The lively crowd amasses out onto the dance floor in front of hanging red velvet curtains of the Roxy Live bar stage. Security lets me back as I hope to take some pre-show shots of the Latin folk ensemble, the Mahatma Dandys. Sneaking behind the curtains I see Pablo Gulis, the main singer, founder, writer and Ronroco player for the band quietly sitting on an amplifier in the middle of the stage. I catch the dread-locked front man in the middle of a quiet contemplative moment, (something hard to come by playing with a group of 12 plus musicians) while he tunes his unique Latin folklore instrument. Before an indiscrete “hola” can escape from my mouth, Gulis greets me and takes me back to share a drink with the rest of the group.
As tranquil as the stage atmosphere had been when I met Gulis, I find the pre-concert backstage dressing room area a complete chaos of Mahatma Dandys preparing instruments, drinking fernet, beer, and inhaling cigarettes in between words of encouragement and final stage coordination. Gulis shows me through the maze of band mates and hands me a drink. Suddenly, the curtain goes up and the Dandys begin to take the stage, I follow up the stairs realizing that this improvised “no problema” attitude and welcoming collective atmosphere might just be what the Mahatma Dandys musical experience is all about.
A band unique in its approach to music and large company cast, the Mahatma Dandys have in their two years of existence survived by playing fun, boot stomping and hip shaking music with a communal focus. The band’s idea came when four musicians including Gulis decided to base their musical concept on sharing a great blend of Latin folklore inspired songs with any and everyone who heard them play. So in order to do this they had to play wherever possible.
“The general idea was to form a band that could play anywhere, a band that could play in the street, here, in the Roxy, in a bar; it’s what we all want. We didn’t want to be just a rock band that plays once a month. I wouldn’t have anything to do if not, I would get really bored,” says Gulis. “So we began playing, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sunday, like this all year.”
By developing a traditional and acoustic style, the Mahatma Dandys started to gain a small following through their street performances. The four initial band-mates practised many of Gulis’s songs and they took their jam sessions to the street and small local bars where they played non-stop for five months.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.argentinaindependent.com/the-arts/music/mahatma-dandys-a-collective-musical-experience-/
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