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Funky Friday – Episode 70: The Drive home

Updated: 2 days ago

🎧 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

• 9 PM KCSM HD2


🎶 Catch the Replay → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here


Airdate: 6.5.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2


Happy Funky Friday, Renegades of Funk!


Funky Friday – Episode 70: The Drive Home


This episode wasn't supposed to exist.


At least not this way.


A few days ago I started talking with my friend after his father passed away unexpectedly. At first we were trying to figure out what songs belonged in a tribute show. That seemed straightforward enough.

Then the stories started showing up.


One song led to a story about a family road trip to Florida. Another led to a story about Rod taking his lady to a Supertramp concert and deciding the tickets cost too much. Instead of going inside, they sat in the parking lot listening to Fool's Overture.


The funny part is that decades later nobody remembers the ticket price.


Everybody remembers the parking lot.


Then there was the Missy Elliott phase that apparently existed. The fishing trips. Waking the kids up with music. The Sinatra connection that goes back another generation. At some point I realized we weren't building a playlist anymore.


We were walking around somebody's life.


The golf theme showed up somewhere in the middle of all this. Rod loved golf. That's where the episode title came from.


The Drive Home.


If you've ever played golf, you know the round doesn't end on the eighteenth green. It ends in the parking lot. Clubs in the trunk. Heading home. Talking about the shots you made, the ones you missed, and the stories that somehow become better every time they're told.


So this week's Funky Friday bends the format a little.


Some of these songs aren't funk songs.


Some of them aren't even close.


They're here because they belonged to Rod.


And somewhere between Garth Brooks, Supertramp, Missy Elliott, Sinatra, fishing trips, golf stories, and a parking lot date that cost less than two concert tickets, you start getting a picture of a guy you may not have been lucky enough to meet.


Episode 70 is for Rod.


Funky Friday – Episode 70: The Drive Home


🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES


GARTH BROOKS — FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (1990)

PERSONNEL: Garth Brooks (vocals), Bruce Bouton (steel guitar), Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar), Mike Chapman (bass), Milton Sledge (drums).

RENEGADE NOTE: One of the biggest country hits of the 1990s, Friends in Low Places became a sing-along anthem across America.


EARTH, WIND & FIRE — SHINING STAR (1975)

PERSONNEL: Maurice White (vocals, percussion), Philip Bailey (vocals), Verdine White (bass), Al McKay (guitar), Ralph Johnson (drums, percussion).

RENEGADE NOTE: Earth, Wind & Fire's first No. 1 hit fused funk, soul, and optimism into a message that still resonates fifty years later. The song reminds us that every person leaves a mark on the people around them.


CHUCK MANGIONE — FEELS SO GOOD (1977)

PERSONNEL: Chuck Mangione (flugelhorn), Chris Vadala (woodwinds), Grant Geissman (guitar), Charles Meeks (bass), James Bradley Jr. (drums).

RENEGADE NOTE: One of the most recognizable instrumental recordings ever released, Feels So Good helped bring jazz into the mainstream. Its relaxed warmth feels like sunshine, open fairways, and a good afternoon with friends.


SUPERTRAMP — FOOL'S OVERTURE (1977)

PERSONNEL: Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards), Rick Davies (keyboards, vocals), John Helliwell (saxophone), Dougie Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (drums).

RENEGADE NOTE: A sweeping progressive rock composition incorporating excerpts from Winston Churchill speeches, Fool's Overture remains one of Supertramp's most ambitious recordings.


GEORGE BENSON — BREEZIN' (1976)

PERSONNEL: George Benson (guitar), Ronnie Foster (keyboards), Phil Upchurch (rhythm guitar), Stanley Banks (bass), Harvey Mason (drums).

RENEGADE NOTE: Produced by Tommy LiPuma, Breezin' became one of the defining recordings of the smooth-jazz era. Effortless and unhurried, it sounds like exactly what its title suggests.


MISSY ELLIOTT — WORK IT (2002)

PERSONNEL: Missy Elliott (vocals), Timbaland (production, programming), Steve "Static" Garrett (background vocals).

RENEGADE NOTE: One of the most inventive hip-hop records of its era, Work It showcased Missy Elliott's creativity and humor.


REEL 2 REAL FEATURING THE MAD STUNTMAN — I LIKE TO MOVE IT (1994)

PERSONNEL: Erick Morillo (production), Mark Quashie "The Mad Stuntman" (vocals).

RENEGADE NOTE: Long before it became associated with animated movies, I Like to Move It was a global dance-floor phenomenon.


NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND — FISHIN' IN THE DARK (1987)

PERSONNEL: Jimmy Ibbotson (vocals, guitar), Jeff Hanna (guitar, vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica), Bob Carpenter (keyboards), Steve Thomas (bass).

RENEGADE NOTE: A country classic built around simple pleasures and time spent outdoors. the song immediately brings back memories of fishing trips and time spent together.


LEBO M — HE LIVES IN YOU (1997)

PERSONNEL: Lebo M (vocals), Hans Zimmer (composition), The Lion King ensemble choir and musicians.

RENEGADE NOTE: Originally developed from themes created for The Lion King, He Lives in You explores legacy, family, and the idea that those who came before us continue through future generations.


The COMMODORES — NIGHTSHIFT (1985)

PERSONNEL: Walter Orange (vocals), J.D. Nicholas (vocals), William King (keyboards), Ronald LaPread (bass), Milan Williams (keyboards).

RENEGADE NOTE: Written as a tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, Nightshift stands among the most moving memorial recordings ever released. Reflection, gratitude, and remembrance all ride in the same groove.


FRANK SINATRA — MY WAY (1969)

PERSONNEL: Frank Sinatra (vocals), Don Costa (arrangement and orchestra).

RENEGADE NOTE: Few songs have become as closely associated with a life story as My Way. it serves as the final walk off the course -- a closing statement for a man remembered through the stories, music, and people he left behind.



🔗 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

• 9 PM KCSM HD2


🎶 Catch the Replay → Here

📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here

📂 Renegade Radio Site → Here



Funk Facts


GARTH BROOKS — FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

Built around straightforward country instrumentation, conversational vocal delivery, and highly participatory audience phrasing. The arrangement prioritizes accessibility and communal singing over technical complexity, helping transform the recording into one of country music's most recognizable crowd anthems.


EARTH, WIND & FIRE — SHINING STAR

Constructed from tightly synchronized horn figures, layered vocal harmonies, syncopated bass movement, and rhythmic precision. The arrangement balances optimism and groove while demonstrating the band's ability to merge funk, soul, and pop into a unified musical language.


CHUCK MANGIONE — FEELS SO GOOD

Built around lyrical flugelhorn melodies, fluid rhythm section interplay, and spacious harmonic movement. The recording introduced jazz instrumental music to mainstream audiences through its balance of sophistication, accessibility, and memorable melodic structure.


SUPERTRAMP — FOOL'S OVERTURE

Constructed as a multi-sectional progressive composition combining orchestral textures, synthesizers, piano, archival speech excerpts, and shifting dynamic contrasts. The arrangement expands beyond traditional song structure to create a cinematic listening experience.


GEORGE BENSON — BREEZIN'

Driven by clean melodic guitar phrasing, relaxed rhythmic pacing, and understated ensemble interaction. The arrangement prioritizes feel, tonal clarity, and melodic development while helping define the emerging smooth-jazz format.


MISSY ELLIOTT — WORK IT

Built around unconventional rhythmic structure, manipulated vocal phrases, sparse harmonic content, and highly inventive production. Timbaland's programming and Missy Elliott's vocal performance create forward momentum through rhythmic experimentation rather than traditional melodic development.


REEL 2 REAL FEATURING THE MAD STUNTMAN — I LIKE TO MOVE IT

Constructed from repetitive rhythmic hooks, dance-oriented percussion, simple harmonic movement, and highly energetic vocal delivery. The arrangement emphasizes physical movement and audience participation through direct rhythmic communication.


NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND — FISHIN' IN THE DARK

Built around acoustic instrumentation, steady rhythmic pulse, and accessible melodic structure. The arrangement balances country storytelling traditions with strong sing-along characteristics and relaxed ensemble performance.


LEBO M — HE LIVES IN YOU

Constructed from layered choral textures, African vocal traditions, orchestral accompaniment, and gradual dynamic expansion. The arrangement creates emotional scale through ensemble voices and thematic repetition rather than instrumental complexity.


The COMMODORES — NIGHTSHIFT

Driven by steady mid-tempo groove, layered vocal harmonies, restrained instrumentation, and gradual emotional development. The arrangement allows space for reflection while maintaining rhythmic consistency throughout the performance.


FRANK SINATRA — MY WAY

Built around orchestral accompaniment, dramatic dynamic progression, and highly controlled vocal phrasing. The arrangement steadily increases in intensity, allowing narrative delivery and emotional interpretation to remain the central focus of the recording.

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