Drive Like Jehu, Storm and Stress, Colossamite, Shellac, Dazzling Killmen, Brass Knuckles for Tough Guys, Pele, Sweep The Leg Johnny, Ativin, Shiner, Paul Newman, The Distance Formula, A Minor Forest, Jettison Flammable, Oma Yang, Damon Che, Volta Do Mar, Bellini, The Cancer Conspiracy
This profile is by a fan and not the band themself.
Picture this. A horde of nomadic aliens with numerous elongated limbs decides to migrate to earth with the intention of demonstrating its species' genetic supremacy over humans by forming an instrumental rock band. The power of the music they produce renders vocals irrelevant and obsolete. Silly humans, they say. We need not anthropomorphize in order to seduce your supple earthling ears. We need no verse-chorus-verse repetition to lull you into a hypnotically befuddled trance. These aliens journey here simply to embarrass us -- and amaze us.
The four members of this machine for Tazmanian sonic mayhem claim to hail from Pittsburgh, though of course we have our own ideas about their actual planetary origins. We do know, however, that they call themselves Don Caballero and that they now reside in Chicago. We know also that guitarists named Mike Banfield and Ian Williams craft intricate, warped melodies and twisted arpeggios that pulse alongside the grueling, ferocious bass lines of a creature called Pat Morris. And we know that all this is powered by, and would not be possible without, the extraterrestrial beat explosion of drummer/octopus Damon Che.
Chicago's Touch and Go Records has been a kind of home away from home for these peculiar beings, as they have released every one of their full-lengths and singles on that label. Their first effort was the full-length, For Respect (1993), which they recorded as a three-piece. Williams joined them on the next album, Don Caballero 2. The third record, What Burns Never Returns (1998) saw the group's heavy experimental math rock sound take on elements of jazz fusion, thanks in large part to Williams and his involvement in the very fusion-oriented Storm and Stress. The personnel changed again on Don Cab's fourth full-length, American Don, with Banfield and Morris leaving the band and Storm and Stress's Eric Emm assuming the bass duties. That album is constructed on Williams's layered guitar loops, which are bludgeoned by Che and held together by Emm's fragmented but sturdy and melodic bass lines.
obscenely decadent aural splurging at the bottom last night, sequestering and extrapolating my ions for the unmitigated pernicious didact attack! I would have sickle swung a greeting had i not been absolutely diluted of my gab-helix from your truly mammoth underpinnings. STELLAR, YOU ARE AS UNORTHODOX AS AN IGNOBLE LOQUAT IN DESCARTES BOWELS. my narrow mores are revised into a heinous lapel for the cossacks to fondle. dutiful.
it was the 12.02.1999 when don cab played this fulminant show in wasserburg am inn / germany at a small youth center.... it was hot and moist was running down the club..
i remember a beautiful night and i was young.. very young indeed... i was the promoter of the show and had not a clue what i was doing there(it was my first promoting show ever!) ... after that a lot of bands came along.. but none was like don caballero!! except all the other crazy shows i was doing there for more 4 years...hahhahah..
i wish we could repeat that again.. 7 years later.. holy shit!!! SEVEN YEARS!!!
love from wasserburg...