An Ode to The Phoenix Funkeros - Los Funkeros EST 4-20-2018

I will try to keep this from becoming a book, but if you know me, you know how much I love storytelling. Especially when it involves some of my favorite people. 5 Years ago the Earth shifted a little to the Left and a few like minds were brought together, they were brought together by a mutual love of music. And music on vinyl to be more specific. Vinyl has a special sound. The crackle, the sound, the nostalgia and the beauty, this is the reason to keep it alive. Combining forces ( just like Voltron) were a group of dudes with a passion for music and a need to share it with others and they wanted to keep it "old school" by spinning all vinyl. Things started in small places and unlikely places. There were 3, then 4, then 3 again. Some went their own way, some chose a different way or chose a new area code. All in all, everyone ended up where they needed to be. And now, the crew is resting at 3, with some friends sprinkled in the mix for added flavor. I am here to tell you a little story of The Phoenix Funkeros, known lovingly as Los Funkeros. The Phoenix Funkeros Boogie Crew consists of not only the DJ's but also of the Funk Familia that stands beside them cheering them on, rocking the gear, listening in to live shows, shouting out their names from the rooftops (or maybe that is just what I do) and spreading the love of Funk/Boogie Music and more! Over the past 5 years we have witnessed some monumental events and tons of little ones too that just make this crew so special. I have photographed alot of their things along the way, I tend to take a million pics. And I want to capture as many moments as possible. They have participated in everything from Backyard Boogies to Cruise Nights on Grand Ave, Birthday parties, EPIC Toy Shows, BBoy battles, Graffiti Art Shows, Crates Record store, KDIF Radio, Car shows, Christmas parades, Festivals, Local business grand openings, Local business anniversaries and just hanging out at the house. They have traveled to OC, California to participate as guest DJ's with the Legendary Funk Freaks for their 10 year and 13year Anniversary events. They have traveled to Tucson to spin at some great Car Club events and local bars for Friday night fun! They also have been a part of a Monthly radio show broadcast out of California, called Funk Mondays. We always have some way to listen to these dudes, thank goodness! The Funkeros have brought so much joy to so many and have touched the souls of so many people. There is no such thing as a bad day when you hear them spin. They really bring smiles, laughter and good vibes everywhere they go. Over the years, a family was formed. Bonded by music. We have been blessed with seeing some amazing DJ's play with these guys and it is the coolest thing ever. I especially love when they have women guest DJ's because it shows how great these guys are. The first highlighted member is Tony aka FunkMachine, who happens to own one of the baddest 1962 Chevy Impalas that I have seen. He is a family man and an all around cool guy. He always looks serious. He has a big heart with a quick wit and a contagious laugh, he always is quick with the jokes, finds the best memes and makes a great travel companion because he knows how to find the nearest gas station and how to find the best street tacos! He spins the stuff you can never find, that hard to find funky stuff that you haven't heard since you were rolling skating on a Saturday morning in 1985! Also, he has a vast knowledge of West Coast Rap/Hip Hop. On Wednesdays he hosts a live show on Mixlr spinning all rap/ hip hop from the West Coast. This makes my Cali born heart happy and gets me to sit low to the left side with one hand on the wheel on my commute home. No one can finish a live set like FunkMachine, he is, well, a Machine. The next highlighted member is James aka StarGroove, who happens to be a Toy dealer and a big Mr T collector. He is a groovy kind of dude. He always has a smile on his face which kinda has the same effect as a yawn in a crowded room, you can't not smile when he smiles. He has a big heart, treats everyone with kindness and makes a great bodyguard/bouncer if you happen to run a vintage clothing shop next door to a certain toy store that he is a partner of. He spins stuff that blends so well together you don't even realize that he just played a Cure song from 1983 and transitioned it flawlessly into a Parliament Funkadelic song, so your heads spins like the vinyl on the turntable but your feet and hips have to move. He also has a vast knowledge of all music genres. It is very hard to catch him off guard with music knowledge, and never test his Transformers knowledge! On Mondays he hosts a live show on Mixlr spinning everything from Funk to Boogie to Oldies and 80's synth pop with some Prince sprinkled in for good measure. He has brought joy to Monday mornings as most people don't look forward to a Monday morning. He is the grooviest guy around! The final highlighted member is, Gabe aka Gabe. This guy is so smooth that his name is his aka name. Gabe is like the cool dude in the corner of the party with the dark shades on who speaks to everyone with his music. A man of little words, he throws vinyl down on the turntable like I do words on a page. He is a family man as well. He has a way with music that just flows so smooth that it puts you in a comfortable space that makes you either bob your head, snap your fingers or get your groove on. He has a vast collection of some of the best reggae and oldies that I have ever seen in one place. He brings the heat, sometimes we need a fire extinguisher. I look forward to listening to his sets each event that I go to. Looking forward to more to come with this guy...hoping he will host a live show too that we can all follow and get into to. Stay tuned..... I have to say that because of this group of guys, we have all been treated to seeing some of the best guest DJ's to many of their shows. They have hosted good friends, new friends, big names in music, small names in music and local legends as well. I can say that I am truly grateful to have been a part of this movement of Funk. The movement is growing each day. I wanted to shout out these guys for their 5 year anniversary. Cheers to you all! Wishing you many, many more years of new things, exciting things and growth. All good things come to those that work hard and you all work so hard, it is something that we all can admire. They all practice for hours, they listen to new music, they absorb as much music that they can. I wanted to thank you guys as well for sharing your love of music with all of us. Thank you for sharing this journey with all of us and allowing us to be both spectators and participants. It makes for exciting days and nights. I also want to thank those that follow them, support them, join them, guest DJ with them and shout them out to all of their friends because honestly you are all the biggest part of this family and I am so glad to know all of you both near and far. Because of all the people who love these guys, they continue to grow and reward us for loving them by sharing their music with all of us. They get us all out on the dancefloor and let me tell you, as far as I am concerned that was difficult. Now, I cannot stop grooving even if it is behind the booth. Thank you Tony, James and Gabe for sharing this all with us. We appreciate you and look forward to what is yet to come!

