“We aren’t perfect,” Robyn Alleman told CL when asked about her husband Chris Pack. “But we are perfect for each other.”
The latter could not be closer to the truth. Shortly after meeting at a gig where Pack (frontman for twist-punk outfit Twisty Chris & The Pudding Packs) was drumming for Green Jelly, Alleman (singer for funk band Holey Miss Moley) and her future husband began hanging out. He eventually proposed her after a Miss Moley gig in New Orleans that also happened to fall on Alleman’s birthday.
“Chris was really excited for me to open my gift; a miniature Ms. Pac-Man arcade game with an engagement ring hidden inside,” Alleman — who got her start singing in the Detroit scene — said. Last month, the pair — who have been pretty much inseparable for the last two years — tied the knot at an outrageous wedding that featured a robot ring bearer and kazoo orchestra.
“Everyone played the bridal march on their kazoos while I walked down the aisle,” Alleman said. “It was lovely.”
Just as lovely was the after-party and concert at Dunedin Brewery, which had to clear all of the tables out of its dining room and close the parking lot, too. Both Alleman and Pack’s bands played, and both were joined by a bevy of special guests. The lineup onstage reflected the joy that both of them reclaimed after rough moments in life that left both Pack — who played music in South Carolina before being stationed in the Bay area while in the military — and Alleman not wanting to be in relationships at all.
“I had pretty much given up on ever wanting to fall in love with anyone ever again,” Pack told CL when describing the moment he finally mustered up the courage to tell Alleman that he was interested in her. “Her response was, ‘The feeling is mutual, sir.’”
Since then, the pair, along with their talkative cat Florence and dog Sophie, have enjoyed a quiet life that belies their respective bands’ wild stage shows (Pack is asleep by 10 p.m. on most nights, and Alleman spends weekends watering and sorting her succulents). They collaborate at their in-home rehearsal space, and often bounce song ideas off of each other, too. Both are also followers of Christ, and they credit a higher power with bringing sense to their union, but Pack insists that they are not “judgy” Christians by any means.
“We both feel a strong calling to be a positive influence for those around us — not only as individuals, but as a unit,” Alleman explained. If the crowd at their Dunedin Brewery wedding party was any indication, both Pack and Alleman will have a positive influence on their scenes for a long time coming. The theme song of their wedding was “Be My Baby.” On the tune, The Ronettes sing a memorable line that goes, “I’ll make you so proud of me/We’ll make ‘em turn their heads every place we go.”
It has definitely been fun to watch Pack and Alleman’s love blossom within the context of their scenes, and despite both of their shy dispositions offstage, both Pack and Alleman will definitely continue to turn heads at every stage they grace.
Read our full Q&A below.
How did you two meet?
Pack: We have been “friends” on Facebook for a long time. The first time we met in person was about five years ago. Robyn came to a show when I was drumming for Green Jelly. Even after that, we didn’t really know each other more than the fact that we were both people in bands.
There are stages in a relationship. What signals or at what point did you two realize that (1) you wanted to be a “thing” (2) get married (3) have an epic wedding?
Alleman: I’m unsure of the exact moment I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Chris but his (marriage) proposal certainly sealed the deal. I was singing with Holey Miss Moley in New Orleans on my birthday in 2018. Chris was really excited for me to open my gift; a miniature Ms. Pac-Man arcade game… with an engagement ring hidden inside! So not only did he propose on my birthday but he chose to do so in my favorite city in the world. We have been pretty much inseparable for a couple years, and continue to learn so much about each other. The timeline in both of our stories have many similarities which have led us to exactly where we are today. I’m not sure that we actually tried to have an “epic wedding.” We just did what we wanted, and everyone seemed to have a great time. We kept coming up with silly ideas and made them happen. Alana, the Worship Pastor at our church, suggested that we give kazoos to the wedding attendees. Next thing you know, we ordered a giant box of kazoos, and convinced her (Pastor Alana) to be the Kazoo Orchestra conductor. Everyone at the wedding played the bridal march on their kazoos while I walked down the aisle. It was… lovely.
Pack: We both went through some rough times and neither of us were looking for a relationship. I had pretty much given up on ever wanting to fall in love with anyone ever again. Almost three years ago, I got the courage to tell Robyn that have a crush on her, and her response was “The feeling is mutual, sir.” The first time we really hung out was a music festival in Lakeland that her band, Holey Miss Moley, was playing at in 2016. We both grew up as believers in Christ, and once we brought him back into our lives, I realized that this really is the holy union that was intended. The wedding was full of fun and silly ideas. We didn’t decide to have the robot from Nerds Raging as our ring bearer until three days before the wedding. I had to help Smervis dig the robot costume out of his tool shed, and Morgan was more than happy to do it. A fair amount of friends and family would be flying in for the wedding so we figured it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase both of our bands. Dunedin Brewery was kind enough to let us make a public event out of it!
How many participated/attended that wedding ceremony and afterparty?
Pack: The chapel at Countryside Christian Church was set-up to hold 200 people, and it was pretty full. After that, around 100 people joined us as we invaded CiCi’s pizza, where we all ate pizza and played video games. We aren’t sure how many people were at the after party at Dunedin Brewery. They moved all the tables out, and closed off the parking lot. It was pretty packed.
