In the lead-up to this weekend’s Dia De Los Deftones festival in San Diego, California, Revolver reached out to some of the heaviest hitters from Dias past — including Phantogram‘s Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter — to reflect on Deftones and their annual music celebration.
Any memorable moments from playing Dia De Los Deftones?
Sarah Barthel I remember losing my hearing permanently. Every single time I go to sleep at night, my left ear rings, and it reminds me of that night. But the coolest part is, every time I hear it, I’m just like, “That was the best day of my life.” It was from being an idiot and standing in the photo pit without ear protection because I had to watch Turnstile and then Deftones. No regrets.
You also toured with Deftones this fall. What was your reaction when you got the offer?
Barthel It was an honest dream come true, couldn’t believe it. They take their openers very seriously — they actually give a shit who’s opening up, and they want to help other bands get recognized. Chino [Moreno]’s a huge fan of us. He always comes to our shows, and he’s just a rad dude.
How have Deftones influenced Phantogram?
Barthel They’ve been a huge influence on us since day one. Especially me — with my vocals, I’ve always had the “what would Chino do?” mentality.
Josh Carter I don’t even know if I would consider them a metal band, per se. They’re kind of shoegazy to me, honestly. They sit in the same territory as old Smashing Pumpkins and maybe earlier My Bloody Valentine. That’s another reason why I think they’re so cool.