Deftones triumph over turmoil

Deftones w/ This Will Destroy You, Sunday, Sept. 12, doors 7 p.m., Crocodile Rock Cafe (520 W. Hamilton St.). All ages. Tickets: Sold-out at press time. Info: 610.434.4600, www.deftones.com, www.crocodilerockcafe.com

The Deftones don’t just write music. With each track, the band crafts a profoundly layered story that imprints unique imagery in the minds of its listeners. The Deftones’ style of multifaceted songwriting has intrigued fans for well over a decade. Heavy, mellow, lush, aggressive and even pretty at times, the Deftones are masters at fusing multiple elements to create one flawless end result.

Although the Deftones’ work may seem effortless, they have endured their share of turmoil. In 2008, the band’s bassist Chi Cheng suffered injuries in a vehicle accident and remains unable to play. For the members of the Deftones, it isn’t the struggles the band has faced in life that have made them stronger but the way they handled that adversity that really shows just what a tight-knit group it is.

The Deftones subbed in longtime friend Sergio Vega to assist with its latest effort “Diamond Eyes.” Putting the nearly completed album “Eros” on hold, the band opted to head in an entirely new direction. Vega did not merely play bass on the album. He lent a significant hand in writing “Diamond Eyes,” bringing his own experiences with his former band Quicksand and years of solo work to the process.

In anticipation of a show at Crocodile Rock in Allentown, on Sept. 12, Vega recently spoke with the Weekender from his New York City apartment. Vega sat down to give us some insight on his latest role as bassist for a band he says has welcomed him as one of its own.

WEEKENDER: How did you initially end up working with the Deftones?

VEGA: It was basically due to the rapport that we developed over the years prior. We had initially met at the first Warped Tour, and that was a cool introduction to each other, and it was at a good time for both of us for, you know, where we were at in the major league. I was in the band Quicksand, and then I had a chance to fill in for Chi in 1999, and that was another important juncture because it was like a big tour for them. It was before “White Pony” had come out originally. They were opening for Black Sabbath in Ventura, and you know it was something they were really excited to do, and my jumping in and being able help them stay on the tour when Chi’s foot basically just no longer allowed him to play, that kind of just created a really nice thing that resonated throughout time, throughout the years, in between my filling in and my supplementing the band, you know, later.

So when that happened, it helped make a tough situation a little bit easier, because it was somebody they had had a rapport with. We’re fond of each other. We’ve stayed in touch. We’re a fan of each other’s work. I was really just stoked, fortunately to be in the position to be able to help, … and I was honored to be considered. You know, just to be on their mind.

WEEKENDER: Was it difficult to come into a band that was already so well-established?

VEGA: No, because actually Quicksand was really hard to work within, and it was really difficult for us. Not as friends, but in the way that we worked and the way that we played and dealing with the different dynamics and stuff, and it was so hard to get the two records out that we did, that when I jumped in with this band, I was just like, “Oh my God, these guys are like the opposite.” I was like, “I can’t believe this.” They are all so supportive.

WEEKENDER: Did you have much influence in writing “Diamond Eyes”?

VEGA: We composed it from scratch together, just in a room, and we all just started listening. We all just started making music, and (producer) Nick Raskulinecz was there, and he captured everything. He would document anything we were playing, so if we started losing steam within the five of us, he was there to be like, “Hey, play stuff from the day before or the week before. Hey, listen to this riff, and let’s keep it moving.” And while we were playing, he would just jump around and score whatever was hot, and he kind of got the sense that, “Alright, let’s play off of this person,” whoever that is, and that was something that was like really a surprise for us, because they had already basically done “Eros,” and I had it in my head that whatever they needed, if it was just to play stuff, if it was just to play catalogue stuff while they worked it out, whatever, but it just wound up being like, “Hey, we dig you, and you’re a friend, and we like what you do, we liked that you were doing. We like all that shit, and just come on.”

WEEKENDER: Given everything that has happened with Chi, what seems to be the overall mentality of the band these days?

VEGA: I think appreciative, I would say, and just excited, because it kind of puts things in perspective, and you really know that we’re doing: Something that we love, and we are doing it in an environment where people are very warm and accepting of us. We have a nice world and have cultivated a nice group of people that have joined the band and make our travels really pleasant. We’re just really kind of cognizant of that every moment. We’re not really taking it for granted. Whether we’re rehearsing or doing interviews or just being out together, we really just have a spark of, like, we’re doing this, and we’re doing something that we love, and we love music and have a good time together. This is a great thing.

WEEKENDER: What type of impact do the Deftones hope “Diamond Eyes” will have on listeners?

VEGA: I always think the band doesn’t really do anything directly. It’s more like impressionism. We really start with just that spark of energy we we’re talking about that we entered the record with, and everything else basically grows from that seed. So whether it’s something that’s like a mellower song like “976 - EVIL” or a more upbeat one like “Rocket Skates,” they both have come from the same place and the same electronic energy and excitement, and you can see that that boils throughout the record. I don’t think that there is any direct message, and it’s just more like the sonic renderings of our excitement. Even within the lyrics, you can see the lyrics, the imagery and everything is not directly trying to say something as a band, as it is so much as to spark something within you, and it’s really a charge.

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