Funkafeelya

Funkafeelya is an exciting, original/cover band that may cause lunacy, dementia, vertigo and delirium but it keeps people getting up to get down! The original music has a funky, jazzy, blues sound and the covers include funk, top 40, mo-town, and rock. Funkafeelya is a four piece band that has been touring Canada consistently for the last twelve years. Some of Funkafeelya’s bigger shows include;

North Country Fair (Joussard, Alberta)
Nakusp Music Festival, (Nakusp, British Columbia)
Vanier Cup, (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
Red Deers’ Canada day fireworks festival, (Red Deer, Alberta)
Works Festival, (Edmonton, Alberta)
A Taste of Fernie, (Fernie, Alberta)
Big Rock Eddies (Edmonton,Alberta)
Several Kokanee Free Ride ski parties, (at various ski hills)
Selected shows for Frozen Ocean

Funkafeelya was started by singer/songwriter/saxophonist, Aubrey Young. Aubrey has studied saxophone for seven years and has graduated from theatre, at Red Deer College, and musical theatre, at Sheridan College, in Oakville, Ontario. Aubrey decided to piece together a funky new band, after having toured Canada for seven months in an all-cover band, so that she could find other cooky writers to play with. So after five years of performance training in singing, dancing, and acting, she can hold her leg over her head, while pantomiming being stuck in a box and hum Beethoven’s fifth backwards until the crowd applauds or she dislocates something!

The rest of the band is made up of studio caliber musicians. All of them are graduates of the instrumental jazz program at Grant MacEwan College, in Edmonton, Alberta. Some of these musicians include:

Mathew Ryan Woods (drummer/singer/songwriter) has been playing drums for thirteen years. He has played in other bands such as Conrad Black, Fender Baum, and Cody and has sat-in with Sonny Rhodes, and Sam Cockrell and the Groove. He has recently opened for Nickleback playing in a band called Rake and is now playing percussion with his wife Chloe Albert. Recently Mathew released his own solo album where he plays almost all of the instruments himself! Matt has been playing with Funkafeelya for the last seven years.

Wes Austin (bassist/singer/songwriter) has been playing bass for eleven years. Wes has played in other bands such as Soul Kitchen and The Viva Diva’s. He has been playing with Funkafeelya for the last seven years.

Steve Frise (guitarist/songwriter) also plays in Atlas Shrug, and The Five Point Quintet. He has been playing guitar for fourteen years and has been with Funkafeelya for three years.

Khy Mattu (bassist/songwriter) is currently playing in Atlas Shrug, The Five Point Quintet and trying out a little country, playing bass for Aaron Goodvin. He has been playing Bass for twelve years, and with Funkafeelya for three.

Ian Morris (drummer) has been playing for seventeen years. He is the drummer in Atlas Shrug, and has been playing with Funkafeelya for three years.

Brandon Baker (guitarist/singer) has been playing for thirteen years. He has played with the Hot Club of Edmonton and Patrick Masse, and is currently playing with Scantily Clad and the Well Dressed Men and the Brandon Baker Trio. He has been playing with Funkafeelya for six months.

Henning Witt (guitarist/singer/songwriter) has been playing guitar for the last fifteen years, and is also a graduate of the University of Alberta with a degree in psychology. So he has taken on the role of keeping morale high within the band! Henning has been playing in Funkafeelya for the last seven years.

Stefan Kijek (keys) has been playing for twenty-one years. He has played in The Five Points Quintet and The Kijeda Duo.

Johnny McCormack (Sax) has been playing for Nine years. He has played in other bands such as Mad Bombers Society, America Rosa, Ghetto Blasters, The Five Points Quintet and The Hard Line Blues Band.

So… from these tangled, woven webs comes Funkafeelya. Promising a funkin’ good time! Wearing lots of big, bright, bold funk costumes and playing peoples favorite, fast, fun songs!