LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Local veterans have come together to create a reggae band, turning service, struggle, and healing into music.
The VA says PTSD affects anywhere from about 11 to 20 percent of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan in a given year. For Roots Riddim Kollectiv, music has always been a part of healing, even from PTSD. Now they have collaborations in the works and are hoping to make a positive impact in Las Vegas.
For many of the artists, music has been there since the beginning. Guitarist and lead vocalist Darrell Mendiola says it’s always been in his family.
“I’ve always been around music growing up, both sides of my family,” Mendiola said.
He was born and raised in Guam, where he says reggae is part of the culture.
“Being in the reggae scene, that’s something that is embedded into our DNA as islanders,” he said.
But he left home at 25 to join the Army, serving 14 years before medically retiring. He says music became a constant outlet through it all.
“When I thought no one could understand me, music was always there for me,” he said. “It soothed my soul and I was just able to ground myself through music.”
Other members, like Alboy, say music helped them cope after deployment and coming home with mental health challenges.
“I served in Iraq in 2008,” Alboy said. “And long story short, I came back in 2009 with a lot of mental health issues, as a lot of veterans do. And I used music as an outlet ever since.”
The band started small and has grown into something bigger.
Now they’re taking the next step, working with six-time Grammy Award-winning producer Bonzai Caruso.
“He has worked with artists previously, names like Damian Marley, Kimani Marley, Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige,” Mendiola said. “Just a few, you know.”
They’re writing all-original music, hoping to represent Las Vegas in the reggae scene and keep building from here.
The group hopes the collaborations lead to something bigger, if not just a stronger community of reggae music in Las Vegas.
The band is currently working with radio stations and has a show on July 25 at the House of Blues.
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