Sun God is about swaying hips that might otherwise sit widening in swivel chairs. It’s about pumping fists that might otherwise grip coffee mugs or ruffle through notes, books, planners – about making feet that might otherwise trace a memorized-by-seventh-week route from one lecture hall to another, hop instead. Sun God is about focusing minds – minds too rarely diluted enough to release all responsibility to brazenly riotous, blatantly hedonistic rituals – on just one thing: having a good time.
And that is why, from five talented and well-rehearsed Battle of the Band competitors, the high-energy positive vibes of High Tide – Forest Heitert, Bob Riffolo, Justin Fritsch, Ed Barrena and Christopher Murray – were selected to fill the student-band Sun God slot with their own blend of UCSD reggae.
“”We went into it with the same mentality that we go into any big show with … just trying to get hyped, trying to get channeled, trying to get excited – treating it like it was a big show and everyone was right up in front,”” vocalist Ed Barrena said. In reality, High Tide was performing to the stationary, hard-to-engage Price Center Plaza lunchtime crowd, but this didn’t stop them from building themselves up and enjoying each other’s company. That everyone else eventually caught on and they ended up on a lineup with the likes of Ozomatli was almost secondary. Almost.
“”I could be in Any City, USA and be happy,”” guitarist Justin Fritsch said. “”But if it wasn’t for making music, for developing a straight-up concentrated relationship with my homeboys, then I wouldn’t be here.”” Bassist Christopher Murray (no, not the Christopher Murray, but comparable in wit) chimes in with, “”Yeah, man, a concentrated 80-proof relationship.”” Not good enough. “”Fuck that, a 170-proof relationship,”” responds Fritsch. Murray is satisfied – “”That’s what you’d call the High Tide moonshine.””
Beyond a palpable live-love exchange, the High Tide brew includes a consistent effort to incorporate “”messages of social consciousness and civic action,”” Fritsch said. They are also are working with an extremely diverse set of influences – everything from jazz to gutter punk. Murray explains that all of this is made palatable by reggae’s particularly versatile medium: “”You can take any style, whether it’s R&B, funk, soul, neosoul, jazz, punk rock, heavy metal, and you can fit it into a reggae formula. It’s the dynamics, the universally appealing dynamic that has been established by reggae bands. You can play love songs, you can play hardcore angry political songs. They all fit into the dynamic. And not only that, it seems that you have a universally positive message. I mean, even some really angry, dark reggae songs, you go see the band live and everybody’s dancing.””
So drink up UCSD. High Tide is bound to go down easy.
