Fishbone has been added to the inaugural Watcha Tour bill, bringing a touch of hardcore, English-language funk to a festival dominated by Latin rap, hip-hop and rock en Español acts.

Fishbone steps into a slot vacated by Cypress Hill. The rappers/marijuana emissaries left the Warped Tour and opted out of Watcha last month, claiming they needed to spend more time in the studio at work on a new album.

Among the bands joining Fishbone on the tour will be Café Tacuba, Molotov, Illya Kuryaki, Control Machete, Todos Tus Muertos, Bersuit, Los Mocosos, Viva Malpache, the Chris Perez Band, The Atomic Fireballs, The Latin Fros, and Puya. Artists will rotate from city to city, and shows will clock in at around six hours. Specific lineups for each city can be found on the Watcha Tour web site (http://www.watchatour.com).

Watcha is being marketed as a Latin version of the Warped Tour, and shares the same co-creators and producers. In fact, much of the production equipment used on Warped will remain in use for Watcha, according to tour organizers.

The Watcha Tour opens Aug. 1 at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, the day after the Warped Tour wraps at the same Miami-area venue. That means that crews won't have to tear down the equipment. This and other frugal measures helped to keep ticket prices in the $20-$25 range in most markets.

Emulating the early years of the Warped Tour, Watcha is taking a go-slow approach and minimizing risk in its debut season, playing just 12 markets with already-established Latin hardcore scenes. The tour wraps Aug. 15 in Los Angeles.

In a statement, Watcha/Warped tour co-producer Kevin Lyman said mainstream interest in Latino culture is evidenced by the recent success of Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez, as well as the buzz on forthcoming English-language debuts by other Latino artists. But a more edgy scene is emerging as well.

''With America currently rediscovering Latin music, we hope to give exposure to the more underground sounds of rock and hip-hop that Latino as well as culturally diverse Anglo youth is embracing,'' he said.