Episode 16: Patrick Owens aka Brotha P [FUNKANAUTS, et al]

FUNK FAM: This is your boy Ace. Like the rest of you, last year brought us our share of heartbreak. Specifically, on Nov 6, 2020, we lost a member of the FUNKANAUTS—guitar wizard, bassologist, soul rock encyclopedia, and Bay Area CA legend PATRICK OWENS, whom many of us knew as BROTHA P. We dedicate this special episode to him and humbly submit it to help heal the heart and soul of the devoted family he left behind as well as the multitude of musicians who loved him.

Pat knew more about funk than anyone else in the room at any given time, quick to clown us for lacking knowledge about this or that with the quip: “You didn’t know that?” But he was also a roots reggae master, highly respected and sought out by expert practitioners of the craft. All told, he played with a lot of players, rocked many a crowd, and taught us a lot about anything we needed to know.

Patrick hardly told anyone how sick he was until it was too late, so his passing was a shock to all of us. Indeed, we’re still trying to process this, looking for a little closure. That’s why we wanted to take some time to regroup and make sure we did this right. A big part of that is gathering the people to represent for our Brotha P properly. And you are a big part of Pat’s legacy too. So get ready to sit back, dig, and lend us your ears.

First of all, joining Jay Stone and I in the studio, we are pleased to welcome the almighty-bigfoot-Funkanaut-OG-drummer John “MACFAB” Flaherty. He and Jay set the stage by telling us how the Nauts came to be and how Patrick became an essential ingredient in the stanky stew. Next we check in with P’s mom Dorothy, then chop it up with P’s cousin Theresa, who loved him like a sister. After that, we holla at Richard Lindsey, whose P-Funk tribute band Purifiedment Funkensurance Patrick had been musical director for a spell. Then we speak with some cats who also gigged with Brotha P a lot and loved him like a brother: Trinidadian bad azz drummer Tony D Drumologist, guitarist and studio engineer Ron van Leeuwaarde, and roots reggae bassist Densfield Alexander. Finally, P’s cousin Jackie Owens helps us send him off with a final tribute.

Produced & Hosted by Ace Alan
Cohosted & Coproduced by Jay Stone and John “MacFab” Flaherty
w/ Content Produced by Theresa Owens Ree Ree
Website & Art by 3chards
In-studio Photos by Debbie Jue
Engineered by Dominic Brown at Soul Graffiti Studios in Oakland, CA with thanks to Justin Ancheta
…but we couldn’t have done it without Scott Sheppard

Patrick “Brotha P” Owens was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, CA. A memorial has been tentatively scheduled for Summer 2021, TBD.