Carrying the Groove with Pack Light

George Washington University’s premier funk-rock band, Pack Light, may suggest minimalism in their name, but their sound is anything but. Pack Light has quickly become a name to follow on the campus scene, rising from the ranks of the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design to generate their own following in the District and beyond. In conversation, Pack Light describes the challenges of balancing schoolwork with following their passions as musicians, what it’s like to break out of the college music scene and into the wider DC scene, and what they want to leave with the community after each show.

Pack Light carries more than you think. Comprised of lead vocalist Olani Sekamu, drummer Isaac Appelbaum, guitarist Jonas Gluck, bassist Samantha Berman, and Grina Pacheco on the keys, the leading five travel with their instruments and equipment between GW’s music department in Foggy Bottom to far-flung venues all over Washington, D.C.

I sat down with them in the green room of The Pocket, a cozy and intimate venue on the second floor of an old townhouse nestled in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest DC. The band piled in and found ledges, floor space, armchairs, and a small couch to sit on during our interview. The ceiling hummed above us, the room alive with the sound of another band going through sound check on the stage above. Some answered questions while doing homework, and others answered while assembling the set list for that evening’s performance.

As I got to know each individual, I could see how their unique personalities shine through in their music. Being in the room with the group was interesting, because you might not realize they were a band together until you saw them on stage. That being said, their respect and admiration for each other are palpable in how they communicate. This is one of the unique things about Pack Light: they are all talented musicians, but they become an unexpected force to be reckoned with when each of them does what they do best: play their instruments.

GW’s music department is primarily to thank for Pack Light’s coming together– Isaac and Jonas were the first to meet and make music together in intermittent, late-night jam sessions nearly two years ago. The group slowly assembled through connections in GW’s hip-hop ensemble, a group dedicated to exploring and understanding hip-hop as a genre. They met horn players Alex White and Naveen Ramamurthy through the same group, and they slowly recruited more musicians they connected with through the ensemble to form what is now Pack Light.

How does being a GW college band shape your sound or your identity?

Olani: I don’t think it’s intentional, but we do play music that I don’t think any other band plays at GW. I feel like a little bit of our music tastes made it through to the music we play together.

Isaac: It blends, it’s cool. We try to curate a set, you know, that flows and vibes. We lean towards fusion as a genre, like pop-funk and R&B.

Who are your biggest musical influences, in terms of artists and genres?

Isaac: In this context, jazz and funk and soul. We do a bunch of Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars kind of vibe. Just like funky drums, like James Brown and Motown, that type of thing.

Grina: In terms of music and how I play, I grab a lot of [influence] from R&B and Japanese city pop from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I love that a lot. But as a performer, I tend to always take inspiration from Freddie [Mercury].

Samantha: I don’t know about any artists in particular, but one thing that unites all of us is our love for funk music in general. I’m also drawn to a heavy bass part– that’s my favorite thing to do.

Isaac: Yeah, funk is definitely a big emphasis.

Jonas: I like Jamiroquai and Tom Misch. Those are my artists.

Olani: I’ll say Stevie Wonder, 100%.

Grina: I’ll say Jonas Gluck.

Olani: I just wanna put this out there that Beyonce is not my favorite artist, but she is like my most respected artist. I respect her work ethic so much. I was never a Beehive stan, but I recently have stumbled upon a lot of stuff from her past and what it took to be this household name. She’s my number one. I respect her a lot.

What does the songwriting process look like? Does it look more like collaborative jamming, individual songwriting, or something in between?

Olani: Definitely something in between. Jonas has a song, and then I have a song, and then the whole band has worked on those songs arrangement-wise. Strictly writing-wise, so far it’s been more individual, where we’ll help each other out where we see fit, like when there’s lines and things missing. For me, writing is very personal, and then I just come here [to the band] and think of how we can make those feelings sound good.

What is it like performing in GW’s and DC’s music scene? Do you feel supported by the campus community?

Jonas: I think we definitely feel supported by the campus community because they always have events for us to play at and stuff. Although there’s a big difference because [at GW] it’s a student-run thing with shitty equipment. You usually don’t get the greatest sound, and it’s not ideal, so there’s that aspect. But that also makes it a little less pressure.

