Deftones has been around for decades and people have been vibing to their music since the early 90s, but can you imagine the band under a different name? More recently, a former executive member of the group's record label revealed that he band almost wasn't called the name they have in the present.
According to the former senior vice president of A&R for Roadrunner Records, Monte Conner, the band was almost called something different back when they were starting.
Conner almost became the reason why the band had their biggest break as he was the first A&R executive that attempted to sign the band.
However, at the time, he had a request for the group if they really wanted to be a part of the music giant, he initially wanted them to change their name and not go with Deftones.
The band didn't strike a deal with Roadrunner Records that's why they retained their name. They first became a musical act under Maverick Records.
Regardless, the group, led by Chino Moreno, still managed to amass massive success which led them to become one of the legendary bands within the rock genre.
Why Monte Conner Wanted Deftones to Change Their Name
The former executive took to Facebook to detail about what happened decades ago. He noted that he was amazed by how talented Deftones were just by listening to a demo of their recording back in 1993.
He later invited the group to travel from Sacramento to New York to meet. He later spoke with guitarist Stephen Carpenter and the band's manager, Dave Park.
"I made them an offer... But there was one big condition to the deal: I insisted that the band change their name because I, and others at the label, felt the name Deftones was weighed down with issues," he explained. (via Loudwire)
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The reason why he wanted them to drop the name was because the word "def" had "lost its cool factor" and one example was the Def American Recordings changing their name to simply American Recordings.
"The mainstreaming of the word went against the anti-establishment image that he was trying to project for the label," he said of Rick Rubin.
Regarding the word "tone," Conner didn't want them to sound like a ska band.
Monte Conner Regretted Not Signing Deftones
Conner and Carpenter didn't speak to each other for years until 1997 and at the time, Deftones was" a massive band who amassed fans from all over the world.
"The first thing I said to him was, 'Man, I really blew it with the name change idea, huh?' He laughed and said, Don't feel so bad, dude," the former executive recalled.
Carpenter then told him that Maverick Records also wanted them to change their name, but they couldn't agree on something so when they got tired of waiting, the band just went with Deftones.
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