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Marine's Story Moves Brothers To Music
Terri and Ray Estrada watch their sons perform at the Broadlands concert.
(By Rich Lipski -- The Washington Post)
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A soldier who recently returned from Baghdad e-mailed to say that he had lost a couple of friends and that the song "hit hard, but in a good way."
When Jason Dunham's mother, Deb, heard the song, she cried.
"I was just so impressed by their talent and their ability to put into words something to honor all of our soldiers, those that are still here and those that have passed on," she said from her home in Scio, N.Y. "To know that a story about my son was a catalyst to that -- I'm speechless."
The song differs from Josh Estrada's previous work, which "exudes happiness and teenage kind of stuff -- about girls, fun stuff," Ray Estrada said. Josh has released one album, "Life Is What I Make It," on his own label. He calls his music a blend of punk and "power pop" and draws on such artists as Blink-182, Green Day and Santana.
The difference is due partly to the sensitivity of the subject and partly to Jordan's influence. This is the first song Josh has collaborated on with his younger brother. Jordan, who plays guitar and bass and provides backup vocals, created the bass line.
"It feels like a heartbeat," Ray Estrada said.
As a result of their teamwork, "we get different ideas now and different input," Josh said. "We really enjoy working with each other. It's something we don't do often because we're very different."
Jordan, a rising freshman at Briar Woods High School, is taller, plays basketball and is stronger in math. Josh, a rising junior, is stockier, plays football and is more of a humanities student. But they share a penchant for music -- and a familial allegiance to the military.
Ray Estrada, 39, a banker, was a Marine who served in Operations Desert Shield and Storm. The boys' grandfather was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, and their great-grandfather fought in both world wars and was a POW in World War II and survived the Bataan Death March. An uncle is in the Air Force.
Despite the family history, Josh said enlisting "is not something I've ever thought of doing."
"They're still kids," Ray Estrada said. "We just want to get them through high school and college. That's a war zone in itself."
Staff writer Arianne Aryanpur contributed to this report.
