Marlon Funaki

Marlon Funaki is a 23 year old solo artist who songwrites, creates and mixes all of his work. With a very strong voice, Marlon implements a unique alternative rock vocal with a jazzy/ psychedelic style of guitar playing. Marlon’s unique style of playing attracts an energetic yet calming audience to his live performances, making his shows a show for everyone.

Initially the solo recording project of lead singer Ralph Porter who released songs such as “Tonight” on his own back in 2022. The Back Alley is now a 5-piece Indie Rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band is a hybrid of Ax and The Hatchetmen’s bassist Hunter Olshefke and guitarist Sal Defillipis who have joined lead guitarist Jaden Cone and drummer Ben Kremer to perform and record original music while also paying homage to their lead singers past discography by performing new takes on songs like “Your Love”, “Flower Girl”, and “A Man On The Loose” at their live shows.

2023 saw the band begin finding their own sound by transitioning from the bedroom pop vibes of Ralph Porters originals into a more guitar heavy indie rock approach with new songs from the band such as “Why” and “Rubberband” and their Live-EP which features songs such as “Gump” and “Lightning”.

With new releases such as “Brand New” and “Grey Skies” leading the way as a turning point for the group, stay tuned for new music as they dig deeper into their sound.