunningham, Metal Edge, January 2007.
- ^ a b Deftones [interview], Rolling Stone, 2000.
- ^ a b Rolinho, Nuno. Deftones biography. DEFTONESWORLD.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
- ^ Bendersky, Ari (October 11, 1997). Deftones poised for success. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
- ^ Heatseekers - Adrenaline. Billboard.com (February 1, 1997). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
- ^ Deftones [interview], Guitar World Online - Guitar School, 1997.
- ^ a b c RIAA Gold and Platinum searchable database. Search for artist "Deftones". RIAA. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ a b Peiken, Matt. Interview with Abe Cunningham, Modern Drummer, 1997.
- ^ a b c d Bromley, Adrian. Keeping It Simple, Chart, July, 1998.
- ^ Walkling, Dennis. Chillin' with Chino: Deftones get Moody, Circus, June 1998.
- ^ Gioffre, Daniel. Review of Adrenaline. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Interview with Chino Moreno and Max Cavalera, Metal Hammer, September, 1997.
- ^ Smith, Matt. Deftones New Album Stays Heavy, Gaston Gazette, 1997.
- ^ a b Glover, Adrian Gregory. The Deftones: Running on Pure Passion, Circus, May, 1998.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Around the Fur - Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ The Billboard 200 - Around the Fur. Billboard.com (June 13, 1998). Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ a b c Martins, Todd (May 28, 2003). Staind, Deftones Rock Billboard Album Chart. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. Review of White Pony. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ White Pony at Metacritic. The album holds a "Generally favorable reviews" score of 73/100. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ GRAMMY Award Winners. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ The Billboard 200: Deftones - Deftones. Chart Listing For The Week Of Aug 02 2003. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Deftones (review). All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ Kot, Greg (May 29, 2003). Deftones review. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Hasty, Katie (November 8, 2006). 'Montana' Zooms By Manilow For Second Week At No. 1. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ Leroy, Dan (January 10, 2005). Deftones Go Upside Down. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Graff, Gary (May 23, 2007). Deftones Get Busy On New CD, Moreno Revives Team Sleep. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- Official Site
- Deftones at MySpace
- Deftones at Last.fm
- Deftones discography at MusicBrainz
- Deftones World (fan site)
- Team Sleep
- Decibel Devils Official Site
- LiveDaily: Chi Cheng of Deftones on Saturday Night Wrist
- Deftones Uncut
| Deftones |
|---|
| Chino Moreno | Stephen Carpenter | Abe Cunningham | Chi Cheng | Frank Delgado |
| Discography |
| Albums: Adrenaline | Around the Fur | White Pony | Deftones | Saturday Night Wrist |
| Singles: "7 Words" | "Bored" | "My Own Summer (Shove It)" | "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)" | "Change (In the House of Flies)" | "Elite" | "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" | "Digital Bath" | "Minerva" | "Hexagram" | "Hole in the Earth" | "Mein" |
| Other: (Like) Linus | Live | B-Sides & Rarities |
| Related articles |
| Discography | Team Sleep |
| Official website |
Categories: Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from September 2007 | All articles needing copy edit | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since December 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since September 2007 | American alternative rock music groups | American rock music groups | 1990s music groups | 2000s music groups | Musical groups established in 1988 | Alternative musical groups | California musical groups | Alternative metal musical groups | Grammy Award winners | Deftones