JR Halliday is a Sacramento multi-instrumentalist best known as a longtime member of the local jam-based reggae/funk/rock band ZuhG, where he contributes guitar, bass, and vocals alongside frontman Bryan Nichols.[1][2][3] Beyond ZuhG he is a recurring figure in the Sacramento scene as a solo performer and an in-demand guest/session guitarist.[4][5][2] ZuhG — which formed in Sacramento and has cultivated fans well beyond the region through consistent touring — remains active, having released new music as recently as 2025.[6][7]
At a glance
- Multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, vocals) in ZuhG, a Sacramento band active since 2007.[1][3]
- One of two guitarist/bassist/vocalist contributors in ZuhG, alongside Bryan Nichols.[1][2][3]
- Performs under his own name "JR Halliday," including at the ZuhG Life Store's second-anniversary concert in 2012 and through his solo "Oregon Coast Sessions" video series.[8][9]
- Backing musician for Jesi Naomi and the Trippers.[4]
- Guest "shredding" guitar on The Old Screen Door's 2014 track "Death and Taxes."[5]
- Part of the backing band for ZuhG's Dr. Dre tribute show in 2012.[2]
- Local status: identified as part of the Sacramento band ZuhG and active in the Sacramento music scene.[1][2]
Role in the scene
Halliday's central role is as a guitarist in ZuhG, which Submerge describes as a Sacramento band that has been "representing Sacramento" since 2007 with a groove-funk style blending blues, jazz, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, ska and reggae.[1] In a 2011 profile of the band's album Free Love, the musical range of ZuhG is credited in part to the guitar work of Halliday and Bryan Nichols.[1] By the 2015 profile around the album Field Trip, Halliday is described as Nichols' "fellow guitarist" and participates in band interviews as a core member.[2]
According to Easy Reader News, Halliday's role in ZuhG extends beyond guitar — he contributes bass and vocals as well, making him a full multi-instrumentalist within the band.[3] The same source reports ZuhG's complete current lineup as Bryan Nichols (vocals, guitar, bass), JR Halliday (guitar, bass, vocals), Jesi Naomi (vocals, piano), Bot (saxophone), and Russel Lundgren (drums).[3]
Halliday is repeatedly tied to the ZuhG Life Store, a local music store ZuhG operated inside Sacramento's Downtown Plaza.[1][4][10] In the 2015 interview he notes that he did not work the store himself, characterizing his involvement as "moral support," and expresses relief when it closed because it freed the band up to tour.[2]
ZuhG originates from Sacramento and has built a dedicated following beyond the city through consistent touring, including regular appearances in the South Bay (Los Angeles area), where the band plays house parties and colleges in addition to clubs.[11]
Discography and recordings
ZuhG's first release was To Be Unlike Others (2008), a debut record put out on the band's own DIY imprint, Sunflower Records.[6] Their documented studio discography subsequently includes Life (2009), Calm & Clear (2013), and Field Trip (2015), alongside singles "Dragonfly" (2013), "Words of Affirmation" (2022), and "CoolSong1" (2025).[7] The 2025 single confirms the band remains active a decade after the Field Trip album release noted in the Submerge corpus.[7]
Collaborations and side work
Halliday appears across several Sacramento projects as a backing and guest musician:
- Jesi Naomi and the Trippers: When Chico-born, Sacramento-based singer Jesi Naomi performs solo, ZuhG members Halliday, Bryan Nichols and Kevin Martinez serve as her backup band under the name Jesi Naomi and the Trippers.[4]
- The Old Screen Door: Halliday contributed a guest guitar solo, described by Submerge as a "shredding guitar guest spot," on the track "Death and Taxes" from the local Rock-N-Soul band's 2014 release The Seduction EP.[5]
- Dr. Dre Tribute Show (2012): Halliday was part of the backing band assembled by ZuhG for a Dr. Dre tribute at Harlow's on Dec. 29, 2012, alongside Nichols, drummer Katayo Moore (Lady Rhythm) and keyboardist Chez Gonzales.[2]
He also performed under his own name "JR Halliday" at the ZuhG Life Store's second-anniversary concert in the Downtown Plaza on Nov. 10, 2012, on a bill with Dylan Crawford, Awkward Lemon, Michael Tobias, The Nickel Slots and Adrian Bellue.[8]
Solo work
Halliday performs his own original material under his own name. His "Oregon Coast Sessions" is a solo performance video series filmed at the ZuhG house in Lincoln City, Oregon, where he presents original songs; one episode features his track "A Walk in the Park."[9]
Notable shows
- ZuhG's Free Love CD release show at Beatnick Studios, April 9, 2011, plus an Earth Day show April 13, 2011 at Sierra College in Rocklin.[1]
- The first Non-Drummer Drum-Off, a comedic event co-organized and sponsored by ZuhG Life at the Westfield Downtown Plaza mall, Dec. 4, 2011 (Halliday listed among participants/scene figures present).[12]
- ZuhG Life Store second-anniversary concert, Downtown Plaza, Nov. 10, 2012.[8]
- Dr. Dre Tribute Show, Harlow's, Dec. 29, 2012.[2]
- ZuhG's Field Trip album release show, Harlow's, March 14, 2015.[2]
- Cosmic Family Gathering 2022, Sacramento, CA — ZuhG performed, confirming the band's ongoing activity and Sacramento connection into at least 2022.[13]
Local status
JR Halliday is treated as a local Sacramento musician throughout the corpus. ZuhG is repeatedly called a "Sacramento band" and credited with "representing Sacramento" since 2007, and Halliday is named as one of its guitarists.[1] In the 2015 Field Trip interview he speaks as a core member of the Sacramento-based band; while Nichols had by then relocated to the Oregon coast, the band remained Sacramento-rooted, returning to mix and master at Pus Cavern Studios in town.[2] The band's continued appearance at Sacramento events such as the 2022 Cosmic Family Gathering and release of new music through 2025 affirm that connection has not lapsed.[7][13] Confidence: high.