Funky Friday – Episode 90: Oaktown Funk
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Airdate: 10.23.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2
Funky Friday – Episode 90: Oaktown Funk
This week, Episode 90 of Funky Friday brings our American funk city tour to its final destination.
Oakland, California.
Welcome to Oaktown Funk.
We've traveled through Memphis, Detroit, Dayton, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles; exploring the musicians, neighborhoods, and recordings that helped shape the sound of funk.
But this week is different.
This week, we're coming home.
I grew up in Oakland, and there's something special about turning our attention toward the city where my own story began.
Because Oakland didn't just contribute to funk history.
It helped change the sound of the music.
Larry Graham grew up here, developing the bass-playing approach that would help redefine funk through his work with Sly & The Family Stone and Graham Central Station. His percussive technique became known as slap bass, influencing generations of musicians.
Tower of Power brought another unmistakable dimension to the East Bay sound; explosive horn arrangements driven by one of funk's great rhythm sections.
The Pointer Sisters, who grew up in Oakland, demonstrated just how comfortably the city's musicians could move between gospel, soul, jazz, and hard-driving funk.
But Oakland's musical story extends beyond the familiar names.
Rodger Collins celebrated the city directly with “Foxy Girls in Oakland,” while H.P. Riot represents the deeper catalog of local funk recordings waiting to be rediscovered.
And that tradition didn't disappear when the 1970s ended.
The Grease Traps, an Oakland-based band active since the early 2000s, carry the sound forward with original music recorded using vintage analog equipment. Their 2021 release “Bird of Paradise” is a reminder that Oakland funk isn't simply history.
It's still being made.
By 1990, another generation was transforming that musical inheritance.
Digital Underground brought the influence of Parliament-Funkadelic into hip-hop with “The Humpty Dance,” while MC Hammer turned Rick James's unmistakable “Super Freak” groove into the worldwide phenomenon “U Can't Touch This.”
For me, those songs are especially personal. I graduated high school in 1991, and they take me straight back to Oakland at that moment in my life.
Across the decades, the sound has changed. The instruments, production techniques, and audiences have evolved.
But the groove remains.
After ten episodes traveling through America's funk capitals, we didn't have to search for the final destination.
We came home.
I'm Noah McDonough.
Welcome to Oakland.
Welcome to Oaktown Funk.
Signal Discovery
Some bands have a signature sound.
Tower of Power has an entire horn section announcing its arrival.
This week's Signal Discovery brings us to Oakland's historic Fox Theater, where Tower of Power celebrated fifty years of funk and soul in front of a hometown audience.
And what a place to celebrate.
Founded by Emilio Castillo and Stephen “Doc” Kupka, Tower of Power helped define the East Bay sound; tight rhythms, explosive horn arrangements, and grooves that leave very little room for standing still.
But watching them perform reveals something the recordings alone can't quite capture.
The coordination.
The precision.
The sheer number of musicians working together to make those arrangements hit exactly where they should.
And after five decades, they're still bringing that energy to the stage.
For our final stop on the American funk city tour, I can't imagine a more fitting discovery than an Oakland band celebrating its legacy in one of Oakland's most recognizable theaters.
Fifty years of funk. Right back where it belongs.
Funky Friday – Episode 90: Oaktown Funk
🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES
Funky Friday Episode 90: Oaktown Funk | Setlist
Sly & The Family Stone: “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
Personnel: Sly Stone, lead vocals, keyboards and producer; Larry Graham, bass and vocals; Freddie Stone, guitar and vocals; Rose Stone, keyboards and vocals; Cynthia Robinson, trumpet; Jerry Martini, saxophone; Greg Errico, drums. Written by Sly Stone. Originally released as a single in 1969; subsequently included on Greatest Hits (1970).
Renegade Note: We open our Oakland homecoming with a bass line that helped change the course of funk. Larry Graham, who grew up in Oakland, developed a percussive playing style that brought the electric bass into the spotlight. Listen to the way the bass drives the rhythm while the guitar, horns and voices build around it. Sly & The Family Stone were a Bay Area band rather than an exclusively Oakland group, but Graham gives this recording a meaningful connection to the city. It's a fitting place to begin an episode about Oakland's influence on American funk.
Rodger Collins: “Foxy Girls in Oakland”
Personnel: Rodger Collins, lead vocals. Released on Galaxy Records in 1970. Detailed session personnel and songwriting credits require confirmation against the original release.
Renegade Note: Here's a record that puts Oakland right in the title. Rodger Collins takes us into the city itself, celebrating its women and referencing East 14th Street, a familiar Oakland thoroughfare. The groove has the raw, direct energy of a local soul record made to get people moving. It's also a reminder that the city's musical identity wasn't built entirely by internationally famous bands. Local performers, independent labels and regional hits helped give Oakland its own soundtrack. Sometimes the most revealing discoveries are the records that never became household names.
