Funky Friday – Episode 63: Funk The Tax man

🎧 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 → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Airdate: 4.17.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2

Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!

Funky Friday – Episode63: Funk The Tax man

Mid-April carries a certain kind of pressure. Deadlines. Numbers. Systems that do not ask how you feel, only that you respond. This set does not fight that energy. It moves through it.

The show opens with clarity. Money sets the tone immediately. Direct. Uncomplicated. Followed by The Payback, which shifts the posture. Not resistance. Not acceptance. Just awareness that everything has a cost, and sometimes that cost comes back around.

Taxman settles in after that. Slower. Heavier. The presence of the system becomes real here. Not loud. Not aggressive. Just there.

From there, the energy changes. Get Up Offa That Thing breaks the tension and puts things back into motion. We Need Some Money brings urgency into the groove. Not conceptual anymore. Immediate. A Real Mother for Ya follows with attitude intact, before Working Day and Night pushes everything forward with momentum.

The middle of the set asks questions without forcing answers. I’m Paying Taxes, What Am I Buying? frames the moment directly. What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes? expands that thought without turning it into a statement. You Haven’t Done Nothin’ brings it back to the ground, where accountability and expectation meet.

The final stretch releases the pressure without ignoring it. Good Times opens the space. The groove becomes lighter, but it does not lose its footing. Fantastic Voyage closes the set by moving forward. Not escaping. Just continuing.

Funky Friday Episode 63 does not argue with the system. It moves through it.

On the good foot.

Funky Friday – Episode 63: Funk The Tax Man

🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES

The O’Jays — “For The Love of Money” (1972)

Personnel: Eddie Levert (lead vocals), Walter Williams (vocals), William Powell (vocals), Bobby Martin (arrangements), MFSB including Earl Young (drums), Ronnie Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar).

Renegade Note: Direct entry. No buildup. The theme is established immediately without decoration.

James Brown — “The Payback” (1973)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals), Fred Wesley (trombone), Maceo Parker (saxophone), St. Clair Pinckney (saxophone), Bootsy Collins (bass, credited in sessions), Jabo Starks (drums).

Renegade Note: Posture shifts. The groove tightens and carries intention. Nothing is rushed, but nothing is passive.

Junior Parker — “Taxman” (1970)

Personnel: Junior Parker (vocals), Memphis session players (including elements of the Hi Rhythm Section—Al Jackson Jr. (drums), Leroy Hodges (bass), Charles Hodges (organ), Teenie Hodges (guitar) often associated with the sound).

Renegade Note: Presence enters. Slower tempo allows the weight of the moment to settle in without force.

James Brown — “Get Up Offa That Thing” (1976)

Personnel: James Brown (vocals), Fred Wesley (trombone), Maceo Parker (saxophone), Jimmy Nolen (guitar), Bootsy Collins (bass), Jabo Starks (drums).

Renegade Note: Movement returns. Rhythm becomes action. The set steps forward again.

Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers — “We Need Some Money” (1975)

Personnel: Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers — Chuck Brown (vocals, guitar), John “JB” Buchanan (keyboards), Leroy Fleming (saxophone), Skip Fennell (keyboards), Ricardo Wellman (drums), percussion ensemble (go-go congas/auxiliary rhythm).

Renegade Note: Urgency introduced. The groove becomes immediate and physical. No abstraction.

Johnny “Guitar” Watson — “A Real Mother for Ya” (1977)

Personnel: Johnny Guitar Watson (vocals, guitar, arrangements), Michael “Funky” McGee (drums), session horn section (uncredited), Watson ensemble.

Renegade Note: Attitude holds the space. The groove leans back while the message stays forward.

Michael Jackson — “Working Day and Night” (1979)

Personnel: Michael Jackson (vocals), Quincy Jones (producer), Louis Johnson (bass), John “JR” Robinson (drums), Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), David Williams (guitar).

Renegade Note: Momentum builds. The rhythm pushes without losing control. Forward motion becomes the focus.

Fred Wesley And The J.B.’s — “I’m Paying Taxes, What Am I Buying?” (1974)

Personnel: The J.B.'s — Fred Wesley (trombone), Maceo Parker (saxophone), St. Clair Pinckney (saxophone), Bootsy Collins (bass), Clyde Stubblefield / Jabo Starks (drums depending on session lineage).Renegade Note: Question introduced. The groove carries it without demanding resolution.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — “What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes?” (2010)

Personnel: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — Sharon Jones (vocals), Binky Griptite (guitar), Bosco Mann (bass), Homer Steinweiss (drums), Neal Sugarman (saxophone), Dave Guy (trumpet), Fernando Velez (percussion).

Renegade Note: Expansion of thought. The rhythm stays grounded while the idea opens outward.

Stevie Wonder — “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” (1974)

Personnel: Stevie Wonder (vocals, keyboards), The Jackson 5 (background vocals), Wonder session ensemble.

Renegade Note: Accountability returns. The groove remains steady while the message sharpens.

Lakeside — “Fantastic Voyage” (1980)

Personnel: Lakeside — Mark Wood (lead vocals), Fred Alexander (bass), Norman Beavers (keyboards), Tiemeyer McCain (drums), Lakeside ensemble.

Renegade Note: Forward motion continues. Not an escape. A continuation.

🔗 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 → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here

Funk Facts

---

💵 The O’Jays — For The Love Of Money

Built within the Philadelphia International sound, “Money” uses a tight rhythm section and orchestral restraint. The groove stays grounded while the message remains direct, allowing clarity to drive the track.

🔥 James Brown — The Payback

“The Payback” is structured around repetition and space. Each instrument locks into a minimal pattern, creating tension through restraint rather than complexity.

🎙️ Junior Parker — Taxman

Junior Parker’s version slows the tempo and leans into phrasing. The groove becomes heavier, allowing vocal delivery and tone to define the track more than movement.

🕺 James Brown — Get Up Offa That Thing

Driven by syncopation, this track pushes rhythm forward without speeding up. The groove creates motion through accent and timing, not tempo.

🥁 Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers — We Need Some Money

A foundational go-go track, built on continuous percussion rather than strict song structure. The groove loops and extends, emphasizing rhythm as a live, ongoing force.

🎸 Johnny Guitar Watson — A Real Mother for Ya

Watson blends blues phrasing with funk rhythm, allowing guitar tone and vocal attitude to sit slightly behind the beat. The groove holds while personality leads.

⚡ Michael Jackson — Working Day and Night

Built on a driving bassline and tight drum pattern, this track uses layered percussion to create urgency. The groove remains controlled while energy continuously builds.

🧾 Fred Wesley And The J.B.'s — I’m Paying Taxes, What Am I Buying?

An instrumental-forward groove where horns and rhythm section carry the message. The structure stays minimal, allowing repetition to reinforce the theme.

❓ Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes?Recorded with analog techniques, the track recreates classic funk textures. The groove stays raw and direct, letting the question sit within the rhythm rather than above it.

🎹 Stevie Wonder — You Haven’t Done Nothin’

Built on clavinet-driven rhythm, the groove maintains a steady pulse while vocal phrasing delivers emphasis. The structure remains tight, with message integrated into the rhythm.

🚀 Lakeside — Fantastic Voyage

A smooth, rolling groove built on layered keys and bass. The rhythm does not push or pull, creating a steady forward motion that feels continuous rather than directional.