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It begins with a pulsing drum beat followed by a yelping voice. Then a scorching guitar riff comes in, kicking down the rhythm door and sweeping the listener into the world of “Internet,” the most recent song by The Facts and Figures.
The band, composed of Vassar students Ben Conant ’12, who takes lead vocal duties and playing rhythm guitar, Ricky Goldman ’12 on saxophone and backup vocals, Andy Dymond ’12 playing lead guitar, Jackson Pynchon ’13 on bass guitar and Erik Snow ’12 filling out the rhythm section on drums, has a foot-tapping sound, engaging vocals and a splash of funk. They cite The Hold Steady, Lou Reed and Neutral Milk Hotel as their influences, “with some jazz, blues and funk-flavored sprinkles,” adds Goldman.
Taking shape organically, the founding sessions of this funky musical dessert began last fall when Goldman and Conant met as freshman and started tossing ideas around. “As music lovers, we just started showing each other what we could do, just jamming,” says Goldman. After Conant shared the stage with Dymond during an After Hours concert, the two became three. Having filled out the higher registers, the band went looking for a drummer to round out the sound. Snow, who was in the same Reading French Literature and Film class as Goldman, filled the void. The two Francophones also shared a similar taste in music, and the band then had a time keeper. It took only a month of rehearsals to get acquainted with the drummer before the band began playing shows on campus.
Something was still missing, however, and it wasn’t until Pynchon, a high school friend of Conant’s, came to campus this year that the band was able to flesh out the lineup. Says Goldman on the addition of the bass player, “Sure, we had a name when Mr. P joined us, but we weren’t really The Facts and Figures until he did.”
With a solidified lineup and a dedication to work on their craft, the band has been practicing three to four times a week ever since. With on-campus practice space at a premium, the band must scramble for a place to play, usually descending into the basement of Lathrop House to rehearse. Tucked into a corner of the cellar, the band bumps elbows and writes songs with a laudable enthusiasm, and it is paying dividends. Not only have they booked shows on campus, but recently they have been traveling to New York City for a few dates.
There is no doubt that the band is quickly growing in reputation. April is a busy month for the crew, which recently played a concert at Babycakes Cafe and is currently preparing to perform as the musical entertainment at the Relay for Life event next Saturday, April 24 and the Main Pool Party on Sunday, April 25.
The payoff has come not only in a rainfall of gigs, but in the form of a record deal. The local imprint Jam Session has offered The Facts and Figures a deal whose terms they are currently considering. In the meantime, the band remains focused on playing music and honing their live sound.
When jokingly asked to describe the experience of seeing the band live, sharp-tongued lyricist Conant answered palindromically, “‘Satan oscillate my metallic sonatas,’ but more in the vein of ‘Do geese see God?’” All jokes aside, the band has a zeal for music and is consistently producing new material. Goldman commented on the songwriting process, “Usually [Conant] or [Dymond] will have an idea and bring a proto-song. [Pynchon] and [Snow] will work out the trajectory of the rhythm, and I’ll come up with a saxophone line that vacillates between melody, harmony and rhythm.”
The band encourages folks to come out to Noyes Circle on April 24 to see them perform and to support the worthy cause of raising money for the American Cancer Society. The band will be the afternoon entertainment for the event which goes from noon to midnight. More information can be found at relayforlife.org/vassarcollege and myspace.com/thefactsandfigures.
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