Chino Moreno

New Release: Chino Moreno (Deftones)- Brief Exchange

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There is a soundtrack/compilation being put out by DC Comics for their upcoming Dark Nights series. Composer Tyler Bates, who you might know from doing the music for Guardians of the Galaxy, Californication as well as working with Marilyn Manson on his The Pale Emperor album, is at the helm for this project. Chino has contributed to this soundtrack with one hell of a song called Brief Exchange. It’s badass. I seriously hope that Chino takes some of this style with him to the writing sessions for the new Deftones album.

It’s worth noting too that Brann Dailor, the drummer and one of the vocalists from Mastodon has also contributed to this soundtrack as well. His song is pretty badass too.

 

Chino Moreno- Brief Exchange:

 

Brann Dailor (of Mastodon)- Red Death:

Album Review: Deftones- Gore

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After 20 plus years as a band and now 8 albums in, where do you go? Deftones have never been a band to play it safe. They shake things up every now and then, showing the band is constantly evolving. Their new album Gore is a prime example of a band maturing and expanding upon its influences. It’s nice to hear a band like this take chances and try new things, but the end result isn’t all that pretty. Gore has a flow to it that is makes it seem more like a collection of songs rather than an album. There are a few songs that are absolute standouts on this record. Songs like “Hearts/Wires,” “Phantom Bride,” and “Rubicon” are the best the album has to offer. “Hearts/Wires”  should have been the first single released. Chino sounds vulnerable and focused on this song. There are great harmonies as well that take it up a notch or a few. As of this writing my favorite track is “Phantom Bride.” Jerry Cantrell guests on the song, providing a guitar solo that fits ever so perfectly with the vibe of the song. The song is also one of the the most heartfelt songs on the album. Chino shines on this, as well as the rest of the band. Other songs that caught my attention are “Prayers/Triangles,” “Acid Hologram,” and “(L)MIRL.” There is something very etherial to these songs. They expand upon the Deftones more “ambient” side.

Part of the problem with the album is the production and mixing. It’s very disjointed. The drums are buried in the back and don’t have the sense or urgency that fans of the band have loved for many years. There is a “raw” element to this album and I get it, but it’s just not done well at all. I understand why they didn’t want to continue on the path that they laid with Diamond Eyes and Koi No Yokon, but they seemed to have strayed a little too far on this one. The end result is that this album will definitely be one that grows on you with time. This is not to say that you won’t enjoy Gore, but it will for sure be one of the albums in the bands catalog that songs get skipped on a lot.

Scale of 1-10: 4

Deftones- Gore:

Ultimate Set List: Deftones

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I really thought that this feature was a lot of fun so I’m doing it again. This time I present my ultimate set list for Deftones.

Here are the rules:

Rule 1: maximum 25 songs

Rule 2: What line up of the band would it be

Rule 3: Where would you want to see the show

Lineup: Chino, Steph, Abe, Frank, Chi and Sergio

Venue: Satellite (Spaceland)- Los Angeles

Set List:

Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
Around The Fur
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Lotion
Deathblow
Minerva
Beware
Kim Dracula
Swerve City
Entombed
Tempest
Feiticerira
Digital Bath
RX Queen
Knife Party
Passenger
Change (In The House Of Flies)
Diamond Eyes
You’ve Seen The Butcher
Rocket Skates
Risk
Minus Blindfold
Engine No. 9
Root
Pink Maggit

Live Review: Deftones and Incubus at Irvine Meadows

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There are certain bands that hold a special place for me. One of those bands is Deftones. Whenever they come to town I run to see them. Over the years I’ve seen them now 13 times. There was something rather special about this evening. Being that it was the first time in 15 years that Deftones and Incubus had shared a bill together. I remember seeing Deftones and Incubus years ago at the Universal Amphitheater, when White Pony and Make Yourself were released. What a night that was, and what a night this was.

To start the night off was a local Los Angeles band called The Eeries. These guys just weren’t good at all. They seemed like nice enough guys but their music was beyond juvenile and dated. Their 15 minute set was the longest 15 minutes of my entire week.

Death From Above 1979 was the main support for the tour and they did not disappoint at all. Their blistering high energy set was remarkable. I’ve been wanting to see that for years, and am so glad they got back together. The duo wasted no time in getting the energy of the night to where it needed to be as the sun was starting to set. Irvine Meadows might not have been the most ideal place to see them, but they rocked the hell out of the place.

