Don Caballero are a rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are often categorized as math rock, though the band dislikes this label. The group took their name from the character Guy Caballero, portrayed by Joe Flaherty, on the sketch comedy show Second City Television . In SCTV's parody of the film The Godfather , Guy Caballero is called "Don Caballero." Don Caballero (affectionately called "Don Cab" or "The Don" by fans) formed in the summer of 1991, released five albums on Touch and Go Records between 1993 and 2000, then disbanded in November 2000. Drummer Damon Che recruited new personnel for a reconstituted Don Caballero in 2003 which has released two albums on Relapse Records.

DON CABALLERO TICKETS BTS Tickets Rush Tickets Journey Tickets Shakira Tickets Bryson Tiller Tickets Earth, Wind and Fire Tickets

History

The group's original lineup consisted of Damon Che (drums), Mike Banfield (guitars), and Pat Morris (bass guitar). Ian Williams joined in 1992 as a second guitarist.

The band's music was highly innovative and had few precursors. Once described as "what an M. C. Escher drawing would sound like if made into music," the later Don Caballero albums often featured complex, multi-sectioned pieces loosely tied by an unorthodox time signature or inside-out guitar riff. Che and Williams in particular garnered much attention; their unique styles and intricately-scored compositions helped to define the genre of math rock, though the members of Don Caballero despised the categorization. Williams has a unique approach to his instrument; he uses rhythmic tapping almost exclusively (this technique had previously been featured mainly in rock guitar solos, and only rarely in other contexts). Che's energetic and unconventional style of drumming was often praised, and earned him the informal title of "The Octopus" due to the wild flailing of his arms while playing. Critic Steve Huey writes that "it was Che's manic explosions and stop-on-a-dime shifts in time signature that mapped out the trail his bandmates followed."

The members of Don Caballero originally intended to draft a singer to join the group. However, their early rehearsals generated such interest that the group was offered paying gigs and decided to remain instrumental.

The band issued two singles for the Pittsburgh-based labels Pop Bus and Broken Giraffe, and one single for Detroit-based label Third Gear. A deal with the prestigious Chicago based label Touch and Go Records yielded yet another single and then finally their debut album, 1993's For Respect .

In the fall of 1994 bass player Pat Morris left Don Caballero to form the band Six Horse with Louisville transplant Shannon Burns and Blunderbuss drummer Bill Baxter. Throughout 1994 and 1995 a number of Pittsburgh-area musicians filled the bass slot in Don Caballero, including Len Jarabeck, Dave Reid, Matt Jencik, and George Draguns.

In 1995 they released their second LP Don Caballero 2 to positive reviews. Fans and critics alike hailed the record as a math rock landmark, and its release significantly widened their audience. Though some early reviews noted jazz-like qualities, there was actually little if any improvisation; the group was tightly rehearsed, and the liner notes for their second album state that "Don Caballero is rock not jazz, Don Caballero is free from solos."

In the wake of their second release, Che and Williams expanded their respective musical palettes: Che with his Van Halen-esque Speaking Canaries (featuring bassist Karl Hendricks and drummer Noah Leger) and Williams with Storm & Stress, an avant-garde rock trio featuring bassist Eric Emm and drummer Kevin Shea.

In 1997 the group reconvened after an almost two-year hiatus, with original bassist Pat Morris back in the fold. In the following year the band released the follow-up to Don Caballero 2 , What Burns Never Returns . Again their work was critically lauded and the band continued to tour, playing to crowds of fervent fans.

In the fall of 1998 Pat Morris left the band once again and was replaced by Storm & Stress bassist Eric Emm. The band set out on a number of successful U.S. and European tours and finally released a collection of their singles and compilation tracks called Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1) . During this period, Mike Banfield retired from the group; former Bitch Magnet guitarist Jon Fine briefly filled in and allowed Don Caballero to complete its touring obligations in support of What Burns... .

The band, once again a trio and now based out of Chicago, Illinois, toured extensively throughout 1999 and 2000, playing a set of almost all-new material. To fill the sonic void left by Banfield, Williams and Emm played through Akai Headrush pedals that allowed them to loop and layer their parts, creating a dense tapestry of sound. These nine new songs were committed to tape by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio recording studio and released in the fall of 2000 as American Don . Many critics and fans noted the maturation that had occurred in the two years since their last proper album.

