Shaun Lopez is a Sacramento guitarist, producer and mixing engineer best known as the guitarist for the Sacramento post-hardcore band Far, and later as a co-founder of the side project Crosses (âœâœâœ) with Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno.[1][2] Submerge describes him and Moreno as having "left an indelible mark on the Sacramento music scene--as well as rock music beyond the River City."[3]
Lopez grew up in a rural part of Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento.[4][5] He started playing guitar at age 13, and by 15 had already joined punk band Inner Strength — his first step into the Sacramento rock scene.[4]
At a glance
- Guitarist for Sacramento's Far, active across the band's mid-'90s run and its 2010 reunion.[1][6]
- Fronted the post-Far band The Revolution Smile.[1][6]
- Operates a recording studio where, among other work, Deftones tracked vocals for Saturday Night Wrist (2006).[3]
- Co-founder and instrumentalist of Crosses with Chino Moreno and Chuck Doom.[3]
- Active as a mixer/producer for other Sacramento bands, e.g. mixing Folsom band Breva's The American Landscape.[7]
Local status
Lopez is local to the Greater Sacramento region. Submerge consistently frames Far as a Sacramento band ("Sacramento's Far," "Sacramento band," "Sacramento locals") and identifies Lopez as Far's guitarist.[1][6] He and Chino Moreno are called "a couple of Sacramento legends," and Moreno notes the two "have been a good friend of mine since we were kids... He's my neighbor," reinforcing shared local roots.[2] Confidence: high.
Far
Lopez is the guitarist of Far, a Sacramento band that emerged in the mid-'90s alongside acts like Cake and Deftones as post-hardcore developed in the city.[1] Far was founded in Sacramento in 1991[8][4] and released two indie records (Listening Game, 1992; Quick, 1994), then signed with Epic/Immortal and put out Tin Cans With Strings to You in 1996, followed by Water & Solutions in 1998, after which the band broke up.[1] Submerge characterizes Far's mid-to-late-'90s sound as blurring the line between nü metal and emo rock.[6]
After Far's 1998 split, the band reunited a decade later.[8] They first re-emerged under the moniker Hot Little Pony, recording a cover of Ginuwine's 1996 song "Pony" and playing reunion shows.[1] The cover was released under that fake name — according to the Sacramento News & Review, Jonah Matranga booked shows and built a MySpace page under "Hot Little Pony," and by December 2008 the track had become the #1 requested song on KROQ in Los Angeles, described as "the most popular rock n roll frequency in the nation."[4][8] In interviews Lopez was the member pushing for a more professional, tour-oriented reunion rather than a casual one-off, a dynamic frontman Jonah Matranga described as the two balancing each other out.[1] Far's reunion produced At Night We Live (Vagrant), the band's first album in 12 years, set for a May 25, 2010 release; Submerge's review highlights Lopez's "mammoth guitars" on the choruses.[6]
The Revolution Smile
Between Far's breakup and reunion, Lopez fronted (helmed) the band The Revolution Smile.[1][6] According to the Shaun Lopez Wikipedia article, the band released three studio albums — We Are In This Alone, Above The Noise, and Summer Ever — along with the EP At War with Plastic, and were featured on Ozzfest and Van's Warped Tour.[5][9]
Studio work, production and mixing
Lopez works as a recording engineer and operates a studio. Chino Moreno recounts that Deftones recorded the vocals for Saturday Night Wrist (2006) at Lopez's studio, an experience both men described as difficult at the time though they remained friends.[3]
Lopez also mixes and produces for other Sacramento-area acts. He mixed The American Landscape, the debut full-length by the Folsom hard rock/alternative band Breva, after producer Zac Diebels (Simon Says / Rock Inc.) — described as a longtime friend of Lopez's — suggested bringing him on for the mix. Breva's drummer John Dutra called Lopez and Diebels "stalwarts of Sacramento's rock scene."[7]
Crosses (âœâœâœ)
Lopez co-founded Crosses, a side project with Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno and bassist/songwriter Chuck Doom.[2][3] Submerge first reported the project in April 2011, then describing it as featuring Lopez and Moreno (with Scott Chuck named in early coverage), with Moreno characterizing the material as "really minimal and soothing."[2] Around 16 tracks were near completion at that early stage, with no tour or album set and the suggestion the group might release a series of EPs.[2]
By the project's fuller telling, Crosses began with Lopez and Doom writing together — Lopez had met Doom two or three years earlier through a mutual friend when Doom sought studio space — before Moreno joined as vocalist after Lopez heard him sing over a track.[3] Lopez had originally envisioned a revolving cast of vocalists, but Moreno asked to sing on all the songs.[3] The trio produced over 20 songs in roughly six months. They released a five-song EP ✠as a free download in August 2011, followed by EP âœâœ on Jan. 24, 2012, with plans to compile the EPs plus new songs into a full-length.[3] Crosses began playing live shows starting Jan. 31, 2012 — four California dates plus South American festival dates (Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago; Quilmes Rock in Buenos Aires) in late March/early April 2012.[3] Crosses played Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Feb. 3, 2012, with Secret Empire and Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross also performing.[3]
The band's self-titled debut album was released on February 11, 2014 via Sumerian Records; it contains remastered versions of all songs from the previous two EPs plus five new tracks, and peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200.[10][5]
Crosses' second studio album, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete., was released on October 13, 2023 on Warner Records — their first album with a major label — and peaked at #139 on the Billboard 200.[10][5]
Scene relationships
- Far bandmates: Jonah Matranga (vocals/guitar), John Gutenberger (bass), Chris Robyn (drums).[1][6]
- Chino Moreno: longtime friend and neighbor from childhood; collaborator across the Saturday Night Wrist sessions and Crosses.[2][3]
- Chuck Doom: co-founder of Crosses.[3]
- Zac Diebels: Simon Says / Rock Inc.; longtime friend and co-collaborator on the Breva album.[7]
- Moreno's parallel project Palms (with members of Isis) is noted by Submerge alongside Crosses, though Lopez is not a member.[11]