By Described as a fusion of ‘60s and ‘70s jazz, soul and psychedelic rock, the Los Angeles-based band, Triptides performed at Noontime Concerts at the University Student Union Southwest Terrance on Dec. 4.
Hosted by Associated Students Inc. Beach Pride Events, the free concert was accompanied with drinks, snacks and a photo booth for students.
Triptides performed songs such as “Latitudes,” “Reactor” and “Thought Collector”– all from their latest album, “Starlight,” released in 2023.
Their album was inspired by Stevie Wonder, Switzerland band Klaus Johann Grobe and modern sounds with organs and old pianos, according to the band’s keyboardist, Glenn Brigman.
“We were trying to make something different, [with] less guitars,” Brigman said. “We still love playing guitar, but something that has a different palette to it.”
The band’s members also consist of Craig Jacobs on drums and Tyler English, who plays bass. Brigman said they started the band while in college in Indiana.
“We just started jamming, some friends, and it turned into a band,” he said. “I’ve kept the band going for the last 14 years.”
As the concert continued, Brigman often engaged with the audience by promoting their records and speaking about college.
“We’re playing in a kind of hangout area to college. Normally, we play at a theater, venue or festival, but it’s a nice excuse to get together and jam,” Brigman said. “We had a good time, it’s a beautiful day and [ASI] took care of us with the booking.”
Beach Pride Events Coordinator April Marie Castro said that Noontime Concerts are a staple event for students to take a break individually or with friends.
“We try to provide experiences where you can go and step away for an hour and disassociate from reality,” Castro said. “It’s challenging enough for students to sometimes go off campus to experience live music. Places like Coachella are extremely expensive, even though it looks so much fun, but sometimes it’s not feasible… here on campus, it’s a free experience.”
Aileen Perez, on the far left, and her friends attended the Noontime Concert on Dec. 4. The group said that the music reminded them of Tame Impala. Photo Credit: Isabela Zuniga
Within the audience was Aileen Perez, a third year sociology major taking the opportunity to listen to the live music. Events like these, Perez said, provide a break from having to think about constant studying.
“I’m a commuter, and when I’m here, I’m here all day, so it’s really nice to be here and enjoy my lunch,” Perez said.
Perez also found the music to be uplifting; with her group of friends, Perez said they jokingly called for one more song at the end, but it didn’t happen.
“I thought it was so good– I was like levitating,” Perez said. “I was like, wow, we need to Shazam this.”
Event Assistant of ASI Beach Pride Events Eren Lita said she chose to feature Triptides at this event to inspire students to be creative, relax and have a clear state of mind.
As someone already familiar with Triptides, Lita said due to proximity, it was the most likely that they could play at Long Beach State, which made the planning processing easier. She also took into consideration Triptides’ range and mellow music vibe.
“They are very ‘70s [and] very beach-y, so I personally love that type of music,” Lita said. “I’ve been to over 100 concerts, so I’m pretty familiar with the scene and everything, and trying to bring a little bit of that to campus is always cool.”
According to Castro, ASI Beach Pride Events are working on logistics and details to have Noontime Concerts continue in the spring semester.
Future Noontime Concerts can be found on ASI’s event page here.
