Downtown Long Beach will be home to a new music and food festival this weekend.
From Friday to Sunday, Music Tastes Good will offer Long Beach locals a taste of a distant idea that finally became a reality. Talent Buyer Jonathan Halperin helped Josh Fischel, founder and curator, with the planning of the event.
Spokesperson for Music Tastes Good, Mike Cubillos said that the founder’s goal was to highlight the city of Long Beach and its community.
“Long Beach has long been overlooked by many touring bands,” he said. “Yet, it’s a hotbed of musical/creative [art], and not to mention culinary talent.”
The festival will have more than 20 artists perform throughout the weekend, covering genres from ska to Latin. The line-up includes hip-hop trio De La Soul, garage rock band Twin Peaks and East Los Angeles’ Las Cafeteras.
Cubillos also said that Fischel, Halperin and the rest of the Music Tastes Good team are mostly Long Beach locals and that the city’s diversity is reflected on the choices organizers made for the festival.
“They work here, live here, eat here, play here,” he said. “Many of the bands playing and the chefs taking part are based here as well. The lineup reflects the diversity of the city itself.”
The event is being sponsored by several brands, such as JetBlue, LA Weekly and Lagunitas Brewing Company. Local business such as Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, The Federal Bar and Long Beach Fresh, which connects local business, neighborhood groups, city officials and schools to local food resources, will also sponsor the event.
The 3-day VIP and Saturday VIP ticket holders will get the opportunity to enjoy a farm-to-table dinner Saturday at Padre Restaurant, a Latin-inspired gastro-pub located on Broadway Street.
According to the Music Tastes Good website, the VIP meal will prepared by some of the best chefs in Long Beach working alongside guest chefs.
One of the guest chefs, Diego Insuza Kahlo, is a private chef in Mexico City and will be working alongside Luis Navarro, the chef and owner of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine on Fourth Street.
A main sponsor of the event is KCRW College Radio Workshop, the national public radio member station which broadcasts from Santa Monica College.
Because of the popularity KCRW has in California, Cubillos thinks that KCRW’s sponsorship helped to get other sponsors and artists on board.
With so many sponsors and artists performing at the event, the expectations are high for Music Tastes Good.
“We are thrilled that people will be coming from literally all over the United States to see our sleepy little city that we call home,” Halperin said.
Cubillos is also excited not only for the event, but for the work he’s done with his team.
“Getting to work with such a hard-working team of creative people who are all driven by the same love for the city of Long Beach,” said Cubillos.
Music Tastes Good will take place in downtown Long Beach, primarily Broadway, Linden, Atlantic and Elm street.
Jeannette Flores, Cal State Long Beach social work graduate and Long Beach resident thinks that due to the traffic the event will bring, public transportation is a better option.
As far as how the event will affect Long Beach residents, organizers have made sure that no residents will be fenced in or out of their homes.
Tickets start at $25, going up to $240 depending on what day and package is purchased. Tickets can be purchased online at musictastesgood.com