Deftones were then set to take the stage and boy did they. From the opening chords of “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” all the way till “Engine No. 9,” there was no mistaking that Deftones would be a hard act to follow. From their stage presence and visuals , it’s no mistaking that they came to kill it. Chino was spot on throughout the entire set, even being playful with the audience and the other guys in the band. Watching them you can tell they were really having fun up on stage, especially Abe Cunningham and Sergio Vega. Their setlist was a great blend of hits and deep cuts from all their albums with the exception of Saturday Night Wrist. They did put “When Girls Telephone Boys” in the set and all the guys really dug in on that song. The crowd was a little separate in who was there to see who, and you can definitely tell the Deftones fans from the Incubus fans. My voice was pretty horse after their set but it was well worth it, especially since they kicked off their set with my all time favorite “Be Quiet and Drive.”

Incubus headlined the evening. They sounded great and looked totally at ease. Despite their new EP being so so, they pulled out a lot of gems in their setlist. Their set kicked off with a jam of the Hans Zimmer song S.T.A.Y. from Interstellar and transitioned perfectly into “Nice To Know You.” Other gems from the set included “Sick Sad Little World (one of my top two Incubus songs of all time), “Vitamin,” “Dig,” and “A Crow Left Of The Murder.” The bands use of visualizers and cameras made for a fun night that was sort of hypnotic. I must say that it was a pleasure to see Incubus again. Brandon Boyd still has a great voice and Jose Pasillas is one hell of a drummer. I have to say though that I miss having Drik Lance aka Alex Katunich up on stage, he really had a vibe that fit the music.

All in all it was a great show, not to mention that I was with my wife and she really enjoyed it. Deftones though stole the night. They were such a hard act to follow. Had Incubus played some older stuff from Make Yourself and SCIENCE, they might have been able to steal it, but that’s not to say they didn’t put on a great show.

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Deftones Setlist:

Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Diamond Eyes
Rocket Skates
You’ve Seen The Butcher
Sextape
Feiticeria
Digital Bath
Knife Party
When Girls Telephone Boys
Tempest
Swerve City
Passenger
Change (In The House Of The Flies)
Headup
Engine No. 9

Incubus Setlist:

S.T.A.Y (Hans Zimmer song from Interstellar)
Nice To Know You
Anna Molly
Circles
Absolution Calling
Are You In?
Sick Sad Little World
Vitamin
Trust Fall
In The Company Of Wolves
Wish You Were Here
I Miss You
Love Hurts
Pardon Me
Megalomanic
Dig
Drive
A Crow Left Of The Murder

By: Brian Lacy

Photos by: Alisa Lacy

Album Debate: Deftones- Around The Fur vs White Pony

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I’ve been a huge Deftones fan since I first remember seeing the video for “Bored.” I thought Adrenaline was a cool album when it came out, then I heard Around The Fur and my excitement level went through the roof. Around The Fur was so powerful. There was a striking difference between this album and their debut. As The story goes, when Deftones went into the studio to make Around The Fur they really didn’t have a set idea of what they wanted to come out with. This time around the guys spent more time in the studio with producer Terry Date. If you listen closely to Abe Cunningham’s drums, you can tell there is a difference on the drum sounds especially the snare, as he began to experiment using different snares on each song. There is also something really intriguing about the quiet to loud dynamics on the album as well. When you have songs like “My Own Summer (Shove It),” “Lhabia,” Around The Fur,” “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” it really shows the bands growth and ability to write songs that can be heavy yet have a sense of melody without compromising their artistic integrity. 

After a break from touring Around The Fur, the band spent a few months locked away in the studio  writing and recording what would become White Pony. The majority of this time was spent trying to write songs, and that the writing of a particular song “Change (In The House Of Flies)” was the turning point for the group as they began working as a “band.” There was also pressure from their label to release the album sooner, but,  the band decided to take their time making the album that they wanted to make. The band essentially picked up where they left off with Around The Fur by really delving more into melancholia and melody. The album is explosive and beautiful, thus making it one of the bands most mature releases. The inclusion of songs like “Digital Bath” “RX Queen,” (which features guest vocals by Scott Weiland), and “Knife Party,” join in with the vibe that “Change” had in its spaciousness and use of experimentation. The guesting of Maynard from Tool was a great use of a guest vocalist on “Passenger.” Even with all the experimentation and evolution, Deftones still had their heavy touch on a lot of the songs like “Elite,” “Feiticeira,” and “Street Carp.”

Granted these are two very different albums but they are similar in showing a bands evolution. Personally I’ve always been more partial to Around The Fur, for it’s raw prowess, and unforgiving nature. White Pony is a close second though. To me though Around The Fur just really gets me going in such a fashion that I can’t turn it off, or even turn the volume down. Where do you fall on this issue?

