After almost a full-year absence, Detroit Funk Night (also known as Motor City Funk Night) returns to the Majestic Theatre November 1. The event will be hosted by the “Original Funk Night DJ” Frank Raines, Will Sessions, and funk veteran frontman Rickey Calloway.
Funk Night, once famous for its secret locations, “bring your own beer,” and “no rules apply” mantra, has relocated for the security and safety of its attendants. Past performances housed in warehouses gained a reputation for being broken up by city police. One such raid resulted in 44 impounded vehicles and 130 loitering tickets. Officers targeted the event’s hosts for allegedly making alcohol sales after 2:00 a.m. Thousands of Detroit music listeners attended each guerrilla performance monthly.
What began as a small gathering in a local bar has evolved into a five dollar mega show. Detroit hip-hop artists such as Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Nick Speed, Black Milk, and Danny Brown have participated in the event during its ten-year span of Friday nights — historically held on the “last Friday of every month.”
Past collaborators have been accompanied by Will Sessions, Detroit’s horn-wielding, gold standard of funk, to execute a three-hour performance of constant improvisation. The event’s colorfully designed promotional flyers often highlight the performance ending after 4:30 a.m.
While many critics of the new Majestic-housed Funk Night make comparisons to past guerrilla-style shows, most agree that the reliability and quality of performances have improved since its highly debated move from the underground toward legitimacy.
Watch a portion of Danny Brown’s October 30, 2009 performance below:
Will Sessions (headed by Sam Beaubien) have performed alongside DJ Frank Raines for the majority of Funk Night’s performances. Rickey Calloway, a 60-year-old Jacksonville, FL native (popular for his cult classic recording “Tell Me”), has appeared at several shows in Detroit — many times in a red suit and matching cape bearing his name. Calloway supplies the flair and attitude of the original funk generation, while Will Sessions bridge familiar funk instrumentation with contemporary methods.
This month’s Motor City Funk Night returns on November 1 with the power of the Halloween season. Costumes are recommended.