Local band fuses jazz, rock and pop The Super Lucky Catz have a hard time describing their own music. Eclectic sounds, voice and lyrics put the group in a musical genre all its own. This Saturday at 1 p.m. during Vintage Days, Fresno State students and the community will have the opportunity to hear the band’s unique style. Lead singer Robert Barron-Gushel, known locally as “The Voice,” brings old school sounds similar to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye to mind. Coupled with the distinctive musical styles of guitarist Brandon Yoshida and bassist Shadow Garza, the band’s sound intermingles jazz, rock and pop offering a similar feel to the laid back tunes of Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. Barron-Gushel, Yoshida and Garza, the band’s three core members, work in collaboration to write all of the Super Lucky Catz’ music and lyrics. While the three remain constant in all performances and recordings, they often enlist the talents of a drummer, a saxophone player and a backup singer to create their unique sound. The group’s goal is to keep their music positive and encouraging. “Music can build a bridge between all people and all demographics,” Barron-Gushel said. “We bring people together. We want to cut the barriers.” Barron-Gushel said the Super Lucky Catz’ songs focus on real human emotions. “We don’t write about women or cars or getting drunk,” Barron-Gushel said. “Our music is representative of our lives and with life comes a lot of different emotions.” He also said their lyrics are playful, and that the catchy melodies are easy to dance along to. The themes of most of their songs are love, lack of love, relationships, friendships and the hope for a better world. Songs like “We All Live Together” and “Fight No More” represent the group’s mission to make the world a better place, while tracks such as “Luna” and “Dance” represent love and hope. Barron-Gushel and Yoshida started out by performing covers of other artists. They soon realized they had a passion for song writing and began writing and recording their own music. Over time, they recruited new talents and sounds until the band grew to the six-member ensemble performing and recording today. Each member of the band is as unique as their music and their name, which stemmed from a time when Barron-Gushel and Yoshida played covers with a Japanese group called Maneki Neko. The group was named after a popular symbolic cat found on Japanese items such as Sake, which means Lucky Cat and eventually grew to the name Super Lucky Catz. Barron-Gushel said Yoshida is athletic and described himself as a “big guy” who enjoys eating and hanging out with friends. Even though the members of the Super Lucky Catz are very different, their passion for music brings them together. All of the members were born and raised in Fresno and the band tries to play locally as often as possible. “We like to stay local because we live her and this is our home,” Barron-Gushel said. Even though the Super Lucky Catz tried their hand at “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” their motivation is not fame or money. “We just love playing music,” Barron-Gushel said. Yoshida said playing in the band has become like a second job. “It’s not a hobby anymore, but that’s a good thing. It’s fun but also challenging,” he said. “When we are playing live and I get to see people singing the songs and enjoying the music, it makes it all worth it.” By Kaley Delarosa
