The music is always bumping at Drift House. On a Friday night, student musician Zuloh Music took the stage in the front yard framed by trees. A neon orange shag carpet on the makeshift stage and studio lighting gave the illusion of a professional venue. Up on the rooftop balcony, students headbanged, and down below, groups of friends danced.

At USC, a nightlife scene rooted in conversation, collaborative creativity and the intimacy of small artistic communities has taken shape. House shows and student-run gatherings offer a gentler, more intentional alternative to the well-established fraternity circuit for many students on campus.

“The goal was to put on house shows and create a community behind it. I wanted Drift House to be somewhere where musicians could play, and we cultivated a vibe that was really at its core, about showcasing musicians who were USC students,” said Micheal Tringale, the owner of Drift House, and a senior majoring in music industry. 

Bounce House is a similar venue near USC’s campus that hosts live shows. It has been passed down from generation to generation of popular music majors at USC, according to Samson Rabinowitz, one of the current owners of Bounce House and a senior majoring in popular music. 

A key aspect of the culture around Bounce House and other houses is collaboration with other student groups. A network of other clubs and organizations such as KXSC Radio, the Undergraduate Student Government’s Concerts Committee, 840 West Records and Sonder Music Group as well as performers and frequent attendees has created a thriving house show culture.

“All of those clubs and organizations wanted to be part of the same goal of allowing artists to vocalize their work and creatively express themselves,” Tringale said.

At the core of his mission with Drift House is to do just that, Tringale said: provide a space for student musicians to be able to perform and get a start on their careers as aspiring artists.

“We drew in a crowd of people who are really passionate, just love music and want to work together,” Tringale said. “That’s what’s so great about Thornton [School of Music] specifically, is that the music industry students and everybody under Thornton is so open to collaboration.”

Drift House recently hosted a show put on by Back Lot, formerly known as Tiny Dorm SC, and the Concerts Committee, at which music industry major Anna Harrell and popular music major Asher Belsky performed. 

A lot of the proceeds from that event went to the artists, and Tringale said he was happy to be able to give back, as he wanted Drift House to be a place where musicians could profit as well as perform. 

There is a symbiotic relationship between the house owners and the student musicians; all of them want to gain experience for their future careers in various aspects of the music industry, Tringale said.

Sophia Condon, a junior majoring in popular music, said she often performs at house shows, seeing them as a low stakes opportunity to hone her craft. House shows also provide an opportunity for Condon and her fellow popular music majors to collaborate and support each other’s performances. 

“The cool thing about USC is that there’s so many different bands that can play, because obviously we have Thornton, which [has] so many talented people,” Condon said. “I don’t even need to go to concerts that much, because I’m like, ‘Well, I just get to see my friends perform for like, $7.’”

For Condon, performing at so many house shows has allowed her to build not only relationships with fellow performers but also with the larger USC community, a sentiment some partygoers also shared. 

When Talya Fleisher, a junior majoring in writing for screen and television, first arrived on campus, she said she struggled to find a nightlife environment that matched her personality. Large parties felt overwhelming and impersonal; she wanted something quieter, something that made room for real conversations. House shows were her solution. 

“The music’s quieter, you can actually hear people, and the people there are usually those I share interests with,” Fleisher said. “It’s easier to connect when the space isn’t demanding that you shout over everything.”

Inclusivity is also a value that some house shows promote. Rabinowitz said student organizations such as Women in Music and FemFest throw house shows dedicated to fostering diversity. 

“We have a lot of those groups that have [supporting inclusivity] as their mission and their purpose,” Rabinowitz said. “That’s why you’ll see a much safer space, hopefully around the shows, as opposed to a frat where if a guy wants to get in, it’s $40 and a girl gets in for free.”  

Tringale also said house shows provide a safe space for more USC students to enjoy themselves on a night out.

As someone who frequently organizes gatherings for writers, Gabriela Rey, a junior majoring in writing for screen and television and the president of Writers Room USC, said she sees house-based events as not only social hubs but also vital networking spaces for the School of Cinematic Arts, School of Dramatic Arts and other creative schools. 

“Frat parties are a lot harder because I’m personally not a part of the Greek life community,” Rey said. “House parties let you build friendships and meet collaborators. People actually remember the conversations they have there.”

For many USC students, community is built not through spectacle, but through shared spaces where people can communicate, collaborate and connect.