Funktional Family's first lineup was:

Anthony Padilla-Guitar/vocals

Kenny Kryger-Guitar/vocals

Stefanie Kryger-Vocals

Timarie Padilla-Vocals

Hal Koenig-Bass

Gary Etheridge-Drums

The original band formed February of 2000 in Saint Charles, Illinois as a new direction for the formerly acoustic project of the two married couples in the group.  The concept was to play and write funky psychedelic music that ranged from the folky to the full bore guitar firepower that inspired them.

In 2001 after the departure of Gary, new drummer Mike Tanger joined the band bringing a different, jazzier feel to the music. For the next few years Funktional Family wrote and performed at local bars and festivals, with their performances often having the atmosphere of a big party among friends.  This approach of energetic delivery, heartfelt vocals, dramatic guitarwork, propulsive rhythms and intimate off the cuff interaction with their audience became the new norm.  2004 saw the inclusion of Eric Olson (former lead singer of local Grateful Dead inspired jam band Hairball Willie) on vocals and percussion, bringing the rhythms and vocal harmonies to new spaces as well as lending his skilled vocals to new covers and originals as a lead singer.

In 2007 after a brief hiatus Mike left the group and new full time member Phil Cotosman took over the drum stool and added his soulful and distinctive voice to the mix of voices.  This led to a new period of productivity in which the band both began to seriously work towards their debut album and played many more shows.  During this period the group played a show with a brass trio sitting in which led to a whole new branching out in sonic experiments.  The lineup of Jay Harrison-Baritone Sax, Jim Barsanti-Trombone, and Chris Galor-Trumpet filled out the funky numbers and shaded the slower tunes with chordal arrangements.  In time local high school bandleader Matt Golladay took over the trumpet duties and took over the arranging of the horn section as well.  With the debut album sessions already booked and demo recording begun Phil made the decision to retire from music.  Luckily for Funktional Family a longtime friend and lifelong drummer was available to jump into the fire and make things happen.  Jim Hurley was a drummer in many local projects including friends of the Family and had already sat in on drums for a Neil Young tribute concert with Funktional Family in Saint Charles.  When approached to learn the material, demo all the songs and fulfill bookings/record on the debut he not only pulled it off with a month and a half before the basic tracking, but made the material his own.  Funktional Family Album was released Nov 25, 2014 and brought a fun set of originals to the local scene.  Following a rousing and very well attended live performance of the album to celebrate its' release the band continued to perform locally.

During this period Funktional Family continued to write, eventually pulling together demos and song ideas for a more ambitious piece of work.  The lineup again saw a new addition in the person of longtime friend and sometime guest musician Ben Byanski-Djembe, pushing a new propulsion into the now 3 drummer percussion/drum section. The new song cycle was arranged and written to be listened to as a continuum of songs related by theme and key.  In the spirit of a more psychedelic approach, the addition of new studio experiments and instruments led to a different texture and fidelity on their second album "Way".  Trumpet duties on the album were handled by returning member Chris Galor following Matt Golladay moving to Arkansas.  Kicking off with a piece utilizing nylon string classical guitar, cello, violin and liberal application of highly customized reverb and echo effects and closing on a Eastern Indian inspired piece arranged with shakir, udu, tom drums, bells, vocals and no guitars this was certainly a different animal entirely from the debut. A decision to commission artwork for the front and back covers was made during writing and the deal was made with longtime friend and local art phenom Joe Gagnepain for the intricate, intense and beautiful pieces used as covers at the 2016 White Buffalo Music Festival following the band's performance. 

"Way" was released  May 5, 2017 and the album release concert marked the final show with the horn section.  During tracking the decision was made that going forward the horn players would be leaving to concentrate on their cover band Pawnshop and Funktional Family would go back to their pre-brass section incarnation.  The period following this up to January of 2019 saw an expansion of venues, audience and material that continue to push the improvisational boundaries while filling the dance floor. 

In January of 2019 Hal Koenig decided to step down as bassist for Funktional Family due to longtime issues with his hands and tendons in his arms.  The commitment to continuation was made and local bassist/singer extraordinaire/good friend and frequent live collaborator Chad Watson (The Heavy Lifting/Noah's Arcade/Cattleprod/Chanson Du Chat, Desperate Bastards) stepped in to fill the void left by the retirement of a founding member.  Also joining in during the fall of 2018 was multi-instrumentalist/saxophonist Jeff Christensen (The Collective, Completely Dead) 

Current Lineup of Funktional Family:

Anthony Padilla-Guitar/vocals

Kenny Kryger-Guitar/vocals

Stefanie Kryger-Vocals

Timarie Padilla-Vocals

Eric Olson-Vocals/percussion

Chad Watson-Bass/vocals

Benjamin Byanski-Djembe

Jim Hurley-Drums

Jeff Christenson-Saxophone/percussion/harmonica

Keep up with the next phase and catch the shows by connecting with Funktional Family on social media and keeping your eye on the official website!