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Deftones bassist Sergio Vega confirms he has left the band
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 10 March 2022
Deftones bassist Sergio Vega has confirmed rumours that he has left the band. The split comes, he says, following a contract dispute. Vegas claims that, despite co-writing and touring with the band for twelve years, they have refused to follow through on promises to make him an official member of the group.
A member of post-hardcore band Quicksand, Vega first began working with Deftones in 1999, when he stood in on tour for Chi Cheng, who was then recovering from surgery. Then, following the 2008 car crash that left Cheng in a coma (he subsequently died in 2013), Vegas rejoined the band, both touring and co-writing all four albums they have released since 2010.
Despite publicly appearing to be a full-time member of the band, Vega says that he was actually contracted as a session musician. He says that he was told that he would eventually be made an official member of the group – as DJ Frank Delgado had been, after appearing as a guest on their second album, ‘Around The Fur’ – but, although he often broached this, it never happened.
There had been speculation that Vega was no longer a member of the group for several months – in part because he sold a large amount of equipment online last year. Then, this week, the band updated their profiles on various digital platforms with a new image that does not feature the bassist.
Following that, Vega posted a video on Instagram, in which he read out a statement confirming his departure from the band.
“I was … told that, similarly to Frank, I would be brought in over time to become an official member”, he explains. “I had worked with the band for twelve years, and at the start of every album cycle, I asked about becoming an official member, but the contract would be improved instead”.
“COVID was a breaking point for a lot of people”, he went on. “And I started to question my place in the band, and the future that I wanted for my career. I really started to need something stable, because at that point, my contract with them [had expired]”.
“One day I got a call from the guys about an internal band situation, and they asked me if I was solid, and [said] that I would have to fly out to LA to help work it out right away. I said, ‘Of course, I was all in, and we can handle my situation later, but I can’t go back to my old contract’”.
“Our respective management had a conversation to discuss a new contract, and they offered me the same deal. At that point, it was clear there was no opportunity for growth for me. So I declined the offer. And then I call the guys immediately to see where the miscommunication was to resolve it. But there was no response”.
“A couple of days later, I received an email from their lawyer that their offer was withdrawn, and that they wished me the best. So I left the band early last year, and since then, I’ve been focused on my band Quicksand, as well as working as a producer and writer for other artists and projects. And I’m mentioning this because there was some speculation about me selling my gear and quitting music altogether”.
Speaking directly to his now former bandmates, he finished by saying: “I want you to know that I appreciate all the years we spent together, writing, performing, being taken into your worlds. I learned a lot from each one of you, when you brought me in, you created a new sense of passion for music that I will always cherish and carry with me. You truly changed my life”.
Deftones have not yet made any official comment on the matter, and it is not clear who will replace Vega on the band’s upcoming world tour, which is due to start in the US next month.
