Long Beach legend, Josh Fischel, front-man of Bargain Music and more recently The Fiction, is putting on his very own 3-day music festival called Music Tastes Good. Much like Josh’s own musical background, the line-up boasts an eclectic mix from The Specials, De La Soul, Melvins, Living Colour, RX Bandits, Easy Star All-Stars, The Ziggens, and yes, of course there’s more…
Josh Fischel is certainly no stranger to the reggae-rock community as he is more a pioneer of the sound putting out music way ahead of its time with his first band Bargain Music in the late ’90’s and into the early 2000’s with albums 77 003, Cook The Beans, The Magic Is Over and American Born. He was guest featured on Pepper‘s Kona Town album with the song “Storm Trooper” and directed the lone Sublime documentary in 1999 with Stories, Tales, Lies & Exaggerations.
What made Josh such an early pioneer of the reggae-rock sound in the late ’90’s & 2000’s was because of his diverse musical background that is nowhere near limited to reggae or rock and can be best summed up by the line-up of his 3-day music festival.
Presented by 89.9 KCRW, the festival is taking place from September 23 – 25th in Downtown Long Beach, CA and if you want to expand your mind, dive into the eclectic line-up below…
FRIDAY – SEPT. 23RD:
RX BANDITS
LIVING COLOUR
SON LITTLE
SOUND OF URCHIN
PARE PARTS FOR BROKEN HEARTS
[+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED]
SATURDAY – SEPT. 24TH
THE SPECIALS, IRON AND WINE, SQUEEZE, DR. DOG, WARPAINT, DELTRON 3030 W/THE 3030 ORCHESTRA, MELVINS, TWIN PEAKS, VINTAGE TROUBLE, GIRLPOOL, P.O.S., EASY STAR ALL-STARS, METZ, KATE TEMPEST, NICK WATERHOUSE, CODY CHESTNUTT, LE1F, POKEY LAFARGE, HIPPO CAMPUS, OPEN MIKE EAGLE, SKINNY LISTER, LOS MASTER PLUS, RIOTHORSE ROYALE, JESSICA HERNANDEZ & THE DELTAS, FOY VANCE, THE DEAD SHIPS, THE ZIGGENS, CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT, DUSTIN LOVELIS, RUDY DE ANDA, LEMOLO, MACHINEHEART, SPIDER, LP3 & THE TRAGEDY, NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH, GOLDEN DRUGS, SPECIAL C, MC IMPRINT, THE LOST WEEKEND, AND SISTER CROWLEY
SUNDAY – SEPT. 25TH
SYLVAN ESSO
DE LA SOUL
GALLANT
LAS CAFETERAS
CHRISTIAN SCOTT
EAGLE ROCK GOSPEL SINGERS
SOLO & INDRE
PREGNANT
BOOTLEG ORCHESTRA
MUSIC. TASTES. GOOD.
Josh Fischel, himself a seasoned touring musician, and 20 year resident of Long Beach says, “Our city is a vibrant, evolving place that’s ripe with community, commerce and culture. Within our city limits, we hold the second largest port in the United States, and proudly claim a dynamic food, music and arts scene. We are leaders in the crusade for equality and environmental rights, residing on the cusp of where Los Angeles and Orange County connect. This is now. Being the world class city we are, we have been long overdue a festival that 
mirrors the passion and diversity that we experience from our neighbors everyday. It’s time to show off Long Beach and draw the rest of the world in. It’s time for others to experience what us locals have always known. It’s time to allow our residents, once a year, the chance to see Downtown in a different light. MUSIC. TASTES. GOOD.”
Aiming to bring fans and foodies together for one epic fall weekend, Music Tastes Good will also feature the finest culinary offerings, local food vendors, chefs and artists. Each day of the event will feature its own theme with music and food especially curated for that theme. Things kick off on Friday night 9/23, with a high energy music/food block party highlighting craft beer and local vendors, followed by the main event on Saturday 9/24, offering 4 jam-packed stages of music which will take over Pine Ave, plus an optional VIP farm-to-table dinner. The weekend concludes on Sunday, 9/25, spotlighting more great music and a Bloody Mary brunch.
3-Day Tickets run for $120.00 while 3-Day VIP Tickets are $240.00. For single day tickets, you can go Friday night for $25.00, Saturday — with 4 Stages of live music for $75.00 and/or Sunday for $35.00. For more details on ticket information or to secure your tickets before they sell-out, you can do so by clicking HERE!
Unfortunately, it does not look like we’ll see a return show from Bargain Music at the festival, but to be sure, we’re going to reach out to Josh Fischel himself for an interview to discuss the festival and more — Stay tuned!
Related Links:
Music Tastes Good Website
Music Tastes Good Facebook
The Fiction Facebook
Bargain Music on iTunes
Article By: Mike Patti