Saturday, Nov 8, 2008
Vinyl
Mojito

Monday, Nov 10, 2008
Alice Russell
Nino Moschella
The Independent

Weds-Thur, Nov 12-13
Bernie Worrell
& the Woo Warriors
Eric McFadden Trio
Ronkat's Katdelic
Boom Boom Room

Friday, Nov 14, 2008
Cut Chemist
Motion Potion
DJ Malarkey
more tba...
DNA Lounge

Friday, Nov 14, 2008
TBA
Mojito

Fri-Sat, Nov 14-15, 2008
Galactic
"Brass Tacks Tour"
feat. Shamarr Allen
& Corey Henry
Crown City Rockers
the Fillmore

Saturday, Nov 15, 2008
Stymie
& the Pimp Jones
Luv Orchestra DJ Ian D
Mojito

Friday, Nov 21, 2008
Pleasuremaker
DJ Oz
Mojito

Friday, Nov 21, 2008
the Pimps of Joytime
Boom Boom Room

Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
Kraak & Smaak
[6-piece LIVE set!]
TBA
Motion Potion
The Independent

Saturday, Nov 22, 2008
TBA
DJ Vinnie Esparza
Mojito

Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
Thanksgiving!
Ya Mama's

Saturday, Nov 29, 2008
4OneFunktion
Elbo Room

Sunday, Nov 30, 2008
the Herbaliser
[LIVE SET!]
DJ Shortkut
The Independent

What do you mean by "Third Great Art Form?" The SF Funk Festival was founded by Robbie Kowal and John Miles of Sunset Promotions in the Fall of 2001. The underpinnings of the event are based on the academic work of UC Berkeley and KPFA's "Funky Professor" Dr Rickey Vincent. In his seminal book "Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythym of the ONE" Dr. Vincent not only provides a thorough history of funk, but puts it in a societal and artistic context.

Mr. Vincent argues convincingly that like jazz and blues, the funk transcends the realm of "music genre" to become a great American artform because it encouraged stylistic shifts in other artistic avenues (like fashion, film, and fine art) as well as serving as the soundtrack of a great sociological shift, the civil rights movement.

In 2001, Robbie Kowal and John Miles, of San Francisco's independent production company Sunset Promotions, decided to put Mr Vincent's academic hypothesis into action and withthe help of funk afficionado Mike Burns, founded the SF Funk Festival. The goal would be to create a run of events that elucidated different aspects of Vincent's vision, and illuminated different branches of the funk tree. The first SF Funk Fest took place in November 2001 and featured the likes of Mandrill and a reunion of many of the original members of Sly & the Family Stone (listed as SF Funk All Stars). In 2002, SF Funk returned with a massive 3-week run that began with an unreal art show featuring the work of all of he P-Funk artists, including Pedro Bell, Overton Lloyd, Stozo the Klown, Tym Stevens and George Clinton himself. This was followed by a massive Parliament-Funkadelic show at Ruby Skye. Other artists included the Meters Zigaboo Modeliste, Walter Wolfman Washington, DJ Z-Trip, and the Sugarman 3. We even threw in 3 nights of movies, including "Shaft", "Superfly" and "Wattstax". In 2004, SFFunk included the legendary Headhunters, Grandmaster Flash, Goapele, and Martin Luther. In 2004, the Festival featured "Funk School" an allday event at the SF Art Institute featuring workshops, a breakdance demo, and a performance by New Orleans legends, Rebirth Brass Band.

For the past 3 years, Sunset has produced over 300 shows, including performances by funk icons James Brown, Dr John, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Jurassic 5, Afrika Bambaataa, and dozens of emerging artists but the SF Funk Festival itself has been on a hiatus. Now, in the Fall of 2008, the Festival is back, coinciding with the most important political season in US History; a political season which could result in the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement - racial equality at teh highest level of American Power. SF Funk will be back to celebrate that momentous event, or raise its voice in protest and outrage, if it does not manifest. Either way, we'll keep doing our best to educate you about the funk, and bring Rickey's brilliant vision into fruition. If you have questions or comments, feel free to email us at:
info AT sunsetpromotions DOT net.

