Marlon Funaki: Storytelling through sound

With an evolving sound that blends psychedelic and rock textures with story-driven lyrics, Marlon Funaki has carried the musical world in his mind from small rooms to sold-out venues across the country. Now, as his tour winds down, Funaki brings that momentum to SLO Brew Rock on Friday, Dec. 12.

Music connection

Funaki’s initial passion for music didn’t come from formal lessons with instruments in hand. Instead, it came from growing up in a home saturated with sound.

His parents filled the house with records, tapes and cassettes ranging from Spanish rock to reggae. 

“There was never just one genre,” Funaki said. “It was everything all the time.”

Blending sound and storytelling

Funaki believes that trying to fit his sound into a single genre goes against his creative identity as an artist. He leans toward what he calls “alternative indie folk,” but his releases weave jazz-influenced guitar lines, psychedelic textures, rock elements and the occasional house or EDM track.

More than anything, Funaki sees himself as a storyteller. He said he hopes people listen to his music in the same way someone would read a book. His lyrics are vivid and image-driven, fueled by nonstop melodies in his head and a deep love for cinematic storytelling. 

Only a small percentage of his songs pull from experiences of his own life; the rest are born from constant bursts of imagination. “Really, I’m just thinking about music, I swear I dream about it,” he said. “It’s always there.” 

Artist evolution

His first full-length album, “Monterey Village,” was created alone in his room — no team, no management, just his guitar, his instruments, and his intuition. 

“I was in a space where I was like, you know, I’m gonna create whatever the hell I want,” Funaki said. The album reflects the freedom of that period: a “jumble of genres,” as he puts it, stitched together by his curiosity and determination to create.

His latest EP, “Overdue,” marks a meaningful step towards finding his sound. More focused and intentional, yet still exploratory, it signals where he’s headed creatively. “I’m getting there,” he said. Looking ahead, he hopes to build an album that feels unified from start to finish — “a story within a story,” where every track is a piece completing the puzzle.

The band behind Funaki

Though Funaki writes his music alone, he brings his sound to life onstage with a four-piece band composed entirely of close friends.

There’s Reggie Ordonez, his drummer and former coworker at Guitar Center, Johnny Gaytan, the bassist he met through Ordonez and Jared Costa, a longtime high-school friend and multi-instrumentalist.

After rotating through different live musicians in earlier years, Funaki finally solidified this lineup at the start of 2024. The chemistry between the four friends on stage is not only feltby them, but by their audience as well.

“People come up to us and say it looks like we’re having so much fun on stage, and that’s how I like to keep it,” he said.

Tour highlight: A turning point

This past tour, structured in month-on, month-off segments, was full of firsts. It marked Funaki’s first time performing on the East Coast and brought him closer than ever to playing in all 50 states. Every stop on tour, he said, feels like a milestone. “You learn something new — things you could do better, things you could take out,” he said. “The crew gets tighter.”

But one moment stands above the rest.

In Portland, Oregon, Funaki played the biggest headline show of his career with 800 people packed into the room. For an artist who, earlier this year, was playing 150 to 250 capacity venues, this jump marked a new level in his career.

“It almost felt like I was opening for someone,” he said. “That was a cool feeling, knowing that mainly all those people were there for me and us and the music.”

Moving forward: Festival year

Funaki plans to make 2026 all about festivals, which he believes offer the most organic exposure to new listeners. The shorter festival schedule will also give him what touring doesn’t: the time and space to write new music.

He hints at new music coming soon, and for the first time ever, he’ll be playing overseas for The Great Escape festival in Brighton, U.K. 

Now, as Funaki wraps up his tour in California, his performance at SLO Brew Rock isn’t just another stop — it’s a real-time glimpse into where his style and sound are headed next.