Fortunate Youth brings its mellow SoCal reggae sound to Petaluma

Ask Corey Draskovich to describe the message conveyed by the Fortunate Youth’s feel-good songs, and the vocalist sums it up in three words: peace, love and unity.

“Our goal is to bring people together through our music and share some good times while doing so,” he said.

That message resonates throughout the band’s latest album, “Good Times (Roll On),” and will undoubtedly carry through to its Mystic Theatre appearance on Wednesday, Nov. 17.

Fortunate Youth — Dan Kelly (vocals), Travis “Travi Bongo” Walpole (percussion), Jered Draskovich (keys/bass), Greg Gelb (bass, guitar), Corey Draskovich (bass, guitar, keys), and Revelation Kalauli (drums) — formed in 2009 and this group of Hermosa Beach, California, longtime friends has been putting a mellow Southern California spin on its reggae sound ever since. And it’s found a receptive audience: The new album recently debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes reggae chart and garnered more than 1 million streams in its first week.

The band evokes the laid-back, Southern California sun, sand, skate and surf culture, with a soulful sound that is as much Motown as Trenchtown.

“There are so many influences for us, it’s hard to list, but here’s a few,” Draskovich said. “Freddie McGregor, Bill Withers, Smokey Robinson, the Doors, the Doobie Brothers, Fat Freddy’s Drop — and the list could go on.”

The new album finds Fortunate Youth ready for renewal, after the group’s members made the most of the quarantine.

“It was definitely unprecedented times,” Draskovich said of the band’s string of pandemic-related show cancellations, “but we took what time we had off the road to spend with family and loved ones. When you’ve been touring for 10 years, it’s nice to be able to have some time at home. The first six to eight months, I spent a lot of time with myself working on music and trying to utilize the personal time to create healthy routines. After that, I slowly entered back into the outside world and got in the studio to put in work on this album.”

The songs, especially the easy grooving title track (the album’s first single and debut music video) are the perfect soundtrack for backyard barbecues and friendly reunions in the post-pandemic era.

“I wouldn’t say the album is saying to go out and party like it’s 1999,” Draskovich said, “although there are a song our two hinting towards that. I’d say the album is kind of a reflection on good times we’ve had and the reminder to appreciate those moments ’cause you never know when you’ll have the chance to do it again. But the album spans many topics, from the juxtaposition of city life from one person to the next and battles with self-confidence. There’s a lot of good things in the world and for the band we need to try our best to be the change we want to see.”

Meanwhile, Fortunate Youth is eager to get back on the road. The band’s current tour — its first since the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown — brings them to Petaluma this week.

“We’re ready to go out play some shows,” Draskovich affirmed, “share our music and create new memories with our friends and family.”

Over the years, Fortunate Youth has built a devoted fan base coast-to-coast, from Santa Cruz to Seattle, and Denver to Miami Beach.

“I think our music carries messages for any community, whether it’s the beach, desert — any geographical location,” Draskovich said. “We just try to write songs about things we know about and keep our message as true to us as possible, and that seems to resonate with people.”

How rewarding is that?

“Playing music in front of people is a hard feeling to describe,” he said. “One thought that occurs during performing, for me, is how appreciative I am that people enjoy our music and support us in pursuing our passion. We couldn’t do this with out all the people supporting us, listening to our music, getting merch and just spreading the word.”