The Story of Flint, MI’s Reverand Right-time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk
There is a funk band from Flint, Michigan that I have somehow never heard of, and after watching a video on Facebook, I'm gonna be doing a serious deep dive down the "Reverand Right-time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk" rabbit hole. What started out as high school friends sharing a passion for funk music turned into a serious dream. In the 8th grade, Rev, or Pat Ferris, and all his friends picked out instruments to play and would slowly form a band similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers & Rare, mixed with some horns similar to Sly Stone.
Reverand Right-time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk had established themselves in the area, but when a local radio station announced that Jenny Jones was looking for bands to come onto the show and display their music, they took full advantage. Amazingly, the show contacted them and agreed to bring them on. What happened next was just magical.
After finding success on television, the band is still going strong today, having opened up for bands such as Tantric, Tommy Tutone, Detroit Red Wings games, Lapeer Days, and also at MSU with the artist Chingy.
The odds were stacked against the band, being a funk band who would regularly dress up in outfits clearly inspired by Sly Stone & Parliament Funkadelic, especially during the grunge movement. You can definitely hear the influence of Motown in the music these guys put together. Although they've ditched the wild outfits, the band is as cohesive and tight as ever, as they continue to express themselves through music.
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