 The day before my sixteenth birthday, my parents loaded some lads into the family's conversion van and drove several hours to Winston Salem, North Carolina. For the next five hours, my parents sat in the big green van while the teenage boys under their charge moshed about inside of Ziggy's, a legendary music venue near Wake Forest University's campus. On the bill that spring night were San Fransisco natives Tinfed and Sacramento California's Deftones. Touring in support of their highly anticipated second album (Around the Fur, 1997) the Deftones more than lived up to my expectations. Not only was their set amazing, the band was humble enough to meet with young fans before and after the show. Having a camera in my hand even then, I was able to snap a few photos of the band and even posed with the late Chi Cheng (1970-2013) for a photo or two. To a fifteen year old angst ridden teen, the night was the best birthday present you could ever ask for and would mark the band's place in mind and heart. 16 years later, I had the opportunity to photograph the Deftones again. Instead of a disposable Fuji camera, I had my actual gear and a press pass. I again found myself backstage with the band. Yet, instead of asking to take photos with them, I had prepared a gift. I handed over an envelope containing a few of the film shots I had taken over a decade and a half earlier when we were all a bit more green behind the ears. Until you are next in Tokyo Deftones...           |