You're right.

How was it for you?

I thought they were fine on Thursday.

...But I had never seen or heard them before, found Damon Che's bizarre hamming up quite amusing in my mood and the context, and I had gone there with pretty low expectations.

Wow that's shit. I'm really sorry. Not only were you missing half the guitar work but it was the technical/hammering half. Jason's probably my favorite bassist, he was playing alot of chords and actually pushing the rhythm section with Mr. Che rather than just counting and following along in time.

Man, that's such shit. On the bright side atleast it wasn't the actual lineup sucking?

It's a shame, as I said, I love Don Cab, but that wasn't Don Cab it was the "Drunken Che and roadie Show"

It was good but I wasn't blown away.

Although the venue they played always creates a predicament for me. At the front all you can hear are guitars and vocals and at the back drums and bass.

I'm not very tall so if a band is worth looking at I go right to the front (and I wanted to watch him play). This resulted in me hearing mostly guitar and pretty much no bass at all.

Damon Che? Drunk? Whaaaa?

He's been loaded at every show I have seen them play in over 10 years... Last time I saw them (a few months ago) they were great. Though the best shows were back around the mid-90s when Banfield was in the band(field). Not like he was the quintessential member of the band, but it seemed like they were excited about what they were doing back then. That sort of excitment is contagious...

yut wrote: Banfield was in the band(field).

Awful. Just, awful.

The November 30th show was good, as far the guitarist playing bass and some other guy on bass instead of the actual line up goes, i did spend half the show thinking, where the f**k is Jeff :/ . They did an interesting version of 'June Is Finally Here' which I quite liked. As a wrong line up goes, i think they did pretty f-ing well, I did not enjoy it as much as an old Don Cab show but it was a hell of a lot better then half the crap these days, and being on relapse does not do them any favours I'm sure.

It took me about half a year to properly get into the new album. I do think it has some good qualities.

I am lead to believe (from interviews and such) that the only reason there is a new incarnation of Don Caballero, was because Che felt that he had not finished the 'Don Caballero' sound yet. Every record before that was made how it was because they got studio opportunities and made with it what they could rather then finishing the sound and then going into the studio.

It's pretty stupid to slate the new Don for being less technical and also comparing it to eighties sitcom? music. Imagine the silly comparisons you could make of any bands sound, and as it was pointed out to me, so what if it does.

Either way, Don Cab have been a great innovation and driving force in experimental and original music in recent decades and I respect all founder, former and new members for that.

P.S - Yes - Close to the edge rules, and maybe a couple of others, but they made a HEEEELLLLLL of a lot of crap as well.

American Don was, and I still think is, my favourite don cab record. It has all the great qualities, but keeps it simple. I personally love the production on it.

NerblyBear wrote:Some bands that work in a similar vein but who are light-years better are: Ruins, Flying Luttenbachers, Hella, Upsilon Acrux.

Without Don Cab, there would be no Hella.

Yeah, I said it.

yut wrote:The new guys play the guitars with more passion than Ian, and they play all the parts correctly. Their new material (World Listening Party) is better than American Don.

Are you saying that the members that actually wrote the material were themselves playing it wrong?

I don't see how that's possible. That's like going up to Trosper (Unwound) and telling him he's playing 'Abstraktions' wrong.

skatingbasser wrote:

yut wrote: Banfield was in the band(field).

Awful. Just, awful.

Yeah... got it from the liner notes on a Don Cab record, so there ya go...