Don Caballero

Don Caballero is a instrumental rock group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are regarded as a key math rock group. The group took their name from a character portrayed by Joe Flaherty on Second City Television. http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=don_caballero

Related Topics:
Instrumental rock - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Math rock - Joe Flaherty - Second City Television

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Don Caballero released five albums on Touch and Go Records between 1993 and 2000 and disbanded in 2001. Che recruited new personnel as Don Caballero in 2003.

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The group's most famous lineup consisted of Damon Che (drums), Ian Williams and Mike Banfield (guitars), and Pat Morris (bass guitar). Che and Williams in particular garnered much attention: their unique styles and compositions helped define the math rock genre, though they despised the categorization.

Related Topics:
Damon Che - Ian Williams - Mike Banfield - Pat Morris

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Williams has a unique approach to playing guitar; he uses tapping almost exclusively; the technique has otherwise been featured mostly in guitar solos. Che's drumming sounded at times like two drummers, and he usually played with an intensity reserved for drum solos.

Related Topics:
Tapping - Guitar solo

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Despite being quoted as being "disappointed" by the album, American Don was the biggest showcase of Williams's style. Mike Banfield and Pat Morris had left at this point to pursue other interests, so Williams utilized two Akai Headrush pedals in the live setting to fill up the space left by his former bandmate. While on American Don, Williams overdubbed upwards of five guitar tracks at a time due to a disappointment with the Headrush pedals in the recording sessions.

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Don Cab toured relentlessly from '94 or so on, around the time of and for the release of their first fulllegnth record on Touch & Go, 'For Respect', and played many memorable shows at venues across the country, such as the 40 watt club, eyedrum, the middle east, and the black cat. While Don Cab's success in their fairly long career may have been considered minimal by most, the band is heavily revered by a very wide range of musicians and is cited by possibly being the band that coined 'math rock' to the world, if not by their own power. Don Cab eventually did make light on national airwaves (read: mtv), but only after their initial breakup in 2001 was this shown, when the off-kilter 5/4 time of their album 2's 'stupid puma was heard in a bumper for a reality show on mtv: the program 'icon' ran featuring their music, more than 3 years after their breakup.

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