113: Damon Che (Don Caballero)

The Trap Set with Joe Wong

Joe Wong

Joewong, Drums, Comedy, Performing Arts, Arts, Drummers

4.8 • 709 Ratings

🗓️ 8 March 2017

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As drummer for the highly influential band Don Caballero, Damon Che established himself as one of the most unique and beloved drummers of his generation. But, in 2009, his "creative window" closed; and he stopped playing. He tells Joe about his musical roots, what he's been up to during his hiatus, giving up alcohol, working a day job, and returning to music as a session musician. He also tells his side of the now infamous "Bellini Incident" and reflects on the creative dynamic of Don Cab. Make sure to listen to his bonus episode next week, wherein he answers listener questions!

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you enjoy our episode with Damon Chee, be sure to tune in next week when we release his bonus episode featuring his answers to your questions.
0:09.7	The Trap Set will always be available for free, but we rely on donations from our listeners.
0:14.9	Please visit our website at thetrapset.net and click Donate.
0:18.7	Subscribe to our show on iTunes, and if you enjoy what you hear, give us a
0:22.6	review. This is Joe Wong. Welcome to the Trarap Set, where each week we explore the lives of drummers.
0:43.0	I want to play something for you.
1:06.2	Your hearing. You're hearing, Please, Tokyo, please, Tokyo, by Don Caballero, featuring my guest, Damon Che on drums.
1:13.6	Formed in Pittsburgh in 1991, Don Caballero fused the cerebral complexity of new music with the spirit of punk and the energy of metal.
1:16.6	Che's prodigious idiosyncratic talents and hulking unhinged stage presence made him the focal point of the influential band.
1:41.3	Aside from his work with Don Cab, Damon drummed for Italian band Bellini and sang and played guitar with the speaking canaries. He reformed Don Caballero in 2003 as the sole original member,
1:47.0	but went on musical hiatus in 2009. Damon lives outside of Pittsburgh and has recently started
1:54.0	playing drums again. And now my conversation with Damon Che.
2:16.4	I grew up here in Pittsburgh.
2:18.3	My father was a musician for all of his life.
2:23.3	My mother was a school teacher.
2:25.9	And then, interestingly enough, my father's mother was a school teacher all of her life.
2:31.3	What kind of music was on in the house when you were a child?
2:34.5	I can, you know, this is funny. This is funny. It's funny you would ask that. I can only go by
2:41.2	pictures because I know some people say they have memories of, you know, fetal memories. I can only
2:48.3	see the Buffalo Springfield records laying around, the Rolling Stones
2:51.5	records laying around in pictures. But they told me that I tapped, you know, I was very rhythmically
2:59.9	inclined to the music being played in the house when I was very young.
	...

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