A few months ago, I received a press inquiry for a new music festival: The First Ever P-Funk Festival, taking place in Tallahassee. And of course, if P-Funk is in the name, and this is taking place in Tallahassee, this must mean it is none other than the legendary George Clinton. So what did I do? I flew my ass to Tallahassee for approximately 24 hours to go see what the funk was about! And although I am a few months behind, I figured, what better time to get this article out then right before the singer’s 85th birthday, the milestone that resulted in this incredible experience.

It all truly began when I posted to Threads that I needed a videographer. I had no money to offer since I was coming out of pocket, but I could promise a media press pass to see the one and only Parliament-Funkadelic up close and personal. I had a dear travel companion also enticed by the prospect of what this new festival would entail, and they took on the role of my assistant (and caretaker at that point cause ya girl was exhausted). Enter Jaron Anderson, a complete stranger from the internet and an amazing component to the whole experience. We caught a 5 am flight to Tallahassee, and got rid of some of our belongings. Jaron was already at the venue when we arrived, so one of our first steps was to locate him. But before that, we had to receive our credentials and get inside. This might have been the craziest part of the day. We simply walked up to the table, told them who we were, received our passes, and then walked right in! No bag or security checks, which was a bit insane, but also, no attitude. They knew a journalist was coming from the City of Brotherly Love, and upon discovering I was said journalist, they met us with open arms, kindness, and eagerness to help. Roots Picnic and LiveNation, take note.