For Peace Band makes the Top 10 Billboard Charts

CJ Ochoco | For Pacific Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK

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With the rise of original music, Guam’s local music scene is experiencing a renaissance. For Peace Band is one of the bands leading the way with the release of their newest album, “Always Love.” Their album was released at the end of July, and it has quickly gained praise and success, making it to the top 10 Reggae Albums on the Billboard 100 charts.

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For Peace Band is a Guam-based band consisting of Ronald “RJ” Pereira, guitar and vocals; Freddy Bordallo, drums and vocals; Jacob “JC” Iosia, keyboard and vocals; and Danton Cruz, bass. Pereira hails from Sinajana, Cruz is from Yona, while Bordallo and Iosia reside in Santa Rita. The band members all come from strong musical backgrounds and have been in other prominent Guam bands. For Peace Band came together when Bordallo met Iosia in 2012. They began as a duo, but they were soon joined by Pereira and Cruz, completing the four-piece band.

Released their first album in 2014

In 2014, the band released their first album “Forwards Ever.” After the album’s debut, For Peace began touring, making them one of the most prolific touring bands to come from Guam. In 2015 and 2016, the band was able to play shows throughout Hawaii and the United States West Coast. Their first national tour was in the summer of 2017, where they joined popular reggae artists Fortunate Youth and Josh Heinrichs on a nine-week tour across twenty states. Their momentum did not stop there as the band continued to do more tours in the fall of 2017 and 2018.

When asked about the touring experience, drummer Freddy Bordallo shared that the band is always grateful for the hospitality of the people that take care of them at each stop. In turn, they share the inafa’maolek spirit to those they encounter. Bordallo also said “it’s an overwhelming, awesome experience to load-in, load-out, sell merch, and meet fans – to actually have fans come out and buy tickets to watch you.” Their best touring experiences include playing at festivals, including the Cali Roots festival in 2016 and 2018.

Making it on Billboard Top 100 Reggae

Throughout all the touring, the band found time to write and produce their 13-song album, “Always Love.” The album was three years in the making. After the release of their first album, they knew that they wanted to release more original music but the band wanted to ensure that whatever they produced was of good quality. Taking inspiration from their muses and their message of spreading peace, love, and unity, the band worked together to write, record, and produce their sophomore album.

Shortly after the release of the album, Bordallo explained that they got a call from their manager informing them of their spot in the Billboard Top 100 Reggae chart. The band was extremely humbled and happy about the news, which only pushes them to make more music and build their audience. On Sept. 26, For Peace will embark on a five-week album tour to the west coast and Hawaii.

'Lifestyle of bringing people together'

To Bordallo, the message of For Peace is that “For Peace Band is not only a group of musicians just playing music. It is a lifestyle of bringing people together. That’s what music does.” As they continue to make waves in the national reggae music scene, For Peace wants to continue reaching out to the community on Guam and to younger musicians to encourage them to keeping working hard and to “manifest their dreams to reality.”

The band would like to thank their family, friends, and fans for their continued support. “Always Love” is being distributed by Rootfire Cooperative, and it can be found on all major digital platforms. The band is also planning an album release party before they go on tour. To find out more about this event and to see their available merchandise, follow For Peace Band on their social media.

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