Any journalist worth the weight of their rag knows that the true measure of a band’s coolness factor has nothing to do with record sales, distribution deals or the size of its mailing list. It’s very simple: Can you sit and enjoy a beer and a casual conversation with them? Members of Funkiphino, a local 10-piece with a provocative name, passes the test when they join me at the Boulder Weekly’s annex offices (read the Southern Sun brewpub).

Thankfully the band only brought four players–keyboardist and vocalist Chris Fischer, lead vocalist Cathy Griffin, trumpet player Jessica Flynn and saxophonist Eric Stehle–because keeping track of all 10 would have been a challenge.

"Yeah, we put a lot of people on a small stage," laughs Fischer.

Indeed, but where this can create clutter for lesser bands, for Funkiphino it makes for one of the more overwhelming live experiences you’ll get in the area. Featuring a powerful four-piece horn section, thickly layered female vocals, a B-3 organ and a funky cache of originals peppered with ’70s funk jams from the likes of Tower of Power and Earth, Wind, and Fire, this is a band that’s impossible to ignore. But the band says it’s as much the interaction of the players as their number that has made the band one of the area’s hottest draws.

"What makes us great is the chemistry between the band members," says Griffin. "Each person is just an outstanding musician."

"It’s about the band," says Fischer. "We’ve got really talented players, but it’s not Funkiphino featuring so-and-so. Everybody gets their moment. It’s about the band."
Funkiphino has been around nearly six years, featuring the current lineup for the past year and a half. Earlier this year, Funkiphino released its first CD, Lovin’ Life–a disc that was years in the making.

"It was a long time coming," says Fischer. "We’ve been working on this CD project for a while. So many bands make the mistake of rushing a CD out… We really wanted this thing to be right and the production to be top notch and the arrangements and everything. It’s our first CD, and I’m pretty psyched at how it turned out."

According to band members, the work is already paying rich dividends.

"We were in the studio recording and it was a lot of hours, but what made it all worth it was when somebody shouted out one of our tunes," says Griffin. "When somebody requests a tune that’s an original, that’s amazing. That’s what makes it all worth it."
The band is obviously flattered by the response, but remains humble. And no matter the popularity of Lovin’ Life, the band isn’t changing its live format, which features a healthy balance of original and cover material.

"So many bands and people get this perception that you’re either a cover band or you’re an original band. That’s crap. We’re a band," says Fischer. "We enjoy our originals, we enjoy writing, but we enjoy playing covers as well. And to tell you the truth, the covers afford us the ability to do the original material… Real musicians enjoy playing music whether it’s a cover or an original tune."

"It’s not like we’re choosing easy tunes," says Flynn. "When we’re choosing songs, we want something that’s gonna showcase that we’re a great band."

And unlike many bands, Funkiphino didn’t want Lovin’ Life to be a studio rendition of its live show. The band says it entered the recording studio with the idea of making the CD its own entity.

"A lot of bands try to do what they’re doing live and do it in the studio. I don’t look at it that way," says Fischer. "It’s like we’ve got all of these tools and people and things that we can do, so if we’re gonna do a CD, let’s do a studio project… Let’s do it the way we want to do it. We’ll worry about how we’re going to reproduce it live later."

"We went to a completely creative place and said, ‘Let’s just create something,’" says Flynn. "We kind of went crazy with some things."

With a large local following and a solid CD release under its belt, things are cooking for Funkiphino right now. But perhaps the band’s greatest accomplishment is that its members are having a damn good time. And after a smokin’ hot gig, those are the sort of people you want to sit and have a drink and conversation with.