Chino Moreno — full birth name Camillo "Chino" Wong Moreno, born June 20, 1973, in Sacramento, California[1] — is the vocalist of Deftones, Sacramento's marquis rock band, and a prolific collaborator whose side projects include Team Sleep, Crosses and Palms.[2][3][4] Submerge frames him and his frequent collaborator Shaun Lopez as having "left an indelible mark on the Sacramento music scene–as well as rock music beyond the River City."[3]
At a glance
- Lead vocalist of Deftones, described by Submerge as "Sacramento's own marquis band" and "hometown heroes."[2][5]
- Deftones formed in Sacramento in 1988, rising from backyard barbecues and Cattle Club shows to world tours.[2][6]
- Moreno moved to the Los Angeles area roughly three to four years before 2010, but bandmate Abe Cunningham affirmed "we're still a Sacramento band, we still claim it."[2]
- Side projects: Team Sleep (with DJ Crook and Zach Hill), Crosses (with Far's Shaun Lopez and Chuck Doom), Palms (with members of Isis), and Saudade.[7][3][4][8][9]
- Frequently lends guest vocals to younger bands, brokered via Sacramento's Artery Foundation.[7]
Local status: a Sacramento-origin artist
Moreno is local to the Greater Sacramento region by origin. Deftones are repeatedly identified as a Sacramento band — "Sacramento's own marquis band" with roots in late-'80s backyard barbecues and Cattle Club gigs.[2] Submerge calls the band "hometown heroes."[5] Although Moreno relocated to the Los Angeles area (about three to four years before a 2010 interview), Cunningham was explicit that the band still claims Sacramento as home: "I mean, we're still a Sacramento band, we still claim it… it's where we're from."[2] Origin, not current residence, governs local status, so Moreno is treated as local (confidence: high).
Moreno grew up in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood and attended C. K. McClatchy High School, where he met future Deftones bandmates Abe Cunningham and Stephen Carpenter.[1][6]
Deftones
Deftones formed in Sacramento in 1988 — the founding trio was Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, and Abe Cunningham[6] — building from backyard barbecues and sold-out shows at the Cattle Club to a record deal and global headlining tours.[2] The band signed with Maverick Records after the lineup settled in 1994.[10] Cunningham recalled that an early career goal was simply to play the Crest Theatre.[2] The band maintains a long-held rehearsal studio in West Sacramento.[2]
Discography
The band's ten studio albums span three decades, with notable chart results. Adrenaline (1995) and Around the Fur (1997) — the latter RIAA platinum certified[11] — established the band's commercial foothold. White Pony (2000) debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200[11] and earned the band the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2001 for the song "Elite."[12] The self-titled Deftones (2003) debuted at No. 2.[11] Saturday Night Wrist (2006), Diamond Eyes (2010), Koi No Yokan (2012), and Gore (2016) — which also peaked at No. 2[11] — followed. Ohms (2020) and Private Music (August 22, 2025, on Reprise/Warner Records, featuring touring bassist Fred Sablan) complete the catalog.[10][13]
Chi Cheng and Diamond Eyes
A pivotal event was a November 2008 car accident that left original bassist Chi Cheng in a coma.[14][2] The band had nearly completed an album titled Eros — their first planned reunion with longtime producer/engineer Terry Date — but shelved it after the accident.[14][2] Out of respect for Cheng, they kept Eros "on the backburner" rather than touring its songs without him.[2] They enlisted former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega, a longtime friend who had filled in for Cheng before, and Cunningham said Vega was the only person they had in mind.[2] Chi Cheng died on April 13, 2013, in a hospital, following a partial recovery from his injuries.[15]
The resulting sixth studio album, Diamond Eyes, was written and recorded quickly at their West Sacramento spot with producer Nick Raskulinecz — the first outside producer the band allowed to be hands-on in their creative process, a departure from their work with Date.[14][2] It charted at No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in May 2010.[2] Submerge's review highlights Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums) and Frank Delgado (keyboards) alongside Moreno's vocals.[14] By mid-2012 the band was working on its seventh album — a follow-up to Diamond Eyes, again with Raskulinecz producing — which Moreno described as more "futuristic" and "dynamic," "heavy, but beautiful."[5]
Per Cunningham's 2010 account, the Deftones lineup was geographically split: Carpenter and Moreno had relocated to the Los Angeles area, while Delgado and Cunningham (and Cheng) remained in the Sacramento region; Vega is from New York.[2]
Side projects
Team Sleep — Moreno's project with Sacramento DJ John "DJ Crook" Molina (CrookOne), among others.[8] Moreno's self-titled Team Sleep album appeared in 2005.[7] Crook described both himself and Moreno as members and recounted meeting Deftones in 1996; the band remained active on new material as of late 2015, with Zach Hill (of Death Grips) historically involved and Gil Sharone drumming more recently.[8]
Crosses (✝✝✝) — A side project Moreno launched around 2010–2011 with Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, with whom he had been friends since childhood (Lopez being a neighbor), plus bassist/songwriter Chuck Doom (also referred to as Scott Chuck in early reporting).[7][3][16] Moreno first described the material as "really minimal and soothing," with sixteen tracks near completion and a possible series of EP releases.[16] Lopez and Doom started the project before Moreno joined as vocalist; Moreno insisted he be the only singer over the material.[3] Submerge notes the Deftones vocals for Saturday Night Wrist (2006) were recorded at Lopez's studio — a famously difficult collaboration both men initially vowed never to repeat.[3] Crosses released EP ✝ as a free download in August 2011, followed by EP ✝✝ on Jan. 24, 2012, with hopes of a compiled full-length.[3] The group played Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Feb. 3, 2012 (with Secret Empire, Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross), plus California and South American dates including Lollapalooza Chile and Quilmes Rock 2012.[3][5]
Palms — Formed by 2013 with three members of the defunct post-rock band Isis (drummer Aaron Harris, guitarist/keyboardist Clifford Meyer, bassist Jeff Caxide).[4] The debut album was completed and handed to Ipecac Recordings for a June 25, 2013 release; vocals were finished with Harris meeting Deftones on tour and turning hotel rooms and backstage areas into temporary studios.[4]
Saudade — In April 2016, Moreno formed the supergroup Saudade with guitarist Dr. Know (Bad Brains), drummer Mackie Jayson (Bad Brains/Cro-Mags), jazz keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood), and bassist Chuck Doom (also of Crosses).[9]
Scene relationships and guest work
Moreno's side projects intertwine with the Sacramento scene's key figures: Far's Shaun Lopez, DJ Crook, Frank Delgado, and Death Grips' Zach Hill all appear in his orbit.[3][8] His guest appearances on younger bands' records — such as Whitechapel's A New Era of Corruption — were brokered by Shawn Carrano of Sacramento's Artery Foundation, who had been friends with Deftones and Moreno for around a decade and previously managed Team Sleep, also placing Moreno on records by Norma Jean and Dance Gavin Dance.[7]