Damon Che

Damon Che (born Damon Che Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a rock drummer. He has made significant contributions to indie rock and progressive rock through his work with math rock pioneers Don Caballero from 1991 to 2000. Che is considered by many fans and fellow musicians to be one of the finest drummers performing today. His style is heavily influenced by metal, hard rock, punk, jazz, and fusion, but his technical skill outshines many of his peers in these genres.

Che utilizes a flowing, extorvert style that combines the jazzy polyrhythms of Billy Cobham, the backbeat of John Bonham, and the bombast of Keith Moon. In Don Caballero, his drums were more of a lead instrument than a timekeeper. There are many instances where the guitar would instead serve this role, while Che soloed freely on top.

Che is also notorious in the underground music community for his erratic and unpredictable behavior. Don Caballero's breakup was largely due to Che's on-stage outbursts and non-communicative nature. In a much publicized incident, he got into an argument with his bandmates in Bellini during an Athens show and proceeded to pack up his gear and drive the van to Chicago alone, leaving the others stranded. He has not worked with Bellini since. Che has also been rather hostile to former Don Caballero bandmate Ian Williams in recent interviews, further putting to rest the hopes of a "true" Don Caballero reunion.

Che also sings and plays guitar with (and sometimes as) The Speaking Canaries and was a founding member of the Sicilian/American group Bellini though he has quit that band (see above).

Che reformed Don Caballero in 2003, with himself as the only original member. This new lineup completed several tours in 2003 and 2004, and have just recently finished recording their CD World Class Listening Problem. They will tour in 2006.