Hailing from the beach city of Hermosa Beach, California, Fortunate Youth is a reggae-rock sextet known for its smooth grooves. Composed of artists Dan Kelly, Jered Draskovich, Corey Draskovich, Travis Walpole, Greg Gelb, and Revelation Kalauli, Fortunate Youth quickly became a favorite touring troupe. Recently, however, the pandemic imposed a slower pace on the band and the group took their time to curate their next record.
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Out on October 1, Good Times (Roll On) drops as a polished twelve-track dive into sentimentality and the amelioration of perspective. Fortunately, American Songwriter was able to catch up with two members of the reggae crew, Greg Gelb (bass, guitar) and Corey Draskovich (bass, guitar, keys) about their newest project. Read below for a behind-the-scenes look into Fortunate Youth’s upcoming album Good Times (Roll On) and its title track.
American Songwriter: Can you tell us a little bit about how it feels to be releasing an album in our current moment?
Corey Draskovich: It’s always a mixture of emotions releasing an album. The reminder of late hours and long days spent to finish a particular song. The resolution of finally hearing years of work coming to fruition as a finished product. The joy that these songs bring to us, and the reminder of why we chose to create the music. Every album is a mixture of new experiences and overall a constant learning lesson in music and life, and in the current moment, we are happy with what we’ve achieved and hope people enjoy all the new music.
Greg Gelb: It feels good to release the music we have been working on for a while and always aim for it to make a positive impact. It seems that more than ever, Peace Love & Unity is extremely important for us during these times, and feel this album is definitely speaking to the times.
AS: Where do you think Good Times (Roll On) fits in your evolution as a band?
CD: Good Times (Roll On) in my mind is a perfect blend of throwback Fortunate Youth, mixed with our evolution in music production and approach to writing and creating music. Each album we create, we learn from the experience, and to me, this album is an accumulation of those lessons learned. I think it blends perfectly with where we are at as a band and our perspective on the future ahead of us.
GG: After a decade of music this album covers the original roots feel of the band, vibe and message, and a progression of production, performance, and songwriting. This album covers a lot of ground yet maintains a consistent feel.
AS: What are some of your favorite songwriting or production moments from creating Good Times (Roll On)?
CD: When making music, specifically a song, there’s a lot of feel-good moments along the way. Some stand out more than others, but ultimately those moments are the driving force behind pursuing the song all the way to end. One for me was in “Good Times (Roll On),” when we confirmed the lyrics for the 2nd verse. You can tell whose cooking the food when you walk in the front door, talking stories about the past and smoking up some more. The imagery created by those words connects so much with me it gives me goosebumps when I hear it. In regards to production moments, the Synth Riser used in The Situation is one of those pieces of ear candy that really creates texture in a song, and using the Juno60 analog synth to make it added all the more fun to it.
GG: It’s always fun to experiment and we spent a lot of hours in the studio for this album. The best moments are always organic, and often fueled by a “that last take of yours was epic, but I think this next one is it. Run it!” A cool moment I remember was Dan firing through a take of “Good Times (Roll On),” one of those moments when everything is just gelling and out of nowhere the power went out! We all looked at each other, laughed, and said “Vibes!”
AS: What is the story behind “Good Times (Roll On),” the single? How did you decide to make this the title track?
CD: The music came a long way, from the initial guitar riff being written while on tour in Hawaii, to the first rough draft of the song as a whole over some Style Scott drumbeats, then eventually with the final version that ended up on the record. We felt the message and song conveyed our perspective on life at the time. Sometimes we get caught up in the everyday stress of life, It’s good to remind yourself of the memories and good times you’ve shared with friends and family, and know that the future is there to make what you want of it and create new memories. With the touring industry being at a standstill, being home reminded us of those good times we’ve shared with all the people we love.
GG: This song definitely encapsulates the overall feel of the album and is a throwback to where we come from. Ironically the core of it was written before the pandemic in an effort to inspire a return to the “Good Times.” Lots of nostalgia in this track and I think it has a number of elements we can all relate to. Some of the best moments in life are extremely simple and this track takes us back to the simplicity of friends and family enjoying a backyard BBQ.
AS: What were some of your inspirations for the other eleven tracks on the album?
CD: Musically so many inspirations, I think we all do a good job of taking our musical influences and conveying them through the music we make. The City for instance has a vibe reminiscent of The Doors with the Vox Continental Organ in the intro and the smooth electric piano used in the bridge, all being twisted into a reggae-influenced tune with a heavy bass line. Dan’s lyrics of the contradictory perspectives of living in the city from the day-to-day worker, to the ones living on the street, give reflection on his soul and blues influence.
GG: We tied a lot of influences into this album. From roots reggae to classic feel-good tunes, hints of Van Morrison and the Doors blended with flavors reminiscent of Gregory Isaacs, with a modern twist, I think we made a nice little musical jambalaya.
AS: Can you tell us what it was like to collaborate with your featured artists on this record?
CD: Collaborating with feature artists is always fun and can be the highlight of making a song. We were lucky enough to have some great features on this album. Mellow Mood absolutely crushed their verses, I remember Travis turning us onto them before a performance at Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, and then seeing them live I was amazed. We are lucky enough to have some talented friends who blessed us on this album. We did a tour with Dread Kennedy and Skillinjah, and one day we were in the green room with my mobile recording set up and Travis threw down a heavy bass line. The boys toasted on the track and I kept that recording. When we were going through potential songs for the album that one stood out to all of us, so we reached out to the two and asked if they were down to do the track. Then we got our good friend Crucial Nate from Iya Terra for Groovin, and he brought the vibes to that track. Just stoked to work with such great singers and musicians.
GG: Everyone we linked with on the album from Mellow Mood in Italy, to Skillinjah and DreadKennedy, and our brother Gonzo all played crucial roles in the quality of the tracks and album. All class acts and great experiences in working with them. Each of these vocalists knew exactly how to bring the fire to track and elevate them to the next level
AS: What is one thing you want your listeners to remember about your music?
CD: We make the music we love, and we just hope everyone else enjoys it as much as we do.
GG: It’s amazing what music can do and the feelings and memories, and experiences it can evoke. If we leave the slightest bit of “life” with the listener, and a certain feeling of any kind, it’s a success and we’ve done our job.
AS: What’s next for Fortunate Youth?
CD: Hopefully get back to touring, keep making new music, and continue to pursue our dream as musicians.
GG: Excited to be back playing shows, with a few awesome festivals and an upcoming fall tour. Nice to see people with the ability to gather and connect again, nothing better than looking out to the crowd and seeing smiles for days. Looking forward to hearing what people think of the new album in full and already on to the beginnings of new music.
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