• Funk: the Music, the People and the Rhythym of the One by Rickey Vincent
• Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman by Fred Wesley
• Funk: Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion
• James Brown: I Feel Good by James Brown

• Funky Good Time: The JB's Anthology
• Make It Funky: The Big Payback - James Brown
• Funk Power: James Brown
• Mandrill: Anthology
• Sly & the Family Stone's Greatest Hits
• The Meters Anthology
• Funkin on the One (Compillation)
• P-Funk Live 1976-1993 (4 Discs)
• The Breakestra - Live Mixtape
• War-Live

• George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic
• the Headhunters
• the SF Funk All Stars
• Mandrill
• Rebirth Brass Band
• Grandmaster Flash
• Z-Trip
• Goapele
• Robert Walter's 20th Congress
• Zigaboo Modeliste & the New Ahhkesstra
• DJ Greyboy
• Walter Wolfman Washington & the Roadmasters
• the Breakestra
• DJ Shortkut
• Papa Mali & Jerkuleeze
• Martin Luther
• Hairy Apes BMX
• The Spam All Stars
• The Sugarman 3
• Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes

• Leo Nocentelli
• Greg Errico

• Cynthia Robinson

• Jerry Martini

• Brian Jordan

• Gayle Muldrow

• Media Sirkas


sfFUNK.com 2003 Website

What is funk?

Funk is the most influential form of American dance music. It’s a hybrid of R&B, rock, and jazz made most popular by James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Kool & the Gang, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Prince, and Earth Wind and Fire. Since funk music’s 1970’s heyday, it has invaded nightclubs with disco, undergone a pop transformation with the Talking Heads, Prince and Madonna, and has recently morphed into today’s hottest American music, Hip Hop. Funk soundtracks colored a generation of “blacksploitation” films, and funk fashion, language, and archetypes have moved into the American mainstream. In fact, as Nike’s recent “ABA” ad campaign featuring Bootsy Collins would suggest, funk music is as influential now as it was 30 years ago, perhaps more so. Watch any string of TV commercials and you will no doubt hear either a classic funk track, or a nufunk creation. Go see any of the hot new “jambands” and you will hear the funk flowing through their grooves.

Why have a Funk Festival?

Despite the pronounced influence of the funk on American music, art, film, and culture, there has not (before the 2001 SF Funk Festival) been a major festival devoted entirely to the funk. The 2002 New Orleans “Jazz and Heritage Festival” featured among its performers, funk artists like Lenny Kravitz, Teddy Pendergrass, Dr John, Bobby Womack, Teena Marie, the Funky Meters, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Galactic, King Floyd, and Jean Knight and yet it qualified as a “Jazz Fest”. The United States is blessed with jazz, rock, bluegrass, Dixieland, Cajun, Brazillian, Latin, electronica and countless other festivals. Yet the music that got the U.S. on the dance floor and fathered both disco and hip-hop, has been largely ignored. Not only is this a good reason to HAVE a funk festival, but it’s a good reason why a funk festival will be successful.

Why San Francisco?

The Bay Area has long been petri dish of progressive music, but the immense impact of funk artists has been overlooked. In the late 1960’s San Francisco ’s Sly & the Family Stone was not only the most popular funk band in America, but the most influential American band. In the 1970’s Tower of Power and Graham Central Station scored the soundtrack for Oakland’s cultural resurgence. In the 1980’s San Francisco’s Primus helped invent “Punk Funk.” In the 1990’s the Bay Area was a hotbed of an acid jazz movement that featuring hip hop artists like Digital Underground and jazz artists like Charlie Hunter. Today, Oakland is the “hip hop capitol of the world” while San Francisco is undergoing a revival of indigenous, classic-sounding funk bands. And all the while the Bay Area is best known for Santana and the Grateful Dead, two bands who have brought the funk to new audiences.

San Franciso Funk Festival History:

The 2001 San Francisco Funk Festival attracted 3,000 people despite being less than 2 months after the 9/11 tragedies. The The Festival “theme nights” allow people to experience the many different branches of the funk tree and see how funk is the root that binds them together.