Funky Friday – Episode 65: May Day!
- Noah McDonough
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
🎧 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: 5.1.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2
Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!
Funky Friday – Episode 65: May Day!
Funky Friday Episode 65 will open under pressure.
The signal does not come in clean. It arrives damaged. A transmission breaking through static. A voice holding steady while everything around it starts to fail. This set leans into that moment. The instant when control is slipping and the only thing left to do is keep going.
“You Dropped a Bomb on Me” sets the tone immediately. No buildup. No easing in. Impact lands first and everything that follows has to respond. “Fire” keeps that intensity alive, but begins to shape it. Heat becomes rhythm. Chaos becomes something you can move with instead of something you run from.
From there, the set starts to shift. “Super Stupid” introduces grit. Rough edges. A sound that feels like systems breaking down in real time. “Burn Rubber on Me” pushes forward anyway. Momentum without certainty. Movement that feels necessary rather than controlled. “Funky Worm” adds instability. Strange textures. A reminder that not every part of the groove needs to feel safe.
The middle of the set finds its footing without losing tension. “Open Sesame” brings a cinematic push. Forward motion with purpose. “Funky Stuff” locks the rhythm back in. Clean. Direct. No wasted space. “Slide” and “Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied)” keep the system working. Tight grooves that feel like recovery without pretending everything is fixed.
“Give Up the Funk” arrives as a turning point. Not a release, but a decision. The moment where the set stops reacting and starts driving again. What follows carries that energy forward. “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” moves with intent. “A Chance for Peace” clears the air just enough to reset the space without losing the thread.
The final stretch does not overreach. It settles. “Groove Me” brings things back to the ground. “People Say” closes the set with something rooted. Human. Still moving, but no longer under pressure.
Funky Friday Episode 65 stays inside the signal.
Not everything holds together the way it should. That is the point.
The transmission continues anyway.
Funky Friday – Episode 65: May Day!
🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES
The Gap Band — “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” (1982)
Personnel: Charlie Wilson (vocals), Ronnie Wilson (bass), Robert Wilson (guitar), The Gap Band.
Renegade Note: Immediate impact. No runway. The set opens in crisis, and the groove has to respond.
Ohio Players — “Fire” (1974)
Personnel: Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner (guitar, vocals), Marshall “Rock” Jones (bass), James “Diamond” Williams (drums), Clarence “Satch” Satchell (saxophone), Billy Beck (keyboards).
Renegade Note: Heat becomes structure. The chaos tightens into something controlled and deliberate.
Funkadelic — “Super Stupid” (1971)
Personnel: George Clinton (bandleader), Eddie Hazel (guitar), Billy “Bass” Nelson (bass), Tiki Fulwood (drums), Funkadelic ensemble.
Renegade Note: Grit enters. Rough edges and distortion push the system toward its limits.
The Gap Band — “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)” (1980)
Personnel: Charlie Wilson (vocals), Ronnie Wilson (bass), Robert Wilson (guitar), The Gap Band.
Renegade Note: Momentum without certainty. The groove keeps moving even as control starts to slip.
Kool & the Gang — “Open Sesame” (1976)
Personnel: Robert “Kool” Bell (bass), Ronald Bell (tenor saxophone), Dennis Thomas (alto saxophone), George Brown (drums),
Renegade Note: Forward motion returns. Cinematic energy pushes the set out of the dive.
Kool & the Gang — “Funky Stuff” (1973)
Personnel: Robert “Kool” Bell (bass), George Brown (drums), Ronald Bell (tenor saxophone),
Renegade Note: The groove locks back in. Clean. Direct. No wasted movement.
Slave — “Slide” (1977)
Personnel: Steve Arrington (drums, vocals), Mark Adams (bass), Slave ensemble.
Renegade Note: Stabilization. The system begins to respond again, tight and controlled.
B.T. Express — “Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied)” (1974)
Personnel: B.T. Express ensemble, including Carlos Ward (saxophone), Bill Risbrook (bass), Terry B. Adams (guitar).
Renegade Note: Mechanical precision. The groove functions like a system brought back online.
Vaughan Mason & Crew — “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” (1979)
Personnel: Vaughan Mason (producer), Crew ensemble.
Renegade Note: Motion restored. The groove moves forward with intent and confidence.
Lonnie Liston Smith — “A Chance for Peace” (1975)
Personnel: Lonnie Liston Smith (keyboards), Donald Smith (vocals), Cecil McBee (bass), Art Gore (drums), David Hubbard (tenor saxophone, flute), Reggie Lucas (guitar), The Cosmic Echoes.
Renegade Note: The air clears. Space returns without losing the thread of the set.
King Floyd — “Groove Me” (1970)
Personnel: King Floyd (vocals), Wardell Quezergue (producer, arranger), James Black (drums), George Davis (guitar), Melvin Lastie (trumpet), Alvin “Red” Tyler (baritone saxophone), New Orleans session ensemble.
Renegade Note: Grounded return. The set reconnects with something simple and human.
The Meters — “People Say” (1974)
Personnel: Art Neville (keyboards), Leo Nocentelli (guitar), George Porter Jr. (bass), Zigaboo Modeliste (drums).
Renegade Note: Controlled landing. The signal holds steady, even after everything it passed through.
🔗 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
🔥 The Gap Band — You Dropped a Bomb on Me
Built on a synthesized bassline and drum machine foundation, the groove relies on repetition and tone rather than variation. The impact comes from texture and placement, not complexity.
🔥 Ohio Players — Fire
Driven by a tight rhythm section, the groove balances restraint and intensity. Guitar, bass, and drums lock into a controlled pocket that allows the track to build heat without speeding up.
🎸 Funkadelic — Super Stupid
Centered on a distorted guitar riff, the groove leans into raw texture. The rhythm section supports the grit, creating movement through feel rather than precision.
🛞 The Gap Band — Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)
Built around a rolling bassline, the track creates forward motion through continuous rhythmic drive. The groove pushes without resolving, maintaining tension throughout.
🗝️ Kool & the Gang — Open Sesame
Combines orchestral elements with funk rhythm. The groove moves forward through layered arrangement, using strings and horns to reinforce momentum rather than decorate it.
🎷 Kool & the Gang — Funky Stuff
A minimal, riff-based groove built on repetition and timing. The rhythm section leaves space, allowing each instrument to define the pocket.
🛝 Slave — Slide
Driven by a smooth bassline and steady drum pattern, the groove emphasizes consistency. Movement comes from subtle shifts rather than overt changes.
⚙️ B.T. Express — Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied)
A mechanical, interlocking groove where bass, guitar, and drums operate as a unified system. Repetition reinforces stability and forward motion.
🛼 Vaughan Mason & Crew — Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll
Designed for continuous movement, the groove prioritizes pulse over variation. Repetition becomes the engine that drives the track forward.
🌌 Lonnie Liston Smith — A Chance for Peace
A modal groove built on sustained chords and steady rhythm. Space and tone create motion without increasing intensity.
🎤 King Floyd — Groove Me
A stripped-down New Orleans groove that relies on feel and timing. The rhythm section maintains a relaxed pocket while staying tightly aligned.
🌿 The Meters — People Say
A syncopated groove built on interplay between bass and drums. Subtle shifts in timing create movement while preserving the core rhythm.
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