The Musings and Adventures of Ti: Polar Bear's Pop Culture Shop Adventures

The Musings and Adventures of Ti: Polar Bear's Pop Culture Shop Adventures: A few years ago we met a cool ass dude named Jason. He sold toys and other cool collectibles. To be fair, James met him first....I met him a...

Polar Bear's Pop Culture Shop Adventures

A few years ago we met a cool ass dude named Jason. He sold toys and other cool collectibles. To be fair, James met him first....I met him a little later on. He set up toy shows (EPIC Toy Show) and James along with his friends went to check it out ( I was busy working at my boring hospital job haha). James came back from the show very excited! I shared in his excitement over a new venue to check out in this fantastic toy community that exists in Phoenix and the surrounding areas. We continued to support his hustle when he did live Facebook sales and the like. As I have mentioned inother stories, James and I have been partners for some time already with selling and buying and trading cool stuff. Turns out this dude is way cooler than I thought. He was working in a career as well but loves all things pop culture and nostalgia in the toy arena, so naturally we all had something in common and the side hustle for all of us was taking different directions ( some not so lucrative) due to the new "norm" with the Covid outbreak. James and Jason spoke regularly, speaking frequently about goals and visions and dreams....sometimes under hushed tones in a corner table in an asian dining spot...sometimes over the phone and then a momentous time when a HUGE PowerRangers lot was purchased. A bond was forming...and that was pretty rad. As time moves forward, visions come to light, trust is built and bonds are forged. Jason took a leap and decided that he was leaving the corporate World and wanted to open a toy shop! I mean....how cool is that?? James and I had mentioned it a time or two in our daily discussions as well but at that time we were content with the avenues we were on. It seemed like something was rotating and moving along a different axle. So....a partnership was offered to James which included myself, discussions were had and the final decision happened. We were so excited for Jason on his decision to follow his dream! I mean, who doesn't want to experience as much of our dreams as we can right? Jason, along with his whole family were moving into a new chapter and the coolest part is that James and I were asked to participate. Jason and James worked so hard to bring the vision to light...there really is so much that goes into opening your own shop. And I know that happiness, frustration, determination and drive are what brought this to a reality. They worked day and night, installing, painting, sweeping, scrubbing and going on missions to find the shelves and cases to go into the shop. Finally, the shop had a set opening day! It all seemed to happen quickly, it kinda did. Opening day was set for February 28th, 2021. Opening day was amazing! Strong family support, strong community support. We had so much fun that day! The shop has just celebrated 2 years a few months ago. And what atwo years it has been. During the course of the two years, the EPIC Toy show has taken off (this is the show that Jason was putting on before the shop came into fruition), one is put on every few months give or take. The shop has been featured on FOX10 News 3 times. Many articles have been written. Celebrities have popped in both expectedly and unexpectedly. I will not name drop lol but if you check out the Instagram page, you will see. We participate in other local toy shows and Pop Ups, s we all believe in supporting the community. We participate in Toy drives and Water drives and School drives too! Not enough can be said really about this amazing shop. Jason is a stand up dude, he has a great ideas always working in his mind. James has vision and he and Jason work daily to bring those ideas around to reality. They make a great pair and the shop is always a cool place to visit. The guys are well known as cool, fair, stand up, honest people and everyone that comes in the door is made ti feel welcome. Weekly raffles take place for cool prizes as a thank you to all of those that come through and show love to the shop and support the place. Without strong support, this would not be a reality. Regular sales happen and special events as well. A parking lot takeover has been known to happen with DJ's (The Phoenix Funkeros and friends) and bomb ass food courtesty of Sabor a Mi. We strongly suppport the community that supports others. And it really shows in the way this shop is run. Jason, you are the coolest dude around. Thank you to your family for allowing us to hold space in your dream. I want to thank you for allowing James a place in your vision, I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of something so cool. We look forward to what the future holds and to next adventure.....which just so happens to be another EPIC Toy Show on April 29th at the El Zaribah Shrine. If you have not been to the shop yet, take a trip over there and immerse yourself in memories of childhood. The shop is located in Tempe at 2240 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 102 Tempe, AZ 85288...just a hop skip and a jump North of the 202 East Freeway. Stay tuned for more adventures, laughs, fun and entertainment.