ZuhG is a Sacramento jam band, active since 2007, known for a hard-to-categorize blend of funk, reggae, jazz, rock, blues, psychedelia and hip-hop, fronted throughout its existence by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nichols.[1][2][3] Beyond music, the band became a fixture of the local scene by operating the ZuhG Life Store, a consignment-based local music/art/clothing shop inside Sacramento's Downtown Plaza.[4]
At a glance
- Sacramento ("City of Trees") four-piece, later larger lineup, formed 2007.[5][2]
- Self-described meaning of "ZuhG": "to be unlike others, and to do something different."[4]
- Genre cited variously as funk-rock-reggae-jam, "groove-funk," and ska-reggae-funk mashup.[5][2][6]
- Multiple SAMMIES awards; SN&R Sammie nominations in R&B (2008) and Jam Band (2009).[5][7]
- Ran the ZuhG Life Store in Downtown Plaza (closed summer 2014).[4][6]
- Founded and hosted ZuhGFest, an annual music festival.[8]
- Six studio albums by 2015; recorded repeatedly at Pus Cavern Studios.[5][6]
- Active as of January 2025, with releases continuing through the 2020s.[9][?]
Origin, name and local status
ZuhG is from Sacramento, repeatedly described in Submerge as a "Sacramento band," "the four-piece from the City of Trees," and "local," confirming origin (not merely fame) in the Greater Sacramento region.[5] The band's home base is listed as "Sacramento, Calif."[7] and it is called "Sacramento's esteemed Hall of Fame ska-reggae-funk mashup band."[6] This makes ZuhG unambiguously local. Frontman Bryan Nichols studied music locally, attending Sierra College (Rocklin) and later Sacramento City College.[5]
Nichols has explained the band's unusual name: ZuhG means "to be unlike others, and to do something different." He believed it was German, said he found it in a Rolling Stone advertisement and turned it in for a homework assignment, and was never able to locate the word again afterward.[4]
Nichols described the band's songwriting approach as genre-agnostic: according to Easy Reader, he said "We just make music that comes naturally. We don't try to force out certain types of songs to uphold a genre."[10][11]
Formation and lineup changes
The band traces to roughly 2007.[2] An early-period account describes the core four-piece: Bryan Nichols (guitar/vocals, frontman), Justin Vance (bass), Brian "Bot" Swart (tenor saxophone), and self-taught drummer Matt Klee.[5] Nichols and Klee met saxophonist "Bot" Swart in a jazz ensemble class at Sierra College, and after a semester of jam sessions Bot joined; his addition effectively replaced the band's earlier cello player, Jarrod Matthews.[5] At that point Bot, age 19, was the youngest member and provided the jazz element that made the band hard to categorize.[5]
By 2011 the lineup had shifted through what Submerge called "multiple incarnations," with Nichols and Klee as the consistent backbone.[2] That era's roster included guitarists JR Halliday and Bryan Nichols, drummer Matt Klee, "beatbox-flow" by Charlie (Charleee) Wheeler, saxophone by Jake (Jacob) Gleason, and background vocals by Bianca Wright.[2] Other members associated with the band over time include Kevin Martinez and Fabian Garcia, and a guitarist referred to as "Andre."[3][6] Singer Jesi Naomi also became a member; when she performed solo, ZuhG members JR Halliday, Bryan Nichols and Kevin Martinez served as her backing band under the name Jesi Naomi and the Trippers.[3] By early 2012 the lineup also included drummer Russel Lundgren, according to Easy Reader.[10] By 2015 the band noted that during the recording of the album Field Trip one of their drummers quit.[6]
Music and recordings
ZuhG's sound was consistently described as defiantly cross-genre — funk, rock, reggae, jam, jazz, blues, psychedelic rock, and hip-hop elements, with saxophone, flute, djembe and melodica in the mix.[5][2] For-fans-of comparisons cited Phish, O.A.R. and the Grateful Dead.[7]
Recordings and releases documented across sources:
- To Be Unlike Others — the band's debut album, released in 2008 on Sunflower Records, predating the ZuhG Life album; according to Easy Reader, this was ZuhG's first full-length release.[10]
- ZuhG Life — album with CD release parties in Sacramento and Roseville in spring 2009, recorded at Sacramento's Pus Cavern Studios.[5] Around its release the band was added as a "High Times Magazine" online unsigned band of the week.[5]
- Fish Tank — a release from 2010, cataloged by Apple Music under Singles & EPs, placing it between the ZuhG Life album and the Free Love LP.[11][10]
- Free Love — self-released album previewed in 2011, featuring tracks such as a reference to the standard "Footprints" and the song "New Shoes (Hippy Feet)"; CD release show at Beatnick Studios on April 9, 2011.[2] Bianca Wright performed as a guest singer on Free Love.[12]
- Calm and Clear — an acoustic album that came together when a drummer quit during the Field Trip sessions; it features Nichols, JR Halliday and singer Jesi Naomi.[6]
