Marlon Funaki
Tulips FTW is excited to host Marlon Funaki with harf. on April 18, 2026 at your local independent venue! Doors 7 pm II Concert 8 pm Born and raised 40 miles east of Los Angeles and hailing from a multicultural, music-loving family, singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Marlon Funaki has long been fascinated by the exploration of sound. From a young age, Funaki was obsessed with the music his father played around the house while doing household chores and voraciously absorbing everything within earshot. Hearing bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin, My Bloody Valentine, and Pink Floyd, along with reggae, ‘70s Afro-funk, and ‘90s hip-hop, became significant influences, rather than the music he had played as a middle school student in symphonic and marching bands. As much as he loved playing his first instrument, drums, Funaki needed a creative outlet to explore the sounds he was interested in. Eventually, he left those restrictive band structures to join the school jazz band, which allowed at least a little more creative space where he’d play until he graduated high school. “Once I left band, I started digging into my own ideas or the sounds that I liked,” he says. Following the purchase of his first electric guitar (for which he sold his Xbox) when he was a sophomore in high school, Funaki became completely immersed with playing music. “Playing guitar was way cooler than gaming and it became an addiction,” he says, “my real passion. After learning guitar, I had to teach myself how to play all the instruments on my own.” Using the skills he learned as an avid gamer, Funaki pored over each note. He began mastering bass, drums, keys and started composing his own original material. After high school, Funaki started busking in downtown Redlands with a friend as often as he could, in hopes they would collect enough money in their guitar cases to fund their ride home. It often worked. People began to stop and listen as if entranced by what they heard. That…
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