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bargain music
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Bargain Music
Since the late ‘90s, the Los Angeles-based Bargain Music has
been known for two main things: (1) their penchant for quirky, eccentric,
humorous lyrics, and (2) their musical eclecticism. Musically, Bargain
Music is all over the place. Their material is essentially alternative
rock, but the Southern Californians will—depending on their
mood—incorporate anything from reggae, hip-hop, funk or soul
to heavy metal or punk. On occasion, Bargain Music even incorporates
country; some of their songs have been relevant to the alternative
country/No Depression scene (including "Hell No" and "Drinking
with Trey".) But more often than not, their work tends to be
on the funky side, and the valid comparisons range from the Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Living Colour, Primus, 24-7 Spyz, Prince and Rick James
to Peter Tosh and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Some observers have
found it strange that a band that has been influenced by reggae, funk,
soul and hip-hop would also be influenced by country, but lead singer/keyboardist
Josh Fischel sees it as perfectly natural. In a 2000 interview, Fischel
outlined some parallels between reggae, hip-hop and country and asserted
that all three of them are "musics created by economically depressed
people."Bargain Music was formed in 1997 in Long Beach, CA, the
L.A. suburb that has given us everyone from gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy
Dogg to Mexican-American banda star Jenni Rivera to Sublime—a
well known, ska-friendly alternative rock band that Bargain Music
has often been compared to. However, Fischel has been quick to stress
that Bargain Music and Sublime are two very different-sounding bands.
Fischel formed Bargain Music with his friend Sean Whisner, and the
artists they recruited in the late ‘90s included bassist Jeff
Ward, guitarist Trey Pangborn, singer/rapper Skeleton Man and trumpeter
Dave Williams (among others). By the end of 1998, Bargain Music was
circulating their demo cassette Feelin It (Rough Mixes), which is
also known as The Green Tape. After that, they hired bassist Mike
Watt (of Minutemen and Firehouse fame) to produce their first official
album 77 003, which was released by the Washington, DC-based Beatville
Records in 2000. The following year, Beatville put out Cook the Beans,
an album that ranged from new songs to previously unreleased and remixed
material. Along the way, Bargain Music have been through more than
their share of lineup changes. Williams left the band in 2000, as
did Skeleton Man. 2001 found Pangborn taking off as well, and eventually,
Zach "Zippy" Goodin became the band's guitarist. Then, in
2002, Ward announced his departure, and he was replaced by Matt Brein.
Fischel, Brein and Goodin are the main participants on The Magic Is
Over, which Beatville released in 2003.
- Alex Henderson
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