OC REGISTER FEATURE
HUNTINGTON BEACH MUSICIAN HOPES TO HELP YOUTH FACING MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES
It doesn’t matter if you’re feeling up or down, music has a way of soothing the soul.
David Rosales knows if he didn’t have his music as his own personal therapy, the past year would have been even more challenging amid the coronavirus pandemic and all the angst it brought along with it.
“It’s a creative outlet,” the Huntington Beach musician said. “It just does something, it lifts people up and they forget about their troubles – or it lifts them out of their troubles to put them in a better headspace.”
Rosales is hoping his music will help those who may be struggling mentally, especially kids, by holding a fundraiser concert on Saturday, April 17 at Hangar 24 Brewing in Irvine. The goal is not just to put on a fun performance, but to also raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County to help hire a pediatric mental health services resource specialist, needed more than ever as youngsters grapple with isolation and other issues that come from lockdowns and social restrictions.
David Rosales & His Band of Scoundrels will raise money through Rosales’ nonprofit BraveOnes Foundation, which has teamed with CHOC in the past by raising more than $120,000 in 2019 for a new neuroscience playroom.
The group also has helped give 1,500 meals through a program they started called “Meaningful Meals” for families who spend long periods of time at the hospital and 300 more meals for CHOC’s frontline caregivers.
The goal now is to raise $69,000, the cost of a specialist for one year, to help guide parents and kids through mental health needs, he said.
Rachelle Rainey, director of philanthropy at the CHOC Foundation, said the pandemic has hit young people’s mental health especially hard.
“There has been the highest number of emergency room admits for mental health issues,” she said of the past year since the pandemic hit.
A mental health specialist could link patients and their parents or caretakers to community resources, she said, calling the help the BraveOnes Foundation is providing “a powerful and beautiful thing.”
“It takes a village, we couldn’t do it on our own,” she said.
Rosales himself had to find creative ways to stay positive during the pandemic’s shutdowns.
He had just finished his California Love Tour last February when entertainment venues were shuttered – and just before he was to go on tour to promote a new album.
Instead, he found himself performing in his driveway for neighbors. Then, as people reached out, he performed street concerts around the county for people to come out of their homes and enjoy.
He put on 50 or so “Driveway Hop” performances in the last year.
“It was quite a year,” he said. “What a strange year it has been.”
As restrictions loosen, he’s done a few small gigs at places such as Pacific City and the Shorebreak Hotel, each show drawing an audience who lit up at the chance to see live music, he said.
The show this Saturday will be the first big gig he’s had in a year’s time, complete with a stage, lighting and a wide-open area where people of all ages can spread out and enjoy the music, he said.
“You can be as physically distant and socially connected as you want,” he said.
The “Music on the Runway” series at Hangar 24 Brewery is put on by Hampton Productions, which is showcasing local bands every Saturday.
“It’s a good outlet for everybody,” Rosales said. “It’s outside, it’s a good production and a good show.”
He’ll be performing songs from his yet-to-be released album, “Revive,” he said, which was held last year and rescheduled to release this September.
The event is free, but $100 from the sale of VIP tables will go toward the BraveOnes Foundation, as well as 10% of the proceeds from food sales when attendees show the event flyer. There will also be a raffle and merchandise for sale.
Rosales, his wife, Kendra, and two friends, Rose and Jeff Kunze, started the BraveOnes Foundation after the Kunzes’ son, Hendrix, died at a year old from a genetic disorder.
Having spent countless hours at CHOC, and seeing how much was needed for kids facing health issues, they became dedicated to giving back to the hospital.
Typically, they hold two big fundraisers, but last year they were unable to host the events due to pandemic restrictions.
This year, the fourth annual “Hangout for Hendrix” fundraiser is scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Heritage Museum of Orange County. That event will benefit the CHOC Neuroscience and Pediatric Mental Health Services.
“We’re just like everyone else, getting going again,” Rosales said.
For more information, go to BraveOnesFoundation.org. The event at Hangar 24 Brewery is 6 to 9 p.m. Singer and songwriter Sabrina Lentini will perform at 6 p.m., followed from 7 to 9 p.m. by David Rosales & His Band of Scoundrels.
– Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register