How do you see your role in the Deftones?
I bring a reggae vibe, and sometimes a Rocco Prestia [Tower Of Power] kind of feel. It drives Stephen [Carpenter, guitar] nuts because he’d rather have a traditional metal bass player who uses a pick and follows his every move. Instead, I counter his every move. I’m not a technical guy, but I take full advantage of the creative freedom I have to write interesting bass lines in my own style. I consider it a strength in the band, although others may disagree.
How do you approach your instrument?
When the song is melodic and there’s room to breathe, I like to fill up the space with cool, classy lines. I’ve always appreciated bassists who bring a lot to the table, like Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, Cliff Burton with Metallica, or Matt Freeman with Rancid. And I play really hard with my right hand.
Describe the studio dynamic between you and drummer Abe Cunningham.
Even when he’s recording, he knows only about 80 percent of what he’s going to do. That makes it nearly impossible for me to lock with him, because sometimes I have no idea where he’s going. I used to think I was the cool drunken punk-rock bass player, but I cleaned up on this album. I paid close attention to the kick, snare, and hi-hat. This is the first CD where Abe and I really locked well.
How has your role evolved along with the Deftones’ creative and recording process?
In the early days, Stephen and I wrote all the music and Chino [Moreno] sang his lyrics. The process changed when Chino started playing guitar. For Saturday Night Wrist, Chino was like Glenn Miller tending to his big band, involving himself in every aspect of the music without conceptualizing any lyrics or melodies. When it came time to record vocals, he started using Apple’s GarageBand software to chop songs to pieces right in front of us—like a Benihana chef. We were completely puzzled, but he ultimately did some amazing stuff. Some of the music I wrote ended up making the CD, including the instrumental “U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start.” Stephen and I wrote the music to “Beware.” But really, I don’t care who writes what, just as long as it’s great. I don’t think we’ve created our masterpiece yet. I’d like to do that before the band breaks up.