FESTIVAL: My first hand experience of the Music Tastes Good food and music festival.
By Emma Carson, Staff Writer
On September 29th and 30th, Long Beach hosted the third annual Music Tastes Good festival, which fuses music and food together right on the beautiful Southern California shore. The festival featured music acts and chefs alike, and as both a fan of food and music, I was brimming with excitement to experience this spectacle.
The area showcased two stages: a mainstage that rotated quickly to reveal the next artist, and a much smaller, but brighter and cozier stage which featured DJs while the next artists prepared. In between the two stages was the Taste Tent, where featured chefs and restaurant owners would share their dishes and answer questions about their food and businesses and other vendors would sell handmade crafts or vintage clothing.
Although I only knew about seven out of the 50 artists on the festival’s lineup, I kept an open-mind and was pleasantly surprised with many of the acts that performed. The bands and artists I had anticipated the most were 80s British pop band New Order, Broken Social Scene, Big Thief, Santigold, Ezra Furman, Lizzo, and Janelle Monae. I ended up watching more of the acts, but missing some that I expected to see.
The different types of music showcased and the audiences they attracted were astounding, bringing plenty of diversity to the festival. The first act I watched was Shame, a modern rock group from England, whose sound was so loud I could feel my insides jumping along with the beat. I then transitioned to mellower, but equally enjoyable shows from Latin music group Los Master Plus and indie rock band Cherry Glazerr. I ended the first night with three acts in a row: Santigold, Broken Social Scene, and New Order. Santigold’s set was extremely fun and engaging when she brought her fans onstage to dance with her, and the moment she played her most popular song “Disparate Youth” is a moment that satisfied my 12 year-old indie loving soul forever. New Order’s headlining performance included amazing background graphics and an incredible ability to bring the crowd together.
On day two I only watched three acts, but they were, in my opinion, the best performances of the festival. When I first walked in, I heard reggae artist Hollie Cook performing and I fell in love on the spot. Her music captivated me immediately and was instantly enjoyable. I then watched Lizzo, which automatically became my absolute favorite performance. The message regarding body positivity and self-love conveyed through her music and performance was inspiring. She was brimming with energy and was incredibly funny. Janelle Monae’s performance concluded my night. This woman can sing, dance, and act, and it felt so surreal that she was maybe 20 feet away from me. Her dancers and set were so beautiful and cohesive, creating an amazing show that I will remember forever.
As for the food, someone would not expect dumplings and waffle fries to be served at the same place, but the Mad Dumpling food truck thought otherwise. The best thing I ate at the festival were the Mac n Cheese dumplings served with cilantro mayonnaise, and the bulgogi waffle fries: waffle fries topped with steak, sriracha mayonnaise, and jalapenos. There were three different food trucks, as well as many vendors inside and out of the Taste Tent serving barbeque, vegan food, ice cream, and various other drinks and foods. This year’s theme of the Taste Tent was “Port Cities of the West Coast,” and included from California, mostly Long Beach. I wish I could have spent more time in the Taste Tent because it was truly interesting for these people to talk about the food they make and how passionate they are about it.
Overall, my experience at Music Tastes Good was a good one, as I was impressed by both the music and the food and most importantly the atmosphere. As a relatively new festival, with time it will hopefully grow into something bigger and better each year.