Everybody has a story about the moment the officiant seals the deal — what was that like for both of you?
Pack: Pastor Glenn did a great job balancing the serious with the silliness. While it seemed to be all jokes, he helped us to be sure of the moments where we were very spiritually focused. The moment Pastor Glenn announced us as Mr. and Mrs., “Be My Baby” was played as we made our way down the aisle.
Could you tell me more about performing “Be My Baby”? The choice behind it, what it felt like there at Dunedin Brewery throughout the night?
Alleman: If our relationship had a soundtrack, I guess it would be our theme song. I’ve been singing it with Twisty Chris and the Puddin’ Packs for a couple of years now. I usually invite some ladies from my music scene (Loe Sanz, Caitlin Monita, Ellie McCaw) to sing the background vocals. It’s been a fun way to bring both of our scenes together. With regards to the brewery, he vibe at Dunedin Brewery was exactly what we’d hoped for. It was incredible looking into the crowd from the stage and seeing our families singing and dancing with our friends. Our hearts were full.
Pack: The line in the song that says, “We’ll make them turn their heads every place we go” has really settled with me as being accurate for us. I think we grab a lot of attention, since I’m a shy dork and she’s a super hot babe.
Alleman: LOL…dork.
Marriage has a lot to do with give/take. You’ve obviously only been married on paper for a short spell, but what are you two able to give each other on a creative/musical level?
Alleman: When we aren’t working our “regular people” jobs, we are usually keeping busy with something music related. Having a rehearsal studio in our home has been very useful.
Pack: On the creative/music level, it is great. Any creative person knows the process of brainstorming, planning, learning, practicing, etc. In our case, we both totally get each other. In the car, it is very common for one of us to listen to songs that will be performed soon. Besides the bands you know about, she also sings in church and I work in production.
What role do you play in each others’ non-musical/everyday lives?
Pack: We both work full-time jobs. She works for a civil engineering firm in Tampa and I am the graphic designer for a company in Clearwater. We both have our praises and frustrations, and there’s something special about the way we both understand each other. We try to make any out of town band trip also count as a mini-vacation.
Alleman: I am the worrier, he is the dreamer.
Pack: Ha!
Is there anything difficult about being a music scene couple?
Alleman: It’s sometimes a challenge to keep up with each other’s schedules. We look at our music calendars on a regular basis, to make sure that we can work around any conflicting dates.
Pack: Especially early on, there was. I mean, here I am dating this super-babe that sings in a band that lots of people follow. There were some fellas who acted like they had some sort of “seniority” over me, because they have been a fan of hers for longer than I’ve known her. There were also the ones who didn’t know how to respect boundaries, but all that got sorted out pretty early on. I think it’s great that we both have friends from each other’s music scenes, and that those friends are starting to intertwine.
Alleman: We both feel a strong calling to be a positive influence for those around us, not only as individuals, but as a unit. We aren’t perfect, but we are perfect for each other.
Marriage is also about the community someone builds around themselves? Could you talk about your entrance into the scene and the choices you make when surrounding yourself with the right people?
Pack: I have been playing in bands since the mid ‘90s in South Carolina, and moved to Florida when I got stationed down here in 2001. I’m not sure exactly what it was like to enter the scene, but it is pretty awesome to see people grow older and more accepting of other parts of the music scene that they normally wouldn’t be part of. Even though I have failed a lot in the past, I try to make better life choices to influence those around me. I’m not a judgy Christian at all, and I think that just showing a positive mental attitude really shows the kind of influence that Christ would want me to be. Being married to Robyn makes me feel like we have made a really great step towards a really great eternity together. I don’t mind not being around the “right people,” as long as I feel like we can show them some sort of happiness. I pretend to be this outgoing crazy guy on stage, but in real life I am pretty bashful.
Alleman: I’ve been singing practically my entire life. Growing up in the metro Detroit area, I was very involved with musical theatre, choral and vocal jazz groups in and out of college. I even sang with Kenny Rogers a few times! When I moved to Florida, I took an unintentional seven-year hiatus from singing. But then I met Funky D (Darryl Quesenberry) back in 2012 and we started working on bringing music into the Arts Warehouse district downtown St. Pete at Dan Painter’s former space. We called it Inside the Gates. I started singing with the Funky Seeds and various other music projects in the Hometeam scene. I eventually sat in to do some background vocals for Holey Miss Moley and that’s where I’ve been ever since. Chris and I come from two completely different music backgrounds. I have really enjoyed stepping outside of my genre bubble and getting into music that I otherwise may have never discovered. I encourage everyone to do the same. Get out and support your live music scene, even if it’s a band you aren’t sure of. There is something so very magical about experiencing live music with a crowd of people sharing the same energy.
Please tell me about any pets you have, what the vibe in the house is like?
Pack: I have this feeling that people think that we are totally hyper and crazy at home. Sure, we probably randomly sing and dance around a lot more than others, but it’s usually a fairly quiet home.
Alleman: Today, our quality time was spent with Chris smoking a cigar in the backyard while I watered and sorted out my succulents. Chris usually goes to bed by 10 p.m., or he turns into a pumpkin. We have a dog named Sophie who likes to dance with us, and a loveable cat named Florence who talks a lot.
This article appears in Feb 14-21, 2019.