If you walk into the depths of the Hopkins Center late at night, winding around the dark corridors towards practice room 29, a sweetly unique sound pounds through the closed door.
Peering through a tiny window, one can see Billy Accomando '07, Rashid Galadanci '07, Patrick Handler '07 and Ben Selznick '07 jamming and producing tunes that the whole campus has come to recognize.
This unique sound is that of Rightly Guided Thieves, the spectacular sophomore band that has enthralled Dartmouth students since last fall. But as the song goes, things are getting better all the time, and that certainly applies to this delightful group of musicians.
Super-fan Patrick Pfeiffer '06 has recently joined the ranks as manager. Rightly Guided Thieves was impressed by Pfeiffer remarking that he was thereat every show, singing all the words, even to the RGT originals. Having a manager now seems necessary for the band, whose aspirations have increased exponentially with their fame around campus. Highlighting their drive and optimism, Handler states, "We could blow up in Japan overnight!"
The band will play this Friday at Bones Gate. A relatively new band on campus, Low Rusted Pipes, which is entirely composed of '08s, will be opening the night at 10:30 p.m. Low Rusted Pipes' sound is distinct from that of RGT's, and they will most likely attract a slightly different crowd with their more jazz-based music. At 11:30 p.m., RGT will seize the stage for a set of two hours or more.
But Selznick cautions seasoned RGT fans, "We're completely new but this is the best foot we've put forward." So abandon all previous ideas about RGT, and get ready to rock anew. The band will debut at least five originals at this performance with quite a few surprises also planned!
Without giving too much away, The D can reveal that the band will be taking on wardrobe planning, with Galadanci and Selznick debuting as ghetto-fabulous rappers.
Future shows also may feature an elaborate lightshow designed by Pfeiffer, who is doubling as a behind-the-scenes lighting technician, although the lights originally planned for Friday's performance have been canceled as they are delayed in their arrival. Accomando professes that the band is trying to "upgrade to a more professional level."
"This is our job, instead of working at the library or something," explained Galadanci.
But along with all the added bells and whistles, RGT will debut new works that sound promising even in early rehearsals. They have a fresh sound that promises to captivate the crowd on Saturday. The sound is unique and there are no adjectives in the English language that can describe it. Flirty jazz rifts play along side rich drumbeats, while sultry guitar bits mingle and chase the music. There is no main instrumental focus, but rather a climactic flitting amongst them all. "It's like Phish or Red Hot Chili Peppers, if they lived in Jamaica for a long time, taking weekly trips to Cuba, and were really into jazz," says Galadanci.
In addition to this new kind of sound that RGT is producing, they have been extensively reworked and improved the harmonies and vocals. The music itself is structurally improvised with odd time signatures such as 9/4. "We're exploring different musical pathways," says Accomando. Galadanci was quick to add, "A music major would be able to come to our show and be entertained but it's still music you can dance to, totally party to."
With all the praise flung around campus about the band, it is not surprising to hear that the band even has a fan club on thefacebook.com! They are quick to point out that they did not start the group, and in fact are not even members.
In addition, RGT has several exciting gigs lined up in the near future, including a tour of Amherst, Colgate and Middlebury Colleges. "Catch us now, before we hit the road!" exclaims Handler. Rightly Guided Thieves is on the fast track to success.
The only question that remains is, "When can I get a CD?"
Check out RGT on the web at www.rightlyguidedthieves.com
