Rudy Lopez: Lead vocals, bass guitar
Prior to joining Thief, Rudy was a mainstay on the Los Banos mariachi circuit in a group called Ladron, where he played one of those weird giant mariachi guitars with the fat floppy strings. Then, one day he had an epiphany: Why should he perform for a bunch of drunks in a Mexican restaurant wearing tight pants and lugging a weird giant guitar around when he could be performing for a bunch of different drunks while playing a proper bass guitar (and drinking beer and wearing whatever the hell he wanted to) in Thief. So, he sold the weird giant guitar to a developer (who quickly turned it into a six-unit condominium in downtown Merced) and hitchhiked south to replace departing original Thief bass player Gale Scalzi.
Having a second lead singer comes in handy when Doug absent-mindedly wanders off the stage to get a beer or his age-induced dementia causes him to forget lyrics. The addition of Rudy to the band has also completely changed the personality of Thief. Rudy’s audience-friendly banter between songs is a refreshing change from the pre-Rudy surliness and general contempt for the audience displayed by Dave.
Little know fact about Rudy: He also plays the congas and the saxophone. His proficiency on the congas will definitely come in handy if he’s able to land the plum role of Ricky Ricardo in the upcoming John Lennon/Lucille Ball bio-flick "I Love Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."