The Impossibility of All Funk Radio Show
A Vegas-style show overflowing with talented, charismatic musicians
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. That’s how it is. Any other way is an impossibility. And yet, if you told me All Funk Radio Show was on the case to make the sun rise in the west tomorrow, you’d find me outside at dawn staring toward New Mexico, waiting for the sunrise, because All Funk Radio Show doesn’t believe in impossible.
I interviewed Thad Jackson, founder and bassist for All Funk Radio Show (and former P-Funk All-Star) before their Wichita Falls concert and he gave me the lowdown on the group and their background, and I’d encourage you to check that out if you haven’t already.
Their show at Bud Daniel Park was to include funk and Motown and R&B and soul, but I had never seen AFR before and didn’t know what to expect. It seemed like an impossibly tall order to combine a three-piece horn section, a full band, four singers, and put on a Vegas/Broadway style show on one small outdoor stage
I was wrong. All Funk Radio Show made everything possible. When one member of the band got delayed in traffic, the band members came down from the stage and mingled for awhile, then went onstage and jammed a little bit and got some butts moving out in the sizable crowd. When the lights on the band shell refused to come on, the band played on under less-than-ideal fluorescent lighting. Nothing would stop All Funk Radio Show from putting on the show they came to play.
Right from the jump, All Funk Radio Show came out with the funk — a move that emphasized their incredible rhythm section, Thad Jackson on bass and Darius “D-Train” Wiley on drums — and they locked into a groove that you couldn’t not move to. It was impossible. And it was a great way to start the show.
Then, enter the ladies.
The harmonies from AFRs three female vocalists were flawless. I didn’t hear an errant note all night. Impossibly good. Also, from a photographer’s perspective, impossible not to just fall in love with Micki Sweet. Not only is she incredibly talented, she’s beautiful and the camera loves her. I told Thad after the show, onstage she looks and sounds like she should be singing to a huge festival audience somewhere.
Jennifer Leary is the vocals section leader for All Funk Radio Show and the diva in the best sense of the word. I heard her hitting notes all night that sent a little shiver down my back.
The other female voice in AFR is Monica Jones who can belt it like nobody’s business, and harmonizes beautifully. I promised her before the show I would make her look great and as it turns out, I didn’t have to do anything at all. Monica is amazing.
The ladies of AFR were equally as mesmerizing in their performance of Martha & the Vandellas “Dancing in the Street” (complete with 1965 doo wop moves) as they were performing contemporary tracks like Queen Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair.”
Of course, no true funk, r&b and soul extravaganza would be complete without a male voice to round out the sound and carry the production to another level.
All Funk Radio’s male soul is provided by vocalist Jus Epik, whom we talked about last time. His real name is Eric Jordan from Shreveport, Louisiana, and as good as his recorded material is, I was wowed by his live performance. You like to think of the women as the powerhouses in a group like this, but Jus Epik provides that powerful male bellow of Teddy Pendergrass and the soaring sincerity of Luther Vandross at just the right moments.
The show evolved as the night went on, from a concert in the park, to a party. Dancers came to life and populated the lawn, moving along to a group that works like clockwork.
I am certain, anything unexpected could happen and AFR would keep right on playing. Every musician knows exactly what the other is doing, and they’re all accomplished enough to flip on a dime and go another direction. It seems impossible to be so good.
I have so many photos and so much to say about All Funk Radio Show that I couldn’t possibly say it all in one story. The killer horn section, the cool keyboard sound, and that incessant, unstoppable groove.
It was a large crowd — the best attended show I’ve seen this summer — and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s a family-friendly show with crowd interaction, and if you’re a pure music lover, these entertainers will astound you. To walk away from this show and say you had not been entertained is an impossibility.
Follow theFUSE on Instagram, where I’ll be posting tons more photos from All Funk Radio Show.
All Funk Radio Show is:
Vocals: Jennifer Leary
Vocals: Jus Epik
Vocals: Monica Jones
Vocals: Micki Sweet
Guitar: Wayne Blue
Bass: Thad Jackson
Drums: Darius “D-Train” Wiley
Keyboard and Musical Director: Robert Murray
Trumpet: Derrick Sasser
Trombone: John Barber
Sax: Jamada Holoman
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All photos by the author, © FallstownFUSE.com
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