Funky Friday – Episode 58: Deep Pocket Funk

🎧 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

Add to Google Calendar

🎶 Catch the Replay →Comming Soon

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Airdate: 3.13.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2

Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!

Funky Friday – Episode 58: Deep Pocket Funk

Funky Friday Episode 58 will air on Friday the 13th with a simple idea at its center. The deepest grooves in music rarely shout. They settle in quietly. Rhythm sections lock together, instruments breathe together, and suddenly the entire room begins moving without anyone announcing it.

That place is called the pocket.

This episode will explore that space. Not the flash of funk, but the discipline beneath it. The musicians who understand that groove is not created by playing more notes. It comes from knowing exactly where the note belongs.

The hour will open with authority. The rhythm section behind James Brown will establish the architecture of the pocket early. Horns will punch through the groove while drums and bass build the foundation that defined modern funk.

Once the foundation is set, the groove will travel.

New Orleans precision will briefly appear before the rhythm shifts into the extended fusion pocket of Herbie Hancock. That moment will stretch the broadcast outward. Musicians will recognize it immediately. The pocket becomes elastic there, expanding without ever losing its center.

Deep groove requires patience.

From that midpoint the rhythm will tighten again. Horn-driven funk will sharpen the edges while bass lines grow thicker and more confident. Bands like Tower of Power, War, and Kool & The Gang will carry the momentum forward as the broadcast settles deeper into the groove.

By the final stretch the pocket becomes celebration.

Synth funk, dance floor rhythms, and classic groove architecture will bring the hour to its natural close. Every track will share the same idea. The best funk does not rush. It waits for the band to find the center.

Once the pocket arrives, everything else follows.

The broadcast will air Friday the 13th at 9AM PT on KDOG and 9PM PT on KCSM HD2, continuing Funky Friday’s commitment to intentional radio programming that highlights the musicians behind the groove.

This week the rhythm section takes the spotlight.

Episode 58 explores the pocket.

Funky Friday – Episode 58: Deep pocket funk

🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES

James Brown — “Soul Pride” (1969)

Personnel: James Brown (bandleader), Maceo Parker (saxophone), Fred Wesley (trombone), Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks (drums), various J.B.’s rhythm section members.

Renegade Note: Pure groove architecture. Horn stabs and disciplined rhythm section interplay establish the pocket immediately.

The Meters — “People Say” (1974)

Personnel: Art Neville (keys), Leo Nocentelli (guitar), George Porter Jr. (bass), Zigaboo Modeliste (drums).

Renegade Note: New Orleans minimalism. The groove breathes while the rhythm section holds perfect balance.

Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s — “Doing It to Death” (1973)

Personnel: Fred Wesley (trombone), Maceo Parker (saxophone), Bootsy Collins (bass), John “Jabo” Starks (drums).

Renegade Note: Horn discipline and rhythm authority. Funk stretched into extended pocket territory.

Herbie Hancock — “Actual Proof” (1974)

Personnel: Herbie Hancock (keyboards), Paul Jackson (bass), Mike Clark (drums), Bennie Maupin (reeds).

Renegade Note: Fusion pocket mastery. Mike Clark’s drumming remains one of the most studied funk grooves ever recorded.

Tower of Power — “What Is Hip?” (1973)

Personnel: Lenny Williams (vocals), Rocco Prestia (bass), David Garibaldi (drums), Tower of Power horn section.

Renegade Note: Precision funk engineering. Bass and drums operate like a machine.

Average White Band — “Pick Up the Pieces” (1974)

Personnel: Alan Gorrie (bass), Robbie McIntosh (drums), Roger Ball and Malcolm Duncan (saxophones), Hamish Stuart (guitar).

Renegade Note: Instrumental groove authority. Horn lines ride effortlessly on a deep rhythm pocket.

James Brown — “Super Bad” (1970)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals), Bootsy Collins (bass), Clyde Stubblefield (drums), The J.B.’s ensemble.

Renegade Note: Raw funk momentum. Rhythm section leadership drives the groove forward.

The Isley Brothers — “It’s Your Thing” (1969)

Personnel: Ronald Isley (vocals), Ernie Isley (guitar), Marvin Isley (bass), Isley Brothers rhythm section.

Renegade Note: Early funk independence. A short, powerful groove that helped define the genre.

War — “The Cisco Kid” (1972)

Personnel: Howard Scott (guitar), B.B. Dickerson (bass), Harold Brown (drums), Lonnie Jordan (keys), Charles Miller (saxophone).

Renegade Note: West Coast groove storytelling. Funk rhythm meets cinematic atmosphere.

