Pun perhaps intended, but Patrick Garry says his newly formed band Phun is all about having, well, fun. “I used to play instruments so much it became more of a habit instead of just being fun,” the 46-year-old nature-loving vocalist and guitarist says. “So, I decided to start a project that I could have a good time with.”
Andy Malosky, the 21-year-old disc jockey who forms the other half of Phun, sits longside Garry at the Zephyr Lounge. A televised Snoop Dogg interview plays in the background.
Phun is a brand new band and has only been playing together for about two months. Generally classified as hip-hop with a side of reggae, Phun has already weathered the loss of one bass player, who split from the group in mid-February. Garry will be sampling bass in addition to playing his guitar as they search for a new player.
“Everyone says we just sound different,” says Malosky, explaining how during their first show, the crowd just kind of stood there and bopped their heads around, not quite sure what to think.
Seeking inspiration through DJ Babu and Phish, the band has a groove-oriented sound, coming off almost exactly like a turntable-based version of The Gorillaz.
Drawing his guitar from the backseat of his car, Garry, dressed comfortably in cargo shorts and a gray sweater, grabs a barstool from inside the candlelit lounge and busts out with one of the 10 songs Phun has written recently. “Power is truth, I never lied to you,” he sings, keeping a solid note and ending each lyric line in rhyme. That’s the catchy thing about this band—they burst out the rhymes in a way that makes you want to get up and sing along.
If you see Phun play live, you’ll do one of two things: You’ll be over it real quick, if hip-hop doesn’t strike your fancy, or, you’ll simply feel the need to dance or at least sway a bit.
“I think our music caters to a younger audience, but that’s mostly only because older people don’t go out,” says Garry, laughing, adding that anyone who likes hip-hop will get something out of Phun’s music.
Malosky, dressed like a snow bunny in 70-degree weather, says that when he was younger, he’d get in trouble for touching his father’s records. What better reason to want to spin them for a living? Being both a disc jockey and sound engineer, this duo doesn’t need much help from outside sources when they take the stage, although, occasionally, they invite their buddy Tim to come onstage and play percussion.
These guys met in The Zephyr, and that’s where they’ll play most of their local shows, at least until they get a larger fan base. Besides the nearly dozen songs they’ve written, Phun covers songs by Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and the Talking Heads.
So, if you don’t find yourself getting into the hip-hop swing of things, you can always enjoy some rock and reggae. Even though they’re still learning, Phun has realized that their connection with the audience is the most important thing they have. And to make that connection as strong as possible, well, Phun is the name of the game.