DEFTONES’ "PONY" GETS SCHOOLED

You're not supposed to change horses in midstream, but Maverick Recording Company is doing just that with Deftones' Gold-plus "White Pony" album, now closing in on 600k in OTC sales.

The label is adding the new track "Back To School (Mini-Maggit)" to the original CD, which will be re-released with new cover art Oct. 3. For those who already own "White Pony," the new single can be downloaded by placing the original enhanced disc into their CD-ROM drives, clicking on the "Worldwide" section and following the instructions.

Said Maverick President Bill Bennett: "We realized the enhanced CD already had a link we could use to deliver the single. The Deftones hold their fans sacred, and this was their way of making sure those who bought the original album didn't feel cheated."

The song was slated for the album, which first came out June 13, but the band didn't finish work on the track until last month. Said band leader Chino Moreno: "Maverick was so blown away, they wanted to put it out as our next single and re-release the album with the song added."

The band is in L.A. this week to work on the video, set in a "typical" American schoolroom, with director Paul Hunter at the helm.

Deftones, who kick off their "Back to School" U.S. tour Oct. 13 in Seattle, will be on the road through the first week in December.