Miles Tackett & the 3 Times

After fifteen years of writing, producing, and performing some of the most influential sounds in the Los Angeles underground funky soul-jazz scene, Miles “Music Man” Tackett is releasing his most personal album yet, the soulful, guitar-centric The Fool Who Wonders, on July 8th. Miles Tackett is best known around the world as the creative mind behind Breakestra, a funk, soul-jazz band whose first record the Live Mix Part 2 (Stones Throw Records) & live shows harken back to the pre-sampling era of Bronx DJ performances in the 1970’s. Breakestra has toured the globe on its reputation of restoring authentic funk breaks from the sampled backgrounds of hip hop tracks to the foreground of the live experience, while still paying tribute to those same hip hop pioneers whose musical precision has always been an influence. Breakestra quickly evolved to writing and performing original funky soul-jazz compositions, releasing two LPs: 2005’s Hit the Floor on Ubiquity, and Dusk Till Dawn released in 2009 on Strut Records. “Music Man Miles,” as he is known in the underground DJ scene, also helms the longest-running funky soul party in Los Angeles, FUNKY SOLE, spinning a globe spanning, all-vinyl set every Saturday night. Influenced through his immersion in the underground hip hop scene at L.A. club The Root Down, collaborations with Mixmaster Wolf of Breakestra and renowned DJs like DJ Dusk, Cut Chemist and DJ Egon, Miles was inspired to build a collection of some of the finest deep funk, afro-latin, soul-jazz vinyl around & start djing as well. Tackett’s musical reputation extends well beyond the underground clubs of Los Angeles. He has performed and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Macy Gray, Blind Melon, B.B. King, Little Feat, and legendary soul singer Syl Johnson. Now, after years of focusing on a purist funk style and sound with Breakestra, Tackett has finally taken some time to reflect, write new songs and return to his first love, the electric guitar. With an array of influences that draw from vintage soul, rhythm and blues, psychedelia, and blues/jazz influenced folk and rock, The Fool Who Wonders’ new vintage sounds bring Tackett’s varied musical travels back to where it all began. Topanga Canyon, California is the Santa Monica mountain community where he grew up around an ever colorful group of artists, actors & musicians including the 70s americana rock band Little Feat which his multi instrumentalist father Fred Tackett is a current member of. Despite his adopted home out on the east side of L.A. the mountain still calls his name as his ode “Out in the canyon” attests. On The Fool Who Wonders, Tackett uses his talents as producer/engineer to keep it analog tape warm and dirty at his New Tilt Studio. The new single “Just What I Need”, is the first recording to rise from Tackett’s latest collection of songs which features him on vocals, guitar & keys. Also featured on the album is a psych-soul reworking of a Byrds-era David Crosby song “Everybody’s Been Burned.” The Fool Who Wonders is available June 24 on Rootdown L.A. Records. Miles Tackett's new record- "The Fool Who Wonders" out now & available at milestackett.com