For Peace Band unites Guam and Hawaiian reggae
Dailyreggae.com caught up with Freddy from For Peace Band to learn about the band’s evolution and what’s on the horizon.
Tell me about For Peace Band. When did you come together and what was the inspiration behind the band?
Well, how it began was JC was in the music scene in Hawaii and he was in a band called Rootikal Riddim in Oahu and then flew to Guam in 2011 and throughout 2012. In 2012, JC and I started writing music together. He moved to the island because he was having a baby with one of our local girls from Guam. We started writing music together in 2012 and we were both interested in reggae. I was in a local reggae band as well. JC inspired me to write music and for the next two years from 2012 – 2014, we established For Peace Band.
During the writing process of 2012, with JC and I, we were releasing a bunch of stuff on SoundCloud. JC was pushing out digital versions on SoundCloud and by the time 2014 came through, we got more serious and started establishing the group, getting members together and that’s how we wrote and released Forwards Ever. And ever since then, we’ve watched everything move forward.
After releasing Forwards Ever in 2014, we started touring from 2014 to 2018 and that’s when we picked up Kam. Kam started touring with us when we released Always Love. He was our guitarist for that album. Our newest member is Zach and he plays bass. He is Kam’s relative. They are kind of like bash brothers you know what I mean (laughs).
What is the music scene like in Guam? Is there a big reggae heritage on the island?
Yeah, Guam has a lot of island music and island artists. We are very influenced by the Hawaiian Islands and the island music out there. We mimic that a lot. A lot of the island music from Jamaica influences us. We have a lot of interest in Hawaiian and Jamaican reggae. That’s how a lot of reggae artists in Guam get their influence.
Guam is also known as stomping grounds for different reggae acts. Some well-known acts like UB40 have been to Guam. Fiji has shown some love to the island. J Boog, Siaosi, Hot Rain Band, Shaggy, Yellowman and a bunch of the Jamaican and Hawaiian island musicians.
There’s a very diverse amount of reggae that plays on the radio waves and our island people are heavily influenced by it. A lot of the local artists cover the tunes at the clubs and bars. Cali roots reggae is also popular in Guam.
With all of these influences, what kind of reggae music does For Peace Band play?
For Peace Band has a unique take on the way we play reggae compared to the other local artists on Guam, because JC is influenced by Oahu and Hawaii. What we’re seeing in For Peace Band is this Guam and Hawaii union. The collaboration is very unique and special. We love Jamaican music too. We love roots reggae music from Jamaica. We take that to heart. You’ve got to respect the culture.
Singing and playing drums at the same time, especially during live shows, is no easy task! And JC sings and plays keys. How do you prepare?
I still cannot believe it honestly (laughs). Singing and playing any instrument is pretty wild. When I mentioned being influenced by Jamaican reggae music, I feel like that’s an understatement. Jamaicans are well known for really putting a lot of different kinds of special live arrangements into their sets. That factors into every kind of live music, but we don’t want to play our live sets exactly like our recordings.
We try to break things down in a simple language with what is recorded, so the message is clear. And then with live shows come, we want to emphasize, so we can get every word enhanced. We have to make the music danceable. It has to have a groove right! It has to have a pattern of building. That’s kind of the journey from recording, breaking it down, making it a simple language for everyone to digest, and then when it gets on the road, that’s where we create these arrangements.
Every member has the role of putting the arrangements together. Kam starts off by sketching a few ideas. I’ll sketch a few ideas and then JC will bring his ideas to the rehearsal and we’ll put it all together.
In 2018, For Peace Band released Always Love. In 2020, you released the single, Massive & Crew. Tell me about these releases and what you’re working on.
We are so excited about the new music that we are making. By the time we hit the road, we’re going to be playing a bunch of new songs. It’s going to be a fresh perspective of our current state of the group.
To follow up Always Love, we released the single Fly Up in 2019 and then released the single Massive & Crew with Jah Maoli in 2020. Both of those tracks are a collaboration with a producer, Pana, in Oahu. Pana is a well-known producer and closely works with JC and helps brings the band’s idea to life. Pana has been really instrumental in that and collaborating with us on Fly Up and Massive & Crew. We have a lot to thank him for. He’s helping us create our sound that’s going to be part of our new journey.
We are working on a new album. Fans can expect a newer sound for sure. A lot of fusion. We’ll be debuting our new members, Kam and Zach, and are excited to share our new For Peace sound. Shout out to Mike Stebe out in Orlando. He’s been recording my drums and vocals. We’ve been recording for a year now, and I’m really happy with the progress.
I love the name For Peace Band. What was the inspiration to name the band, For Peace Band?
When we were first starting, JC was taking the lead with our group and I was helping bring us together. When we first started, there were four of us. We were looking for our band name and JC said, why don’t we just name ourselves Four Piece Band. Later on, down the line, when we started writing our music, we were inspired by the music we were writing and how much of an impact in the world reggae music makes as a world genre. It influences positivity and influences building a community of good people. And we thought for our release in 2014, why don’t we name the band, For Peace Band.
We thought about the inspiration of becoming a Four Piece Band to becoming For Peace Band and it’s the same sound, but different words. It was fate at that point to pull ourselves together. The word band doesn’t necessarily mean a group of musicians. It also means together. Our group name is for peace together. This is the main message that we want to influence, to put our name out there in the world, and to share our lives with the world. We cannot wait to continue this musical journey with everybody!
When I watched your Cali Roots 2019 performance, I remember you giving a plug to Josh Heinrichs. Did Josh play a role in helping you out in your earlier days?
Absolutely, we love Josh! We also love SkillinJah! Our relationship with Josh started on Guam. There used to be this festival called Trench Fest on Guam and it brought different Cali Roots and reggae artists to Guam. Trench Fest approached us to be a backing band for Josh Heinrichs, and of course, we agreed. We ended up jamming and playing together on Guam. For Peace backed up Josh Heinrichs and SkillinJah in Guam and then we connected with Mona from Polynesian Underground in 2016 to go on tour.
Josh was a big influence in getting us on the road. We actually did go on the road before we met Josh. In 2015, we played with The Expanders and Arise Roots, but we definitely hold that special relationship with Josh and SkillinJah. After our West Coast tour in 2016 with Josh and SkillinJah, we ended at Cali Roots as our last show. That helped take us to higher heights.
The following year, we toured with Fortunate Youth, Iya Terra, and The Expanders. It’s such a long journey with so much love. We are looking forward to working with Josh in the future and other artists in the community.
Are there any favorite venues that you’ve played at?
We love Cali Roots at the Monterey Fair Grounds. The Music Box in San Diego is one of our favorites. The Crocodile in Seattle, Troubadour in Hollywood, and The Observatory in Santa Ana are all very intimate.
How can fans support your music?
Follow our Instagram and stay updated on our Facebook. Look out for our new releases on Spotify this year!
Photo courtesy of For Peace Band.
