ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Deftones, a Sacramento-based rock band, perform
acoustic music on the beach in Hawaii for an episode
of MTV's "Music In High Places." From left, are
Chi Cheng, Chino Moreno, Frank Del Gato,
Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham.

Travel with
Deftones to Big Isle

"Music in High Places"
7 p.m. today, MTV

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Reviewed by Chelsea J. Carter
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES >> Picture this: a kind of "MTV Unplugged" on the Travel Channel. Then you have an idea of what to expect from "Music in High Places."

This week's outing offers a performance by the Deftones, a band whose ear-shattering, in-your-face music won a best-metal Grammy this year.

"This is a group that really played into the philosophy of 'Music in High Places,'" said the show's executive producer, Parvene Michaels.

That philosophy was to take the Deftones out of their concert venues, unplug their guitars, microphones and amplifiers, and see what they could do.

It's designed to give viewers the experience of traveling with the Deftones, who perform acoustically for the first time.

A highlight is when they perform "Elite" from the album "White Pony" at the City of Refuge on the Big Island.

The filming was done in remote locations, such as Waipio, and on Kona beaches and lava beds.

The show gives viewers unfamiliar with the group a chance to hear sometimes soulful lyrics lost in the group's usual screaming performances.

"I think we're an adaptable band, and we've proven that we can take songs, strip them down, and they'll still retain the same quality," said Deftones bassist Chi Cheng.

Perhaps the only moment the musicians disappoint is when they make jokes during a solemn blessing ceremony.

Future "Music in High Places" performances appear to be trying to tap into MTV's core younger audience. Performers scheduled include BBMak in Vietnam, Mya in Sicily, Joy Enriquez in Puerto Rico and Sugar Ray in Australia.

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