When bands fuse different musical genres together, the result sometimes can be messy—not for local band ZuhG.

Formed in 2007, ZuhG blends funk, jazz, reggae and rock in their music. Lead singer Bryan Nichols said the group was named after his middle name—it was between Zuhg and Fish, but Fish was already taken.

Despite the band’s recent member changes, Nichols said the current group members have “unique musical backgrounds” and “usually have fun on stage.”

Nichols along with ZuhG’s newest drummer, Rooster, both started their musical journey in 5th grade jazz band. Meanwhile, Charleee, the group’s ‘mouth situation,’ played clarinet at a young age.

Charleee explained ‘mouth situation’ as emceeing and beatboxing. Artists, such as Binary Star, Zion I & The Grouch and Rahzel, inspire Charleee’s hip-hop influence in ZuhG.

Charleee said the band is a close-knit group.

“Because we travel so much, you are forced into getting close,” Charleee said. “Any member that comes into ZuhG usually gets a crash course of the group when they join.”

Rooster has been in the band only for three weeks and said he already feels a part of the group.

“The personalities in this band are some of the most intense personalities I’ve met in my life,” Rooster said. “We’re also funny and emotional.”

Rooster said he gets emotional from performing.

“(Performing) releases my problems and tension—I get that natural high,” Rooster said.

Nichols said he had a crazy experience during the band’s recent performance at Northstar at Tahoe ski resort.

“The back of my shirt caught on fire,” Nichols said. “I got too close to the propane heaters on stage. I threw my guitar down and stopped, dropped and rolled—it actually worked. Then, I took my shirt off and waved it to the crowd.”

Nichols recently performed on bass at a Sacramento State Nooner with folk rockers Musical Charis. He said the Nooner was a good show and is excited with the upcoming Nooner with ZuhG.

“(Performing) is my favorite thing to do,” Nichols said. “I feel bored if I’m not playing a show.”

Nichols said the band feeds off energy from the crowd and their best shows are when people are singing and dancing.

Regardless of the amount of people in the audience ZuhG still performs like it was a packed house.

“At a show in Redding, there were only two people there, we still went wild during the whole set,” Nichols said.

Usually musicians travel in vans, yet ZuhG recently bought a school bus in Half Moon Bay. The band painted an image of a sky on the inside ceiling and built beds too.

“We grew out of our old van, but this bus is awesome,” Nichols said.

ZuhG stays interactive with their fans through their YouTube channel they call “ZuhG TV.” The band releases a new video every 300 views while documenting its whereabouts.

“ZuhG TV” will feature the band’s upcoming “For The Love of Music Tour,” with friends Musical Charis. The tour will be 60 shows in 60 cities and will follow with a documentary movie.

Charleee said he is excited for the upcoming tour.

“I love being on stage and traveling,” Charleee said. “You don’t get that feeling anywhere else.”

Jordan Riturban can be reached at [email protected]