Isaac: It’s a good place to just get comfortable.

Jonas: It’s been really fun to do these performances and gigs, though. Our first gig off campus was DC9, and out of the three gigs we’ve done, that was our best one. It’s still our best gig, the first gig we ever did outside of campus. Everyone was loving it; it was a magical night.

Grina: We had a lot of prep time for that one, too.

Olani: We had a lot of time to rehearse, so I think that’s a big part of it as well.

How do you approach performing live?

Isaac: Just try to be confident and energetic and, yeah.

Jonas: Listening to each other, communication. During practice, we always are looking at each other and communicating all the time, so we try to keep that energy on the stage. That’s how we know when things change in the songs.

Grina: I think the energy of like, we’re on stage. Put everything you have on that stage, don’t have regrets. Don’t be like ‘we could’ve done this better.’ If you’re thinking about what could have been while you’re on stage, you’re not gonna play as well. So I try to take a moment to myself to be like ‘this is it,’ and then just go.

Olani: For me, a big part of approaching live performance depends on the audience. I get energy from them, but I know that they also get energy from me, so what I try to give is very much based on what’s happening. If they’re already lively, then I’m just going to do my thing. But if they need to be moving and like, feeling the music more, then I’ll definitely encourage that. I think since joining Pack Light, it’s become a lot less about perfection and it’s become so much more about just having fun.

Isaac: Olani’s like our sun. She’s our source of energy. I feel like you [Olani] are a very big part of, like, when we get into a vibe or when we get out of a vibe, you just provide that.

Jonas: She has a really good musical intuition. That is something that you’re kind of born with, and that’s something we’re really grateful to have. Olani has a vision, and she does it, and it’s really cool.

Olani: I think all of us here have really great musical intuition, honestly. And I’m so grateful that you guys picked me up and asked me to sing for y’all.

Isaac: Everyone here feels like a professional. That’s the thing. Everyone here feels like a professional musician in the truest sense of where, like, everyone’s just professional in their instrument and whatever they’re doing independently. And we are professional musicians, we play music for money!

Olani: Yeah, but not that it’s for the money.

What has been your favorite gig you’ve played so far?

Samantha: DC9, that was late February. It was dead of winter, so cold out, and for literally three or four days afterward, I was like, on a high. We were all so proud of each other and the way that we sounded. 

Do you feel like being a college band comes with any expectations or stereotypes?

Olani: Yes. Yeah. I think they think of us like, wannabees. Like pop, in our feelings… We choose songs that we think are amazing. Easy, hard, doesn’t matter. Just songs that we think are good songs. I think people don’t expect us to play the things we play. Sometimes I feel cringey saying like, ‘oh, I’m in a band.’ Because at first when I was saying it, I always felt like a poser or a tryhard or something. We take it seriously, and I think what we do is amazing. I think there are definitely negative stereotypes attached to that [being in a band].

Samantha: We have such a mutual appreciation for the music that we’re playing that I think people can tell when they watch us live.

Jonas: Like, oh yeah, they’re enjoying themselves.

Samantha: Yeah, they’re not doing this because they want to perform to make money. They’re doing this because they love it. I feel like it’s one of the most rewarding feelings in the world.

How do you balance being a student and a musician? What do your side hustles look like?

Isaac: We all have things that we do outside of the band. Scheduling our meetings becomes a very big obstacle right off the bat. We struggle, but we ultimately end up rehearsing a good amount, at least twice a week. But it does become a struggle because we all have things outside. For me in particular, I do extracurricular activities like club sports, debate, and some other things. I also have a job.

Jonas: I don’t have a side hustle right now. Last year, I was giving guitar lessons. I am a skateboarder too, that’s my other thing outside of music. But besides that, I’m just in my room doing homework all day.

Samantha: I also don’t really have a side hustle, but my major, interior architecture, is very time-consuming. We have these studio classes for four and a half hours, and outside of that, we have to work and go print things out, hand-cut them. Make cubes and make buildings. So that takes up a huge chunk of my time. And when I’m not doing that, I’m doing this. So, it’s a balance.