The Pointer Sisters: “Yes We Can Can”
Personnel: The Pointer Sisters, Anita, Bonnie, June and Ruth Pointer, vocals; Allen Toussaint, songwriter; David Rubinson, producer. Original album The Pointer Sisters, released in 1973.
Renegade Note: The Pointer Sisters grew up in Oakland, where their musical foundation included gospel and the rich variety of sounds surrounding them. “Yes We Can Can,” written by Allen Toussaint, gave the group an early breakthrough with a message of cooperation carried by an irresistible rhythm. Listen to how the sisters trade phrases and blend their voices without losing the individual personalities that make the performance work. Their ability to move between musical styles would become one of their defining strengths, but there's plenty of funk in this early recording.
Tower of Power: “What Is Hip?”
Personnel: Lenny Williams, lead vocals; Emilio Castillo, tenor saxophone; Stephen “Doc” Kupka, baritone saxophone; David Garibaldi, drums; Francis Rocco Prestia, bass. Written by Emilio Castillo, Stephen Kupka and David Garibaldi. Original album Tower of Power, released in 1973.
Renegade Note: If Oakland funk has a signature horn sound, Tower of Power helped establish it. “What Is Hip?” puts the band's precision on full display, with the horns delivering sharp, tightly arranged phrases over a rhythm section that never stops working. Pay particular attention to David Garibaldi's drumming and Rocco Prestia's bass; their interlocking parts give the music a remarkable sense of motion. The arrangement is busy without becoming cluttered, and Lenny Williams delivers the question at its center with just the right attitude. More than fifty years later, it still sounds remarkably fresh.
Graham Central Station: “Hair”
Personnel: Larry Graham, bass and vocals; Graham Central Station, performing ensemble. Written by Larry Graham. Original album Graham Central Station, released in 1974.
Renegade Note: Larry Graham returns, this time leading his own band. After helping establish the sound of Sly & The Family Stone, Graham placed his bass playing at the center of Graham Central Station's musical identity. “Hair” combines a playful vocal concept with an aggressive groove that leaves little doubt about who's driving the rhythm. Listen to the bass as both a rhythmic and melodic instrument, pushing the song forward while answering the surrounding voices and instruments. It's a chance to hear Graham's influence continuing beyond the band that first brought him international attention.
Tower of Power: “Soul Vaccination”
Personnel: Lenny Williams, lead vocals; Emilio Castillo, tenor saxophone; Stephen “Doc” Kupka, baritone saxophone; David Garibaldi, drums; Francis Rocco Prestia, bass. Written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen Kupka. Original album Tower of Power, released in 1973.
Renegade Note: We return to Tower of Power for another dose of the East Bay sound. Where “What Is Hip?” makes its point through a tightly controlled rhythmic attack, “Soul Vaccination” gives the entire ensemble room to demonstrate its personality. The horns hit with authority, the rhythm section keeps shifting beneath them, and Lenny Williams brings a powerful vocal presence. Listen to how the musicians move together through the arrangement; those changes require precision, but the result never feels mechanical. It's the sound of a working band whose members know exactly how to play off one another.
The Pointer Sisters: “How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on the Side)”
Personnel: The Pointer Sisters, Anita, Bonnie, June and Ruth Pointer, vocals; David Rubinson, producer. Written by Anita Pointer, Bonnie Pointer and David Rubinson. Original album Steppin', released in 1975.
Renegade Note: The Pointer Sisters return with a considerably tougher groove. “How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on the Side)” moves away from the more relaxed feel of “Yes We Can Can” and into a sharper, more confrontational rhythm. The sisters' harmonies remain central, but the arrangement gives them a harder foundation to work against. Listen to the interplay between the vocal lines and the instrumental accents; the tension between them is part of what makes the record so compelling. It's another example of the musical range these Oakland sisters brought to their early albums.
H.P. Riot: “I Have Changed”
Personnel: H.P. Riot, Oakland-associated funk and soul ensemble. Released during the group's 1970s recording period; commonly associated with 1974. Individual personnel, songwriting credits and original release details require verification.
Renegade Note: Not every important funk record became a national hit. H.P. Riot takes us into the deeper reaches of Oakland's 1970s soul and funk scene, where independent recordings captured the energy of musicians working outside the major-label spotlight. “I Have Changed” offers a different texture from the polished horn arrangements of Tower of Power, with a groove that rewards close listening. Records like this are part of what makes a city-by-city musical journey worthwhile. The familiar names tell one part of the story; the discoveries help fill in everything happening around them.
