From Dayton with Funk: Brightside event revives city’s legendary sound

Portions of the PBS documentary “WE WANT THE FUNK!,” directed and produced by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London, will be screened, taking viewers on a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness. Featuring James Brown, George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, Labelle, and Fela Kuti, the story also traces funk’s influences on both new wave and hip-hop — including its roots in the Gem City.

“WE WANT THE FUNK!” will also be screening as part of the Yellow Springs Film Festival in October.

Proceeds from the event benefit ThinkTV, CET, and the Yellow Springs Film Festival, powering public media and arts in our region.

“We were looking at doing an event that brought the community together, because Dayton is the city of funk,” said Rodney Veal, host of ThinkTV’s “The Art Show” and co-organizer of From Dayton with Funk. He’s also the newest television producer at the local PBS station. “We’ve got a strong music scene, with the Brightside being a great facility that always supports and advocates for new music.”

As a Dayton native, Veal, “a man of a certain age,” grew up immersed in funk music. He was raised on the Dayton music scene, and has a deep multidisciplinary arts background.

“It’s in my DNA, it’s in my blood. It was the soundtrack of my life, particularly funk,” he said. “My entire life has been devoted to this notion of art and culture, and this region is rich. We’re not going to run out of any sort of creativity and artistry. So, let’s bring the two together around funk music. Why not throw a party around that?”

The event also bridges generations, pairing the music of funk veterans with up-and-coming artists. Of the three acts performing, Freakquency (high energy funk fusion) is the closest to that original wave of Dayton funk bands. Reggae’s Luv Locz Experiment and neo soul’s MelinaMarie will also be putting their spin on funk classics, while bringing their own catalogs to the table. But with Dayton’s rich music history, there is a continuous stream from its roots to the bands performing now.

MelinaMarie grew up listening to ‘70s music, like Chaka Khan and Earth, Wind & Fire.

“I’ve always been surrounded by it, always heard it and loved it,” she said. “It makes you dance, makes you get up, makes you make a stink face.”

Some may brand MelinaMarie as an R&B singer, but she views herself as a neo soul artist, combining jazz with soul to feel what she calls “the girth in the music,” that magic and sound. She’s versatile, with an ability to fuse genres, feeding into how funk shaped her, musically, despite not identifying specifically as a funk artist. Her inclusion into From Dayton with Funk speaks to the genre’s overwhelming influence.

“I really appreciate what’s happening in the city right now, because I feel like people are appreciating real musical talent, real artists that have such a gift,” MelinaMarie said. “I’m happy to be in the scene as this is evolving.”

As the next generation of Dayton musicians take the stage, they simultaneously pay tribute to the past while showcasing what it is they uniquely do, too.

With PBS facing significant financial impacts from a defunding effort led by the Trump administration, an event like From Dayton with Funk is a way to reconnect with and support Dayton’s local PBS station, ThinkTV.

“I believe in community. I believe in service. I believe in the arts,” Veal said. “We’re not down and out. We just want to say, Hey, we’re still here. We’re undefeated. And we’re still going to produce great content and connect and engage with the community.”

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