by Steve HueyFormed after the breakup of instrumental math rockers Don Caballero, Bellini united Don Cab drum virtuoso Damon Che with the husband-and-wife team of Agostino Tilotta (guitar) and Giovanna Cacciola (vocals), both formerly of Sicilian noise rockers Uzeda. Their respective former bands had been labelmates on Touch & Go, and Che and Tilotta had some jam sessions under their belts before convening on Che's Pennsylvania farm with Cacciola and becoming an official group in the summer of 2001. Adopting their name from a classical composer born in Uzeda's hometown of Catania, Bellini added bassist Matthew Taylor and soon started playing live shows. Entering the studio with Steve Albini, the band recorded their first album, Snowing Sun, for the indie label Monitor; it was released to positive reviews in 2002. A lengthy tour followed, during which time friction between the notoriously difficult Che and the other bandmembers came to a head. Che left the band after a drunken on-stage tirade in Athens, GA. He returned home to Pennsylvania, where he formed a new version of Don Caballero with members of Creta Bourzia. The renaming members of Bellini, meanwhile, replaced Che with Girls Against Boys drummer Alexis Fleisig and finished the tour. This lineup of Bellini reconvened for 2005's Small Stones; Cacciola and Tilotta returned their attention to Uzeda for 2006's Stella.