- Field Trip — the band's sixth studio album, with a CD release party at Harlow's on March 14, 2015.[6] By the band's account it was started before Calm and Clear was released, but finished afterward.[6] It includes a song called "The Hits," inspired by Nichols fielding cover-song requests at a restaurant gig in Oregon.[6]
Post-2015 releases documented on Apple Music include the single "Take It Easy (Quarantine Song)" (2020)[13], the single "Words of Affirmation" (2022)[14], and the single "CoolSong1" released January 16, 2025 — confirming ZuhG's continued activity well beyond the Submerge coverage period.[9]
Local radio station KWOD 106.5 played the band's song "Shangri La" (deemed "reggae enough"), declining "Lately" as "too jazzy."[5] Pus Cavern Studios was a recurring recording home for the band across years.[5][6][12]
The ZuhG Life Store
ZuhG operated a roughly 1,000-square-foot retail space called the ZuhG Life Store inside Downtown Plaza (the Westfield Downtown Plaza mall), running it on consignment as a local music/art/clothing store.[4] Nichols said the opportunity arose while he was booking live shows for the mall: when he went to collect an advance payment, mall management offered him an empty storefront to open a music store.[4] One wall was devoted to CDs and local-band T-shirts; it grew to include music lessons, local art, local clothing companies and shows out front.[4][6] Nichols credited the store with greatly raising the band's local recognition — so much so that some people thought the band itself was named "ZuhG Life."[4] The store served as a ticket outlet for local events and a base for the band's practice space (located behind the store).[7][3] The store closed in summer 2014; Nichols said running it was demanding because it had to stay open during mall hours, complicating touring.[6]
Scene activity, shows and ZuhGFest
ZuhG was an active part of Sacramento's live and DIY scene:
- Played a Second Saturday Art Walk set at the Blue Lamp (April 11, 2009), pulling the crowd onto the dance floor.[5]
- Booked winter resort residencies at Tahoe's Northstar and Sugar Bowl; Nichols was famously set on fire by an on-stage propane heater during a Northstar show and finished the set.[5][2]
- Co-organized and sponsored the first Non-Drummer Drum-Off (Dec. 4, 2011) at the Westfield Downtown Plaza, alongside the ZuhG Life Store; Charleee Wheeler and Bryan Nichols both competed.[15]
- Performed at Submerge's 100th Issue Party at Ace of Spades (Dec. 16, 2011) alongside Sister Crayon, Tera Melos, Ganglians, Random Abiladeze & DJ Rated R, and Early States.[7]
- Threw a Dr. Dre Tribute Show ("ZuhG and Friends") at Harlow's on Dec. 29, 2012, with a backing band of Nichols, JR Halliday, drummer Katayo Moore (aka Lady Rhythm) and keyboardist Chez Gonzales, plus guest MCs; Nichols cited The Chronic 2001 as the most-played album in the ZuhG tour van.[16]
- Played the 2012 Friday Night Concerts in the Park series (May 25, 2012) at Cesar Chavez Park.[8]
- Performed at Saint Rocke (Hermosa Beach, CA) circa January 25, 2012, ahead of launching the "For The Love Of Music Tour."[10]
According to Easy Reader, ZuhG undertook a named two-month tour called the "For The Love Of Music Tour" beginning March 1, 2012.[10]
ZuhG founded ZuhGFest, an annual music festival. The 2013 edition (Oct. 18–20, 2013) was held at the Sierra Shangri-La Resort along the North Yuba River near Downieville, California — a location Nichols' family had vacationed at for decades.[17] He booked it with a friend named Franco, mixing Sacramento bands (Massive Delicious, James Cavern, Justin Farren, Island of Black and White, EGG and others) with touring acts from Reno, Wisconsin, West Virginia, the Bay Area, Nevada City and the Central Valley.[17]
Touring and the Oregon move
ZuhG toured heavily, often forgoing hotels and camping in parking lots or staying with friends.[2] Frontman Bryan Nichols relocated to Lincoln City on the Oregon coast (publicly noted by 2015), which the band said broadened their reach up the Oregon coast into Washington rather than breaking up the band.[6] As of 2015 the band described itself as committed to being an active touring band — focused on festivals and on opening for larger acts — and mentioned plans for a Hawaii trip (August 2015) and a national tour in October.[6]
Scene relationships
ZuhG sat at the center of an interconnected Sacramento musical web. Members and guests spun off or overlapped with other projects:
- Groovincible was formed in 2011 by ZuhG-affiliated musicians Matt Klee, Jacob (Jake) Gleason and Bianca Wright, who bonded during ZuhG's 2009 Hippy Feet tour; Wright had guested on ZuhG's Free Love before the trio broke away to write their own material.[12]
- Jesi Naomi and the Trippers — Jesi Naomi joined ZuhG, and ZuhG members backed her solo work under that name.[3]
- Nichols frequently backed local hip-hop artists, including Random Abiladeze and RIZ.[16]
- The band was filmed for Wes Davis and Devon Carsen's "Live in the City of Trees" local-music video project (shot at a "secret spot in Old Sac" that also produced a ZuhG Submerge cover photo).[18]