Kool & The Gang — “Hollywood Swinging” (1974)

Personnel: Robert “Kool” Bell (bass), Ronald Bell (tenor saxophone), George Brown (drums), Kool & The Gang ensemble.

Renegade Note: Celebration groove. The rhythm section builds dance floor momentum.

Bootsy’s Rubber Band — “Stretchin’ Out (In a Rubber Band)” (1976)

Personnel: Bootsy Collins (bass, vocals), Catfish Collins (guitar), Bootsy’s Rubber Band ensemble.

Renegade Note: Elastic bass leadership. Funk swagger with cosmic attitude.

Ohio Players — “Fire” (1974)

Personnel: Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner (guitar), Marshall “Rock” Jones (bass), Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks (trumpet), Ohio Players rhythm section.

Renegade Note: Funk intensity. Groove thickens as the rhythm section locks deeper.

Why Episode 58: Deep Pocket Funk?

Funk is often described as attitude.

It's also discipline.

Every great groove depends on musicians who understand timing, restraint, and trust in the rhythm section. The pocket is not a place in the music. It is a moment when every player agrees on exactly where the groove lives.

Episode 58 explores that moment.

Deep Pocket Funk.

🔗 Quick Links:

🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here

🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here (On mobile, scroll down to the KCSM HD2 player)

📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):

• 9 AM KDOG

Add to Google Calendar

• 9 PM KCSM HD2

Add to Google Calendar

🎶 Catch the Replay →Comming Soon

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Funk Facts

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🎷 James Brown — Funk Built From Rhythm

“Soul Pride” captures the philosophy James Brown brought to modern funk. Instead of building songs around melody and harmony, Brown built them around rhythm. Every instrument becomes part of the drum section. Horns punch like percussion while bass and drums hold the center. The pocket becomes the bandleader.

🥁 The Meters — New Orleans Precision

“People Say” demonstrates the effortless discipline of the New Orleans groove tradition. Zigaboo Modeliste’s drumming leaves space between notes while George Porter Jr.’s bass fills the gaps. The band rarely rushes or crowds the beat. Funk breathes when musicians trust the pocket.

🎺 Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s — Horns Inside the Groove

“Doing It to Death” stretches the James Brown rhythm concept into extended funk territory. Fred Wesley’s trombone leads a horn section that rides directly inside the groove instead of above it. The band becomes a rhythmic machine built from brass, bass, and drums.

🎹 Herbie Hancock — Fusion Meets the Pocket

“Actual Proof” remains one of the most studied rhythm section performances in funk history. Drummer Mike Clark and bassist Paul Jackson lock into a groove that feels elastic without ever losing its center. Jazz fusion often expands the structure of funk, but the pocket always stays in control.

🎺 Tower of Power — Engineering the Groove

“What Is Hip?” showcases one of the tightest rhythm sections ever recorded. Bassist Rocco Prestia and drummer David Garibaldi approach funk with almost scientific precision. Notes land exactly where they belong. Discipline becomes energy.

🎷 Average White Band — Instrumental Funk Authority

“Pick Up the Pieces” proved that funk did not require vocals to dominate the dance floor. Built around a relentless rhythm section and bright horn arrangements, the track became a global instrumental hit. Sometimes the groove speaks for itself.

🔥 James Brown — Momentum as Rhythm

“Super Bad” shows how James Brown used repetition as propulsion. The groove repeats with subtle changes while Brown’s vocal punctuates the rhythm like another instrument. Funk grows stronger when it refuses to hurry.

🎤 The Isley Brothers — Independence Through Groove

“It’s Your Thing” helped push funk toward artistic independence. The song became a declaration of musical freedom while the rhythm section kept the groove tight and direct. Sometimes the pocket carries more than rhythm. It carries identity.

🌵 War — Storytelling Through Groove

“The Cisco Kid” blends funk rhythm with cinematic storytelling. Latin percussion, bass, and guitar settle into a relaxed but deliberate groove while the band narrates a Western-inspired tale. Funk often travels well beyond the dance floor.

🌆 Kool & The Gang — Celebration in Motion

“Hollywood Swinging” captures the band’s early instrumental funk period before their pop crossover years. The groove is bright and confident, built around bass and horn interplay that feels both relaxed and celebratory.

🪐 Bootsy’s Rubber Band — Funk With Attitude

“Stretchin’ Out (In a Rubber Band)” brings Bootsy Collins’ cosmic personality into the groove. The bass becomes both melody and rhythm while the band leans into playful swagger. Funk thrives when style meets discipline.

🔥 Ohio Players — Groove With Heat

“Fire” brings intensity without sacrificing precision. The rhythm section drives forward while guitar and horns add texture. Funk often feels explosive, but underneath the energy the pocket remains steady.