Former Deftones<\/strong> bassist and drummer Dominic Garcia<\/strong> has opened up once again about his time with the alt-metal heavyweights. Though this time, he’s setting the record straight on his role in the band’s origins.<\/p>\n Speaking in the latest issue of Metal Hammer<\/em>, Garcia<\/strong> pushed back against the long-circulating narrative that he was simply an early recruit. “That’s not true \u2013 I’m a founding member,” he insisted, recalling how he and drummer Abe Cunningham<\/strong> first connected in high school before linking up with guitarist Stephen Carpenter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Back then, the trio were just making noise: “Stephen<\/strong> [Carpenter<\/strong>, guitarist] lived in the neighborhood \u2013 he was 18, a couple of years older than us. He\u2019d ride around on his bike, and one day we were jamming out and Stephen<\/strong> must have heard us \u2019cos he poked his nose through the window and invited us to come jam with him at his house.<\/p>\n “At that point, it was the three of us. We were mostly just making noise, but Stephen<\/strong> was the riff master \u2013 he came up with all these amazing riffs. It was Stephen<\/strong> who came up with the name The Deftones<\/strong>, because he loved Def Jam Recordings so much. It was always The Deftones<\/strong> when I was in the band, from what I can remember.”<\/p>\n The band’s early days were a blur of experimentation and unlikely influences. After auditioning vocalists \u2013 including a straight-up MC \u2013 they eventually landed on a young Chino Moreno<\/strong>, whose party trick of singing The Smiths<\/strong> songs helped set him apart. Early originals like “Butt Booty Naked” reportedly fused funk-metal vibes with crushing riffs, hinting at the genre-blending identity the band would later refine.<\/p>\n When Cunningham<\/strong> left to join local act Phallucy<\/strong>, Garcia<\/strong> moved from bass to drums \u2013 a switch that opened the door for the late Chi Cheng<\/strong> to enter the fold. Garcia<\/strong> remembers Cheng<\/strong> fondly as “wonderful” and deeply creative, with a love of poetry that added a new dimension to the band.<\/p>\n Despite never formally quitting, Garcia<\/strong>‘s time in the band came to an unceremonious end. While juggling roles in both groups, he discovered through a third party that he’d effectively been replaced. “I was a little bit heartbroken,” he admitted, though he maintains there’s no lingering bitterness.<\/p>\n In the years since, Garcia<\/strong> has taken a very different path. He’s since moved away from rock and immersing himself in world and ethnological music, particularly Latin traditions: “Phallucy<\/strong> wound up breaking up because of management stuff, but I was kind of moving away from rock music at that point.<\/p>\n “I took a world music class at Sacramento City College and started getting into ethnological music \u2013 that touched my soul. I started digging into the roots of Latin music and that\u2019s been my passion ever since. I recently got a grant to learn how to carve sacred Bata drums, which are used in spiritual Yoruba ceremonies.”<\/p>\n As for Deftones<\/strong>, Garcia<\/strong> holds no regrets. In fact, he still shows up \u2013 albeit with mixed results. Recalling a recent hometown gig, he laughed: “I enjoyed the show a little bit too much\u2026 I got kicked out of the pit. I was like, ‘I used to be in this band!'”\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Enter your information below to get a daily update with all of our headlines and receive The Orchard Metal newsletter.<\/p>\n