Funky Friday – Episode 28: Ministry Of Funk

Episode 28 - Ministry of Funk

Airdate: 08.15.25 - 9am Pacific Time

🔗 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG Radio → Here

🎶 Catch the Replay →Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

🎟 RSVP to Episode → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Happy Funky Friday!

Welcome to Episode 28: Ministry of Funk — where the groove is gospel and the bassline is the law. This week, the congregation gathers for a high-energy service dedicated to rhythm, soul, and the legends who preach through music.

We open with a tribute to the late Eddie Palmieri, the Grammy-winning pianist and composer who fused Afro-Cuban rhythms with the grit of street-level funk. His 1971 Harlem River Drive project stands as one of the boldest Latin-funk crossovers ever recorded — so we start with the title track and close with Broken Home, giving El Maestro the first and last word in our service.

In between, the Ministry delivers a full hour of funk sermons from James Brown, Parliament, Tower of Power, along with Herbie Hancock and guitarist Wah Wah Watson for Hang Up Your Hang Ups — a jazz-funk masterclass from Hancock’s 1975 Man-Child album, where Watson’s signature wah tone and Hancock’s keyboard genius create an electrifying sermon in groove. — the kind of set that’ll have you shouting “Amen!” on the dance floor.

🎧 Track List – Funky Friday 28: Ministry of Funk

Harlem River Drive – Eddie Palmieri (1971)

Ain’t It Funky Now – James Brown (1970)

(Not Just) Knee Deep – Parliament/Funkadelic (1979)

Hang Up Your Hang Ups – Herbie Hancock feat. Wah Wah Watson (1975)

Get the Funk Out Ma Face – Brothers Johnson (1976)

The Payback – James Brown (1973)

Funky Nassau – Beginning of the End (1971)

Soul Vaccination – Tower of Power (1973)

Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) – Parliament (1975)

Broken Home – Eddie Palmieri (1971)

🪩 Why “Ministry of Funk”? Because sometimes the funk isn’t just a feeling — it’s a calling. This episode delivers the sacred rites of groove, from the pulpit of bass to the choir of horns. With Eddie Palmieri’s boundary-breaking fusion bookending the show, we remind the congregation that funk knows no borders, and rhythm is a universal language.

🔗 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG Radio → Here 

🎶 Catch the Replay → Coming Soon

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here 

🎟 RSVP to Episode → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Funk Facts

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🎹 Harlem River Drive – Eddie Palmieri (1971) Palmieri’s Harlem River Drive project brought together Latin jazz players and funk musicians in a politically charged, socially conscious statement. The album blended wah-wah guitars, electric bass, and horn riffs with congas and timbales — a fusion ahead of its time.

🎹 Hang Up Your Hang Ups – Herbie Hancock (1975) From the album Man-Child, this track features guitarist Wah Wah Watson, whose percussive, syncopated wah pedal playing became a defining sound of ’70s jazz-funk. The interplay between Hancock’s keys and Watson’s guitar is pure rhythmic telepathy.

🎺 Soul Vaccination – Tower of Power (1973)An infectious brass-heavy anthem from Oakland’s own funk powerhouse. The horn arrangements by Greg Adams became a blueprint for West Coast funk bands for decades to come.

🎸 Get the Funk Out Ma Face – Brothers Johnson (1976)Produced by Quincy Jones, this bass-driven classic was co-written by Louis Johnson, whose slap bass technique influenced everyone from Stanley Clarke to Flea.

🎤 The Payback – James Brown (1973)One of Brown’s most sampled tracks, “The Payback” is pure funk vengeance — stripped-down, percussive, and dripping with attitude.