Album Notes

The Beginning
It was 1998 when two brothers in funk collided and decided it was time to bring funk classics to the Israeli stage. Elran Dekel and Guri Alfi got together a band of four and before the year was up Funk'n'Stein The Band was on stage playing the music of James Brown, George Clinton, Sly and The Family Stone and all of their favorite funk artists. They found that the people didn?t need to know the music in order to enjoy it. From the moment the show started it seemed everybody forgot the world outside and all that existed was that dancing, groovy vibe. They got the early Friday slot every two weeks in a Tel Aviv club and watched their crowd grow with every show.
The Rise
Then, as must happen in funk bands, a horn section came along. This brought their performances to a whole new level - for the band and the crowd. Funk'n'Stein The Band began to bring that true funk groove - and the people responded. They outgrew the early show and made the alarming decision that funk night would be every other Monday at midnight. But, even this would not keep the people away! So, within a year of their first performance and with an already loyal following, Funk'n'Stein The Band began playing every other Friday night - the main slot.
In the year 2000, Elran Dekel (actually 6'5" but with the afro 6'9") became the front man of the 8-member band when Guri Alfi resigned in order to pursue his television career. In the summer they introduced their new look at the tremendously successful 70?s Night Live party in Tel Aviv and didn't miss a beat. Over the next years, their concerts were growing to include all areas of Israel, the press was giving them great reviews ("Funk'n'Stein is a package whose show is almost as good as their music and the audiences, in case you're wondering, are crazy about them") and more and more Israeli stars were coming to join them on stage. Funk'n'Stein The Band continued focusing on their stage performance and now began to compose original music.
In 2002, Come and Join Me and War and Pain were released to the radio. In the same year, the band played on national television, 2 (sold out!) performances at The International Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Israel Festival, The Love Festival and many other stages - big and small. The band continued their work on original music until, by the beginning of 2003, their show was a balance of original songs and covers.
The Album
In mid 2003, Funk'n'Stein The Band took a break from performing in order to work on material for their first album and a performance focusing on their own music. Not knowing the meaning of returning small, they reappeared in the summer of 2004 on the big stage at The Coca-Cola Festival in Israel. Their show was now their own - their own music, their own style, their own look and groove - but sitting on the backs of all the greats that came before them.
Still, any band - and especially a funk band - must perfect its music by playing to an audience. So from the summer of 2004 to the spring of 2005, before going to record their album, Funk'n'Stein The Band performed. And the people came. And they danced. And when the doors were overflowing the band knew it was time. So, in the spring of 2005 Funk'n'Stein The Band went to live in northern Israel, on a small kibbutz named 'Ma'oz Hayim' where there was beauty, the Sea of Galilee and the 'Anana' recording studio. Leaving a trail of boogying behind them, the band returned to the city with the tracks for their first album, Funk'n'Stein The Band, and their new logo, the FunKey?.
Expanded to include a bonus disc with their first four singles, a live track and several jams, their first album was released in early 2006 - almost eight years after two kids got together and decided that they wanted to perform funk music! And the reception continues to be astounding. A sold out album release tour, great reviews and record-breaking sales for an Israeli act performing in English!
The Now
Funk'n'Stein The Band is now working to bring their music to you. They are on a Funky Mission and They Will Not Stop 'Til You All Be Saved!!!