Dale Rodman (’06) put down his acoustic guitar, tossed his flannel shirt aside, and revealed a Whitman track jersey. “This next one goes out to Whitman track, baby,” he said.

Rodman’s alumni band Dale and the ZDubs performed a 30-minute guest set Feb. 6 at Whitman’s third annual Battle of the Bands. The fundraising event rocked the small gym, and ultimately raised $2,535 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Bands of all genres and ages performed at the event, and the small crowd that surrounded the stage bobbed to the music all evening. A few bands played entirely original sets, including Deceivers and indie group Mr. Mannequin.

Throughout the night, audience members donated money into designated boxes for each band. The box with the most money at the end of the night revealed the winner. Alternative group Albedo emerged victorious at the end of the evening, raising over $400 for the cause and beating out six other bands.

Comprised of five seniors and one sophomore, the band is relatively new to the music scene, making the win an unexpected one, keyboardist and singer Lindsay Worthington said. The band plays entirely original music, and creates songs by experimenting with each musician’s ideas.

“We’ll each play a song for the group, and then we’ll all jam to it and see what happens,” Worthington, a senior, said. “I don’t think we’re done with most of our songs – they’re constantly being developed and refined.”

Cover band Alligator Haters had the audience in rapture with covers of System of a Down’s “Chop Suey” and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “By the Way.” The band also performed at last year’s Battle of the Bands.

Deez Notes, last year’s winner, performed a unique version of Alex Clare’s hit, “Too Close.”

Junior Aryana Bolourian said her favorite song of the night was Punk Band’s performance of “Stacy’s Mom.” Her favorite band, however, was Albedo.

“Their performance was really unique,” Bolourian said. “It took a different spin on everything.”

While the event organizers, including junior Kate Goldberg, sophomore Mia Carmel and senior Leslie Schwed, counted the money, Dale and the ZDubs, took to the stage. The band’s funk rock performance incorporated old and new songs, all original.

“Our debut album comes out April 1, with 11 new songs,” said Dale Rodman. “We’re really excited; we think that’s our next step, but tonight was a great performance.”

DZD recently played at the Virginia State Theatre, where it opened for Sublime tribute group Batfish. The band members weren’t close friends in high school, but reconnected after college.

“We wanted to use each other so we didn’t have to get real jobs,” Rodman said. “We’ve been out of Whitman for a while, but our youthfulness is in the soul of our music.”

While DZD’s future promises a debut album, Albedo’s is less clear, though as Battle of the Bands winners they are guaranteed the opportunity to perform at bRAVE Feb. 23.

“We’re looking to play downtown in Bethesda, that’s our next goal,” Worthington said. “It’s just fun to play on the weekends together, and if that’s all, then I’m fine with that.”