While touring in support of American Don in November 2000, personality issues and fatigue took their toll on the members of Don Caballero and they decided to break up after the tour was done. The band never made it to what would have been their final show in Detroit, however, as their van hit a patch of ice on I-75, spun out of control and crashed into a semi truck. No major injuries were sustained, but in spectacular fashion Don Caballero had split up for seemingly the last time.

Throughout 2001 and 2002, the former members of Don Caballero embarked on a variety of new musical projects: Damon Che with Bellini, Ian Williams with Battles and Eric Emm with Good Morning. Che vowed never to work with Williams again.

To equal parts surprise and criticism, Che reformed Don Caballero in 2003 with an entirely new lineup consisting of members of Pittsburgh's Creta Bourzia, a band that bore clear marks of influence from Don Caballero. The new members are Jeff Ellsworth on guitar, Gene Doyle on guitar, and Jason Jouver (former singer of Teddy Duchamp's Army) on bass. (Mike Banfield and Pat Morris were invited to participate but both declined.) The new Don Caballero signed with the heavy metal label Relapse Records in 2005 and released the album World Class Listening Problem in early 2006. The group toured in support of the album throughout 2006 and 2007, even playing its first shows in Great Britain and Japan.

Jeff Ellsworth amicably parted ways with Don Caballero in late 2006 to spend more time with his wife and newborn child. The remaining trio debuted several new songs (or "New Shapes" as they called them) in 2007, some of which featured vocals courtesy of Damon Che. The group recorded this new set of music at Rust Belt Recorders in Royal Oak, Michigan in early 2008 and released it as Punkgasm on August 19, 2008. The new record contains some ideas taken from the Speaking Canaries sessons. Gene Doyle sings on one of the tracks from the record, Damon Che sings on "Dirty Looks", while the title track Punkgasm surprisingly features Damon on guitar and instead Gene on drums. Karl Hendricks, formerly of the Speaking Canaries recalls this song being practiced. Jason Jouver stated at a concert in September, 2008 at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Pittsburgh, PA that "basically each of us were writing songs in other bands, so we decided to put it together".

While Don Caballero's success and recognition might be seen as modest, the band has influenced many subsequent musicians and is still revered by many fans. Tomas Haake of Meshuggah and Dave Konopka (Ian Williams' bandmate in Battles) have both named What Burns Never Returns as one of their favorite albums, and guitarist Marnie Stern has cited a video of a Don Caballero performance as the inspiration behind her extensive usage of two-handed tapping. The track "Chief Sitting Duck" from the album For Respect was featured in the second season intro for the reality show Buzzkill on MTV and the program Icon featured their music more than three years after their 2000 breakup.

Personnel

Current members

• Damon Che Fitzgerald - drums, vocals (1991-present)
• Gene Doyle - guitar (2003-present)
• Jason Jouver - bass guitar (2003-present)

Former members

• Mike Banfield - guitar (1991-1999)
• Ian Williams - guitar (1992-2000)
• Pat Morris - bass guitar (1991-1994, 1997-1998)
• Eric Emm - bass guitar (1998-2000)
• Matt Jencik - bass guitar (1994-1996)
• George Draguns - bass guitar (1994)
• Leonard "Len" Jarabeck - bass guitar (early '90s, live only)
• Dave Reid - bass guitar (early '90s, live only)
• Jon Fine - guitar (1999, live only)
• Jeff Ellsworth - guitar (2003-late 2006)

Discography

Albums

• For Respect (1993)
• Don Caballero 2 (1995)
• What Burns Never Returns (1998)
• Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1) (1999)
• American Don (2000)
• World Class Listening Problem (2006)
• Punkgasm (2008)

EPs

• "Lucky Father Brown" / "Belted Sweater" / "Shoeshine" 7" on Pop Bus (1992)
• "Unresolved Karma" / "Puddin' In My Eye" 7" on Broken Giraffe (1992)
• "Andandandandandandandand" / "First Hits" 7" on Third Gear (1993)
• "Our Caballero" / "My Ten-Year-Old Lady is Giving It Away" 7" on Touch and Go (1993)
• Our Caballero 12"/CD EP on City Slang (1993)
• "Waltor" / "Shuman Center 91" 7" free with Chunklet #11 (1996)
• "Trey Dog's Acid" / "Room Temperature Lounge" 7" on Touch and Go (1998)

Songs from all of Don Caballero's EPs (with the exception of the Chunklet 7") are collected on the CD Singles Breaking Up (Vol. 1) , released in 1999.