Underpaid Packy

"...Underpaid Packy took to the platform. As evidenced by the fair amount of people who were squeezed into the room’s tiny space, the five piece band – which was named Student Band of the Year at the Local Music Awards and currently enjoys a twice-a-month residency at Canopy Club – seems to be building up quite a buzz in town, no easy feat in the relatively dead summer months. On top of all this, the quintet was still celebrating the release of its debut album, Tales From A Fifth Street Roof, being sold at a small merch table for the slightly outrageous price of $10 (which was also highly ironic for a band named Underpaid Packy).

Having only heard the jam band-sounding track “Masterpiece” on WPGU, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the group and ended up being a bit surprised by the schizophrenic mix of genres it served up from track to track. From a slow jamz/blues number to the 311-esque “Don’t Do It” to a couple of more danceable rock tunes (all flowing with an undercurrent of jazz), Underpaid Packy fused together a diverse variety of sounds that seemed mainly to avoid pigeonholing rather than promote proficiency in any one area. Although the somewhat sizeable audience seemed to be having a good time no matter what type of music was being thrown their way, I found much of the material to be hit or miss – sometimes melodic and grooving, at other moments stagnant and monotonous.

At one point, though, the band did manage to bring a smile to my face with its unexpected cover of the Huey Lewis and the News lite rock radio staple “If This Is It” – a totally appropriate choice in light of the night’s Back to the Future overtones." - the217.com - Chris Hassen

Winning best student band at the 2008 WPGU Local Music Awards, Underpaid Packy has quickly made their music heard in the year or two that they have been playing together in CU. With the April release of their debut album, Tales From a 5th Street Roof, along with their commitment to Canopy Club this summer to headline a show every other week, we here at buzz thought it necessary to get more familiar with the band and their music.

buzz: Before you started working on Tales From a 5th Street Roof you were mostly a cover band. How does having original material change your performances?
Underpaid Packy (UP): For awhile it didn’t get much better than playing covers and having the audience digging them, but over time people we didn’t even know really got into our originals and started requesting them. It’s much more exciting for us to have people enjoying our music than them enjoying other artist’s music that we cover.

buzz: You guys started off about a year and a half ago playing bar gigs but are now booking actual music venues. Are shows any different playing on stage rather than in the corner of a bar?
UP: At a venue like Canopy, you have a fan base that comes out specifically to see you. When we played at bar gigs, we just relied on the drunk people that showed up and enjoyed the music just because it’s there.

buzz: What is your favorite place to play in CU?
UP: Canopy Club. There’s a good atmosphere there and they’re really nice to us. They’ve been helping us out a lot and have given us regular shows this summer, every fortnight or every other week. They’ve given us a certain responsibility or learning experience, letting us recruit our own openers so we can start trading shows with these bands outside of CU.

buzz: How would you describe the audience that you have established in CU?
UP: Hippie-dance crew — very lively people that like to drink. Canopy told us they like having us because the audience is all over 21. We like the people that dance at shows, they give the energy, letting us feed off of the crowd and then in return they feed off of us.

With plans to record a new album this summer, Underpaid Packy continues to establish their own identity, relying no longer on bar gigs and cover songs to get their music out. Make sure to check them out at the Canopy Club on Friday at 9 p.m.
- Buzz - Tommy Trafton