SINCE BREAKSTRA were announced to play the Galway Arts Festival last month, there has been much talk and expectation about the LA collective, so who are they?
Breakstra is the brainchild of producer, engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Miles Tackett. Tackett is a big fan of late 1980s, early 1990s hip hop, was fascinated by the samples rappers used during that period, and was impressed by the live shows of DJs such as Cut Chemist and Mixmaster Wolf.
Inspired by all this he set out to form a live collective of musicians who could play the originals in concert with all of the same sounds, feel, and musicianship. Through weekly jams at a local coffee-house session called The Breaks, Breakestra was created.
Since then the group has gone on to enjoy a reputation as one of the best funk bands at work right now. The band includes Mixmaster Wolf (vocals ), Tackett (bass and vocals ), Pete McNeal (drums ), James “The Funky Penguin’ King, and Jeremy Ruzumna (Macy Gray’s band ).
Breakestra play the Róisín Dubh on Tuesday July 13 at 8.30pm as part of the Galway Arts Festival. The special guest on the night is Jurassic 5’s Chali 2na. Dave Phelan will be DJing afterwards. Tickets are available from the festival box office, Galway Tourist Office, Forster Street, www.galwayartsfestival.com, and the Róisín Dubh.
