Since the late 1990s, Bargain Music, based in Los Angeles, has stood out for its blend of offbeat and comedic songwriting alongside a wide-ranging approach to genre. Although rooted in alternative rock, the Southern California outfit frequently shifts direction, weaving in elements of reggae, hip-hop, funk, soul, heavy metal, or punk according to the moment. At times the group leans toward country sounds, with tracks such as “Hell No” and “Drinking with Trey” finding favor in alternative-country and No Depression circles. More commonly, however, the emphasis falls on funk-driven material, prompting comparisons to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour, Primus, 24-7 Spyz, Prince, Rick James, Peter Tosh, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Lead singer and keyboardist Josh Fischel has dismissed any perceived contradiction in these influences, arguing in a 2000 interview that reggae, hip-hop, and country share common ground as “musics created by economically depressed people.”
The band originated in 1997 in Long Beach, the Los Angeles suburb known for producing gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, Mexican-American banda star Jenni Rivera, and ska-inflected alternative rock act Sublime—the latter ensemble often invoked in discussions of Bargain Music. Fischel has repeatedly clarified that the two groups differ substantially in sound. He assembled the initial lineup with friend Sean Whisner, later adding bassist Jeff Ward, guitarist Trey Pangborn, singer-rapper Skeleton Man, trumpeter Dave Williams, and additional players. By late 1998 the group was distributing its demo cassette Feelin It (Rough Mixes), also titled The Green Tape. Bassist Mike Watt, recognized for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE, was then enlisted to produce the debut proper, 77 003, issued in 2000 on the Washington, D.C.-based Beatville Records label. The follow-up, Cook the Beans, appeared on the same imprint the next year and mixed new material with previously unreleased and remixed tracks.
Personnel shifts marked the ensuing period. Williams and Skeleton Man both exited in 2000, Pangborn departed in 2001, and Zach “Zippy” Goodin took over on guitar. Ward left in 2002, with Matt Brein stepping in on bass. Fischel, Brein, and Goodin formed the core of The Magic Is Over, released by Beatville in 2003. A Little Taste Of… followed in early 2005, and the mostly acoustic, stripped-down American Born appeared in 2006, spotlighting Fischel’s vocals. The album marked the band’s final release; by year’s end Bargain Music had announced its breakup.