The Grease Traps: “Bird of Paradise”
Personnel: The Grease Traps, Oakland-based funk and soul ensemble; The Gata, lead vocals; Aaron Julin, keyboards; Kevin O'Dea, guitar. Recorded in sessions at Transistor Sound in San Francisco and Fifty Filth Studio in Oakland; album mixing contributors included Sergio Rios and Kevin O'Dea. Original album Solid Ground, released on Record Kicks in 2021.
Renegade Note: Here's proof that Oakland's funk story didn't end in the 1970s. The Grease Traps have been active since the early 2000s, drawing inspiration from deep funk, soul and the analog recordings that shaped their musical tastes. “Bird of Paradise” brings that approach into the present with an original groove that fits comfortably alongside the classics. The album was recorded directly to eight-track tape using a Tascam 388, with some sessions taking place at the band's Oakland rehearsal and recording space. Listen to the raw character of the instruments and the way the ensemble locks together. This isn't simply a tribute to an earlier era; it's Oakland musicians continuing the tradition.
Digital Underground: “The Humpty Dance”
Personnel: Shock G (Gregory Jacobs), vocals, songwriter and producer; Digital Underground, performing group. Original album Sex Packets, released in 1990.
Renegade Note: By 1990, funk had found another life through hip-hop, and Digital Underground knew exactly where to find the inspiration. Led by Shock G, the Oakland-associated group drew heavily from the musical imagination of Parliament-Funkadelic, combining eccentric characters, humor and deep grooves into something unmistakably their own. “The Humpty Dance” introduced Humpty Hump to a huge audience, with a rhythm that practically demands movement. Listen to how the production uses funk's rhythmic language in a completely different setting. The instruments and presentation may have changed, but the musical DNA remains easy to recognize.
MC Hammer: “U Can't Touch This”
Personnel: MC Hammer, lead vocals; Rick James and Alonzo Miller, credited songwriters alongside Hammer, reflecting the use of “Super Freak.” Original album Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, released in 1990.
Renegade Note: We close our Oakland homecoming, and our entire American funk city tour, with one of the biggest records of 1990. Oakland's MC Hammer built “U Can't Touch This” around the unmistakable groove of Rick James's “Super Freak,” introducing that bass line to an enormous new audience. The record became a worldwide phenomenon, accompanied by dancing, fashion and a larger-than-life performance style that made Hammer impossible to ignore. For those of us growing up in Oakland at the time, it was part of the soundtrack of everyday life. And after traveling through the cities that helped create funk, there's something fitting about ending with an Oakland artist who carried that sound around the world.
🔗 Quick Links:
🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here
🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here
📆 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
Funky Friday Episode 90: Oaktown Funk
Funk Facts
SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Built around Larry Graham's electric bass, drums, rhythmic guitar, keyboards, horns, and layered vocals. “Thank You” offers one of funk's defining examples of percussive bass playing. Listen to how Graham uses sharp, snapping attacks and low, thumb-driven notes to make the bass function almost like an additional drum. Instead of simply outlining the harmony, the instrument establishes much of the song's rhythmic identity. The guitar and drums leave room for those accents, while the vocal phrases reinforce the repeating groove. Try following the bass through an entire verse. Its combination of pitch and percussion demonstrates why Graham's playing became so influential.
RODGER COLLINS: Foxy Girls in Oakland
Built around electric bass, drums, rhythmic guitar, horns, and Rodger Collins's lead vocals. “Foxy Girls in Oakland” captures the direct, dance-oriented character of early-1970s funk and soul. Listen to how the rhythm section establishes a repeating foundation while the horns punctuate Collins's vocal phrases. The arrangement doesn't need elaborate instrumental passages to maintain momentum; much of its energy comes from the interaction between the singer and the band. Notice the placement of the horn accents and how they reinforce the rhythm without overwhelming the vocal. The result is a groove that feels immediate, energetic, and firmly connected to the dance floor.
THE POINTER SISTERS: Yes We Can Can
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, and the Pointer Sisters' layered vocals. “Yes We Can Can” demonstrates how vocal arrangement can become an essential part of a funk groove. Listen to the way the sisters alternate between individual phrases and closely blended harmonies. Their voices create rhythmic accents that work alongside the instruments rather than simply floating above them. The rhythm section maintains a relaxed, steady pulse, allowing the vocal exchanges to provide much of the movement. Follow the transitions between lead and group singing; each change adds a new texture while preserving the song's easygoing momentum.
TOWER OF POWER: What Is Hip?
Built around electric bass, drums, rhythmic guitar, keyboards, a powerful horn section, and Lenny Williams's lead vocals. “What Is Hip?” is a masterclass in rhythmic precision. Listen to the relationship between David Garibaldi's drums and Rocco Prestia's bass. The two instruments create a tightly interlocking foundation filled with syncopated accents and carefully placed spaces. Above them, the horns deliver short, forceful phrases that frequently land together with the rhythm section. Try concentrating on the drums during the opening passage, then shift your attention to the bass. The individual patterns are complex, but their combination creates a remarkably unified groove.
GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION: Hair
Built around Larry Graham's electric bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, and group vocals. “Hair” places the bass at the center of the arrangement, using its percussive attack as both a rhythmic foundation and a featured musical voice. Listen to the contrast between the low notes and the sharper accents that cut through the mix. Graham's playing adds movement even when the underlying beat remains steady. The vocals contribute another rhythmic element, with repeated phrases and group responses reinforcing the groove. Follow the bass during the transitions between sections; its changes help signal where the arrangement is going without sacrificing the song's driving pulse.
TOWER OF POWER: Soul Vaccination
Built around electric bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, horns, and Lenny Williams's lead vocals. “Soul Vaccination” demonstrates how a large ensemble can create excitement through coordinated rhythmic accents. Listen to the horn section as a single musical unit, then notice how its phrases connect with the drums and bass. The arrangement frequently shifts between sustained vocal passages and sharp instrumental responses. Those changes create tension and release without interrupting the underlying groove. Pay attention to the moments when several instruments strike together; their precision gives the performance much of its impact. It's an excellent example of how arrangement and rhythm can make an already powerful band sound even bigger.
THE POINTER SISTERS: How Long (Betcha' Got a Chick on the Side)
Built around a prominent electric bass line, drums, rhythmic guitar, keyboards, percussion, and the Pointer Sisters' lead and backing vocals. “How Long” moves into a harder, more insistent funk groove than our earlier Pointer Sisters selection. Listen to the repeating bass figure and the way the drums reinforce its accents. The sisters' vocal delivery introduces another layer of tension, shifting between direct lead phrases and group responses. Notice how the arrangement maintains its rhythmic intensity without requiring constant instrumental changes. The repetition gives the vocal performance room to develop, while the interplay between the singers adds personality and movement.
H.P. RIOT: I Have Changed
Built around a rhythm section of electric bass, drums, and guitar, with vocals and additional instrumental textures. “I Have Changed” brings us into a rawer corner of Oakland's 1970s funk and soul sound. Listen to how the repeating instrumental figures support the vocal performance. Rather than relying on a large, highly polished arrangement, the groove draws much of its character from the way the individual parts interact. Pay attention to the bass and drums as the song develops, then notice the instrumental accents surrounding the vocal phrases. This is a useful reminder that funk's rhythmic power doesn't depend on elaborate production; a committed ensemble and a compelling groove can do plenty of work.
THE GREASE TRAPS: Bird of Paradise
Built around electric bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, and lead vocals, with the gritty ensemble sound associated with the band's deep-funk approach. “Bird of Paradise” demonstrates how contemporary musicians can work within the rhythmic language of classic funk while creating something original. The recording comes from Solid Ground, an album made using a Tascam 388 eight-track tape machine. Listen to the relationship between the rhythm instruments and the character of the recorded sound. The arrangement emphasizes the interaction of musicians playing together rather than an excessively layered production. Follow the guitar and bass as they establish the groove, then notice how the other parts build around that foundation. It's a contemporary Oakland recording with a strong connection to funk's analog tradition.
DIGITAL UNDERGROUND: The Humpty Dance
Built around a sampled drum groove, prominent bass figure, repeating instrumental loops, and Shock G's character-driven vocals as Humpty Hump. “The Humpty Dance” demonstrates how hip-hop producers could construct a new musical identity from the rhythmic language of earlier funk recordings. Listen to the consistency of the underlying loop and the way the vocal performance supplies variation above it. Rather than relying on a live band changing arrangements from section to section, the production uses repetition as its foundation. The shifting vocal rhythms, humorous delivery, and carefully placed accents keep that repeating pattern engaging. It's a useful example of how funk's emphasis on groove carried naturally into sample-based hip-hop.
MC HAMMER: U Can't Touch This
Built around the sampled bass and instrumental groove from Rick James's “Super Freak,” programmed rhythmic elements, and MC Hammer's lead vocals. “U Can't Touch This” demonstrates how a recognizable funk recording can become the foundation for an entirely different performance. Listen to the familiar bass figure and rhythmic guitar accents, then notice how Hammer's vocal phrasing changes the character of the music. The production preserves the original groove's immediate appeal while creating new hooks through repetition, rhythmic delivery, and the famous “Hammer time” interruptions. Those pauses are particularly effective; briefly withholding the expected rhythm makes its return feel even stronger. It's a fitting conclusion to our city tour, showing how funk's musical ideas continued reaching new audiences through hip-hop.
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