 

Around The Fur:

 

White Pony:

 

By: Brian Lacy

 

Live Review: Palms at the Troubadour

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On paper supergroups sound like a good idea. Mix parts of one band with another. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Thankfully when Isis members Aaron Harris, Jeff Caxide, and Bryant Clifford Meyer joined up with Deftones singer Chino Moreno, musical bliss was created. Last night at the Troubadour was definitely something inspiring. The bands 75 minute set was full of intrigue. Their set started off with an untitled new song, then quickly jumped into “Tropics.” The main highlight of the night was when Adam Jones from Tool got on stage to join the band in playing “Shortwave Radio.” The crowd erupted when Adam appeared, almost to the same level as when Chino took the stage. You would think that with all the projects Chino is involved with he would run out of things to sing about. That is not the case. In Palms he gets to expand his thoughts into something more etherial that at the same time fits within the music and his voice is subtle as it caresses against the musical backdrop. Closing out the night was the fantastic song “Patagonia.” Palms is the type of band that can transcend heavy music and get those listening to just relax and settle into the music.

Opening band The Beta Machine, was nothing special. Actually to be perfectly honest they were rather drab and boring. I’d almost rather it have been an evening with Palms, than have to sit through their set. Though their drummer is quite fantastic.

What a great night for music. I love shows that leave me wanting more and that make me want to go home and write songs. In the past 4 days seeing Abloom and Palms really did that for me. And despite the venues sound guy not being on top of their game when it came to the live mix of Chino’s vocals, it was a great show.

Palms Setlist:

1. New Song
2. Tropics
3. Mission Sunset
4. Future Warrior
5. Shortwave Radio (with Adam Jones)
6. Antarctic Handshake

Encore:

7. Patagonia

 

Shortwave Radio w/Adam Jones

 

By: Brian Lacy

Photo by: Alisa Diaz

Great Guest Vocalists: Chino Moreno- Deftones

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Chino Moreno has one of the most distinct voices in the rock music community. His soft whispers, powerful screams, and intriguing melodies can be found on quite a few albums from others. Below is a handful of those.

 

Bender by Sevendust:

 

First Commandment by Soulfly:

 

Surrender Your Sons by Norma Jean:

 

Razors Out from The Raid Redemption Soundtrack:

 

Embers by Lamb Of God:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Crosses Full Length Review

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A lot can be said for when side projects become as good as a main project. With that being said Crosses is just that. Made up of Chino Moreno (Deftones, Team Sleep, Palms), Shaun Lopez (Far, The Revolution Smile) and Chuck Doom, this trio has created something rather special. I’ve written about them before, but I can’t get enough. They recently released their full length album. It combines the first 2 EP’s with 5 new songs. It was also put together in such an order to make a cohesive album. The new songs are just as good as their previous release, especially Bitches Brew, The Epilogue, and Blk Stallion. The mix of influences from each member and the amount of talent that each possess create such an intriguing blend. This album is great for driving around, gearing up for a night out, sitting at home and relaxing and for baby making. Crosses live is a whole different animal. Having Dino Campanella on drums and Jono Evans on guitar/keys, rounds out the entire sound. When I first saw them they had 2 drummers. Dino plays in such a way that it is almost like there are still 2 drummers there. Chino has such a distinctive voice that can be soothing as well as ferocious. Shaun has a signature guitar tone that many people try to emulate from his days in Far. Mixing those elements with an electronic sound is unbeatable.

Chino has said that this is not something that will keep him from Deftones. In fact he’s recently said that he can’t wait to get back with his Deftones bandmates to work on the follow up to their great album Koi No Yokan, not to mention working on new music with Team Sleep and Palms. It’s only mid february and I can already tell that this album will be in constant rotation for me and will probably be in my top 10 of the year

 

Crosses:

 

Previous Write Up:

https://audioeclectica.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/crosses-not-just-a-supergroup-or-side-project/?relatedposts_exclude=1045

By: Brian Lacy

Anticipated Albums of 2014

Crosses (featuring Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez) are gearing up to release their full length debut on February 11, 2014 through Sumerian Records. The first single and accompanying video (featured above) “Bitches Brew” is an intoxicating sexual beast. It features a very sultry groove and beat, that invokes some R&B love making soul then switches gears to an awesome rock track. Be on the look out for when they hit your city on tour. Their live show is very intimate and makes you want to dance.

 

By: Brian Lacy