Alex: I’m very busy this semester. I’m a student worker for the music department, which is weird in and of itself. I also work an internship. But these guys are very good to us horns. It’s very much like, get a text one day being like ‘learn these three songs,’ and then go in a room and three hours later, Naveen knows them and I don’t. Naveen’s the brains of the operation with the horns; I just play along with him.

Olani: No side hustles at the moment. How do I balance it? Pretty terribly, I’m not going to lie. I balance school and this pretty terribly. I’m the co-music director of the GW original a cappella group, The Troubadors. So that takes up a lot of my time, especially it being a leadership position now. Outside of that, I kinda just work on my own music and post covers if I can. Pretty much anything I do outside of school is music and outside of Pack Light is more music.

Jonas: Pack Light’s taken up a lot of our time. Especially in the past four weeks, because we had to prepare for this show. At least three practices a week.

Samantha: From my standpoint, making posters and doing email [outreach] and stuff feels like a job that I enjoy, but it does feel like I’m doing a job.

Grina: I teach piano every weekend. It’s kind of an on-and-off gig, but it’s a lot more [frequent] during the summer. It’s a little inconsistent. But I kinda just do music teaching on the side, and every Saturday and Monday, I’m co-organizer of a club a part of GW Esports. So it’s a lot of work, but also in terms of setting the community up. It’s a just fun work-life balance right now.

Where do you hope to take Pack Light in the future?

Isaac: We don’t know, because we’re all going to be going– not necessarily different directions, but our own individual directions. Maybe those will coincide in some manner. I hope we record our singles and release those, and see where those go. For me personally, I hope to stay playing music, but I at least think I want to go to law school at this point. But, I want to keep playing music.

Grina: There was a period where I felt like I was pushing myself a little too hard and putting that on other people as well, but I honestly believe that we are good enough to take this far and become the next Couch, for instance. The realistic thing is not only that we are going different directions, but also different places. So it’s going to become very difficult to get together, and in a way, that’s why I’m treating this like the farewell era. At least not only for Pack Light, but it depends on what I get to do for work. Like, is this my last time playing music? So, I’m putting myself out there as much as I can and learning as much as I can, so anything I can take for myself, I can hopefully do in the future.

Olani: My dream has always been to do music full-time. I don’t know if that means with Pack Light or with my own stuff, but that’s my personal goal.

Jonas: I considered doing it, but it’s hard. If I could choose, I would choose music because that’s what gives me the most joy, but that doesn’t pay the bills, and I’d rather just keep it as a hobby.

Isaac: I’m happy to just support your career, Olani.

What do you hope listeners take away from a Pack Light show?

Isaac: Dancing! Positivity, good vibes.

Samantha: Just having a break from the craziness of your life and just having fun. That’s why we do it! It’s fun, just have fun.

Olani: And move, like don’t be afraid of judgment and such. I think people in general our age should just dance more. Wherever they go where there is music, I feel like there’s so much talking or standing around. That’s something I’m really passionate about: I wish people danced more and didn’t care what they looked like.

Jonas: Olani is really good at making the crowd do what she wants. At DC9, you stole the show. Everyone was saying that Olani got everyone moving.

Isaac: It’s instinct.

Olani: But also, before Pack Light, I was never like that. I genuinely had a hard time even swaying on stage. I was so uncomfortable standing on stage. Like, what do I do with my hands? So many people looking at me. But I think that’s where it comes from as well. I felt so comfortable with them to be able to just move and be silly and just have fun with it that I want [the audience] to feel as free as I do [on stage], you know?

By the end of our time together, the hum from the stage upstairs had swelled into a persistent buzz as the first band launched into their set– an echo of where Pack Light was headed. Pack Light will perform at Songbyrd in Washington, D.C. on September 25th with fellow local DC band Sea Lion Caves in their next adventure in the D.C music scene. Until then, you can keep track of them on Instagram at @packlight.dc.

Photography by Chance Hwang.