RFBX: ‘It’s Genius, I Swear’ Special – Rolo Tomassi on Don Caballero’s ‘American Don’
By: James Spence
I can't exactly remember who got me into this band or when it was, but American Don by Don Caballero remains as one of my favourite records of all time. It was originally released in 2000 but I probably got my copy of the LP a few years later.
Don Cab are a band that have influenced many (our band included) but it’s been a while since I've seen their name mentioned, other than a couple of years ago when they set up a (perhaps) ill-advised reunion. They released quite a few records but for me, perfected their sound on American Don.
It’s an incredibly technical instrumental record that relies heavily around the looping (myself and our guitarist Joe both bought the Akai pedal they use!) of guitarist Ian Williams who later went on to make a name for himself in Battles.
What's great about American Don and Don Caballero compared with a lot of similar sounding bands is that despite it being technical and very free sounding, it’s also really melodic and manages to evoke a whole host of emotions within the music. Sometimes the tracks can take a while to get going but it’s all part of the hypnotic effect that their music has.
We were fortunate enough to be able to support Don Cab when they toured the UK and having thought I would never hear anything from this record live they ended up dropping one track into it which completely made my night. Even though they only had one original member (drummer Damon Che), it was still pretty special.
Don Caballero - A lot of people tell me i have a fake British accent
Artists in this article: Don Caballero, Rolo Tomassi