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Images courtesy of Music Tastes Good.

Music Tastes Good (MTG), the local eclectic three-day celebration of music and food, that brought the likes of The Specials, Dr. Dog, Sylvan Esso, Warpaint and Rival Sons to the city, has announced its plans to return this fall as a two-day event, on September 30 and October 1, but not before giving SXSW attendees a taste of what’s going on in Long Beach.

The return of the festival is as much bittersweet as it is anticipated, considering the loss of its founder, Joshua Fischel, who passed away on September 29, 2016 following a tough battle with liver disease, and soon after he’d seen his vision for the event come to life.


 

“We’re building on the vision of Music Tastes Good that our founder, Josh Fischel, gave our entire team,” said Chris Watson, MTG’s creative director. “He brought us all together to bring this event to life. Our commitments to his legacy are mired in great friendships, business experience, and love.”

To celebrate the return of the festival, a MTG party and preview is packing its bags and heading to Austin, Texas on Friday, March 17 for the “Music Tastes Good SXSW Party.”

On why the Long Beach born and bred event will be a facet of one of the biggest and best annual music festivals in the U.S., Watson said it’s an opportunity to spread the word.


 

“SXSW provides an opportunity to meet music lovers and our partners in the music industry,” he said. “Here, we can share the story of Music Taste Good as ambassadors of our festival. We’ll be bringing a sample of what we do here in Long Beach to Austin, and [sharing] our excitement with everyone we encounter.”

Starting at noon, New York-based Vagabon, described as the “talented engineer-turned-indie-rocker” by Paper Magazine, will start things off, followed by the locally lauded Rudy de Anda who recently tested out some of his new work while opening for No Age at The Federal Underground.

Next up at 2:00PM is minihorse from Yspilanti, The Sandinistas from Wales, Frankie Rose of New York and lastly, Oklahoma-based band Broncho at 5:00PM, to be accompanied with sets all day by DJ Lance Rock.


 

If you pack your bags as well to attend the day-long event, know that the listening is free, alongside the beer and the food (while supplies last), courtesy of Outlaw Cook. You can RSVP for the event here, which will take place at the Valhalla, a Texas dive bar.

Meanwhile, MTG organizers have promised to deliver another “insane” lineup of music this fall, with even more focus placed on food and drink from top chefs and restaurants from Southern California and beyond.

The inaugural festival’s “Farm-to-Taste Experience” was held on the second night of the three-day event, and featured fare from Luis Navarro of Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, Phillip Pretty of Restauration, David MacLennan of James Republic and many more locally renowned culinary experts.


 

“One thing we’re particularly excited about sharing is a new approach to our food and beverage program,” said Watson. “We’ll be announcing more details in May. The concept is a fresh one, and sure to provide a tasty adventure for our guests.”

The full lineup for MTG 2017 will not be released until May 5, however the SXSW party was described as a taste of what’s to come this fall.

“Our 2017 lineup is still being confirmed, we’re about 75 percent there,” said Watson. “As Josh would’ve wanted, it’ll be eclectic, carefully curated and absolutely epic.”

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For more information about Music Tastes Good, visit the Facebook page here.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].