“Local Space Boy was created out of boredom and a front flip gone wrong.”
These words come from Chapman’s own Skyler Brigmann, a musician known as Local Space Boy, who graduated from Dodge College this year with a degree in film production. In late July of 2020, he did a front flip on the beach. He landed on his tailbone – and broke it. The bizarre moment amidst the continual stress of the pandemic did not slow him down, but instead became a starting line of sorts.
Soon after the incident, Brigmann began to embrace his passion for making music. He’d been writing lyrics and songs for years, but he’d never recorded them. The combination of tailbone-induced bedrest and epiphanies about life’s finitude led him to buy a new guitar and dive into music-making. He never looked back; the new song he’s working on was pulled up on the computer in front of him as we chatted on Zoom.
“I’m trying to catch up to it all, because I’ve been playing guitar for a while now, since high school, but I didn’t know theory or any of that stuff was a thing until later,” Brigmann said. “I just knew cowboy chords and how to look things up online and strum along. I was that guy in the Morlan lounge that people made fun of for playing guitar – and rightfully so.”
He learned about theory while at Chapman as a film music minor, but also invested hours of his free time into figuring out the music-making process from start to finish.
“As an artist, I want to consistently learn,” he said. “I’ve been trying to make music for a while now and with my music I kind of do all of it: I produce, mix, master, all that good stuff.”
Beyond music, Brigmann is an experienced actor and creates his own album covers and Spotify canvas animations. He approaches each art form with unbridled curiosity, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
“I don’t consider myself an animator or an illustrator, but it’s all just for fun,” he said. “I told myself that the second I start thinking about music as a way of making money then I’m done. Because that’s not what it’s for. It’s for fun, and I don’t expect anyone to listen, but if they do, and they like it, then that’s great!”
Citing inspirations like The Greeting Committee, Local Natives, Boy Pablo, Beach House, and Mac Miller, among others, he creates music that feels both calm and vibrant. He describes his long-term sound as surf on the indie/alternative side, though he noted that he recently released several songs that fall more into surf pop.
To listen and support Local Space Boy’s work, check him out on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow him on Instagram @sbrigmann.