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Meet The Host & Creator Of 'Tonic: The Funky Groove Show'

Tonic: The Funky Groove Show

KGOU is freshening up its 9 to 11 p.m. Friday time slot with Tonic: The Funky Groove Show. A KGOU original production hosted by Michael Bendure, Tonic is set to premiere June 12 and will feature a mix of instrumental funk and groove music spanning the past six decades.

“If you like 1960s organ grooves like Booker T. and the MG’s or Jimmy Smith, 1970s black action film soundtracks, classic funk like Parliament-Funkadelic, Earth, Wind and Fire, 1980s hip hop or the latest and greatest of 21st century funk, then Tonic: The Funky Groove Show will be right up your alley,” Bendure said. “From the Beastie Boys to James Brown, from Vulfpeck to the Crusaders, this new radio show encompasses more than 60 years of instrumental funk, groove, soul, disco, jazz, hip hop and more. If a song makes you feel good, it’s going to be a good fit for this show.”

Michael Bendure of Tonic: The Funky Groove Show

Bendure said he created the show to scratch a musical itch that had been growing for a couple of years. A singer-songwriter himself, who performs alternative country rock in local bands Heartbreak Rodeo and The Whiskey Gingers, Bendure had a growing desire to experience funk music, especially the instrumental side of the music.

“I started looking for podcasts and radio stations that spotlighted instrumental songs in this particular vein but came up short,” he said. “There are some great funk and soul podcasts out there, but none that I could find that are entirely instrumental and still in production. So, in a lot of ways, I created the radio show that I wanted to hear but couldn’t find.”

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Jim is a journalism/mass communications graduate from the University of Oklahoma. While still a student, he became the host of what is now The Weekend Blues. He currently serves as KGOU’s Program Director where he supervises all aspects of KGOU’s on-air programming output.
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