by MATTHEW PRICE

From Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, editions of The Oklahoman

Music program to celebrate superheroes 

By MATTHEW PRICE 

A local radio show will dive into the world of superheroes this week.  

Tonic: The Funky Groove Show is an original production of KGOU radio (105.7/106.3 FM). Norman, OK musician, artist and DJ Michael Bendure hosts the show under the name Michael B. 

From 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. each Friday night, B shares two hours of upbeat, instrumental funk, groove, soul, disco, jazz, and hip-hop songs from the 1960s to the 2020s, with historical and educational context. 

This week’s show celebrates superheroes from comic books, graphic novels, TV and films. 

B said there will be big names like Batman featured, but also plenty of surprises. Classic themes by John Williams are on the playlist, but so are tunes by funk and jazz artists from across the globe, like Carleen and The Groovers, Neil Norman and His Cosmic Orchestra, The Marketts, and Naughty Professor. 

“I love to keep listeners on their toes,” said B. “One of the hallmarks of Tonic: The Funky Groove Show is the deep dive I make each week into instrumental b-sides and rare gems that may have never been played before on another radio show, or at least in the past 50 or 60 years. From today’s hottest jazz and funk acts to face-melting organ grooves of yesteryear, and more, every episode of Tonic is filled with rare songs you’ve never heard anywhere else.”

With fans getting used to multiple Spider-Men and multiple Batmen in movies, TV, and more, B said fans may now be more comfortable exploring a mixture of songs about these heroes, as well. 

“I think we’re learning how to navigate this new multiverse, where different iterations of characters can live and work together,” B said. “In light of this, I think it’s safe to mix a 2007 funky iteration of the Superman movie theme with a 1972 Moog keyboard-based British library song by the same title. Superman is Superman, no matter what continent or decade a song about him comes from.”

The show can be heard on KGOU, online at http://www.kgou.org or on local KGOU affiliate stations.

Michael B is also the host of 40 Minutes of Funk, an interview-based podcast with funk artists and experts from around the globe. Now in its second season, the podcast is available online at http://www.40minutesoffunk.com or anywhere podcasts are offered.

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.