Don Caballero Return, Just In Time For Math-Rock’s Spotlight Moment

Don Caballero are back. Earlier today, the Pittsburgh instrumental band that co-pioneered and later perfected math rock during their original ’91-2000 run, answered fans’ longstanding prayers by announcing an upcoming reunion of their Y2K-era lineup. A couple weeks ago, as the members geared up for a busy 2027, including a stop at Primavera Sound, they sat around bassist Eric Emm’s home in a pastoral Connecticut suburb, swapping quarter-century-old tour stories. There was the time in Atlanta when drummer Damon Che threw a cymbal stand into a venue wall, making a sizable hole. The owner, who also happened to be the soundman, proceeded to heckle them throughout their set. “‘That was a good song,’” guitarist Ian Williams recalls him saying into a mic fully audible to both band and audience. “‘Too bad you guys are assholes.’”Then there was the LA festival when they went over their allotted set time. Stagehands tried to cut them off, but the band refused to stop playing, leading to a surreal sonic pileup. “They made Granddaddy go on right next to us as we were still playing,” Williams continues. “They turned the PA off, but we just kept going and people were furious at us and screaming....