I know this has been covered quite a bit, but maybe we can bring some fresh partisan meat in...

-New Don Caballero, they were on fire both on Fri and Sat night when I saw them, and the new songs were all tight and brilliant--that's the good thing about seeing bands here, we get them after they've had some time to warm up in the big cities! They were lively and quite funny (how long has he been doing the 'rhythm is not gonna get ya...' thing?)

-Damon Che, egotist? Yeah, anyone who dedicates a song to themselves (ironic/not ironic) and ends a song declaring '..so I got that going for me' might be considered an egotist, but for good reason, holy god. He's locked inside his own Che world and I don't think he knows that anyone exists outside of it. Selling his drumsticks and drum heads...I bought the sticks, if only because I'm starting a drumstick hall of fame (first in the set: Michael, from SKWM..)

I was very cynical about seeing "New Caballero," but honestly, they brought the rock. I really hope they decide to record some stuff soon, because their new stuff is, while not on the same epic scale of the better moments of What Burns or American Don, good in itself.

Enthusiastically, NOT CRAP.

I've seen them twice with the new lineup, and had seen them twice before with Ian Williams et al.

The new lineup kicks ass - they've finally gone back to what made Don Cab great for me, which is the guitar-on-guitar interplay. I got really bored with the Ian Williams layering himself with a Headrush tricks. True, he was quite skilled at it, but it never came off too well live.

Very Not Crap.

stewie wrote:The new lineup kicks ass - they've finally gone back to what made Don Cab great for me, which is the guitar-on-guitar interplay. I got really bored with the Ian Williams layering himself with a Headrush tricks. True, he was quite skilled at it, but it never came off too well live.

Couldn't agree more. I'm really looking forward to the new album (they said they're doing it with Al Sutton, the guy who did 'II' and 'What Burns..'), which might be out this fall.

Asked Damon if they were doing the record w/ Albini, he said, rather curtly, "No. Maybe if he calls us."

Not nearly as good as the last 4-piece version, but not crap. Has anyone seen ian williams new band yet?

Yeah, they're called Battles, they're also very good. I saw the first show they played and I'm going to be seeing them again in two weeks or so. Their new EP on Monitor Records leaked to the file-sharing programs, if you're into that.

I feel like such a fanboy when I talk about Don Caballero and Battles, but I really think they're both great, great bands.