Floyd Armstrong / 2nd Annual Runway Chardonnay

York who told me my voice is in the 432 frequency, naturally. That means it’s in the healing frequency where its calming. I wondered why females would say “whenever I hear your voice, I feel so relaxed,” but I never really thought about it,” he said.

Armstrong has hit the ground running with the project. “We have the location in Casa de Oro, we’re raising money now for the equipment,” Armstrong said. He points out how expensive a basic studio need such as a microphone can be. “Something like that can run, $2,000 - $3,000 dollars. You put a bunch of things like that together for the studio and it adds up. We want the studio to be a class act, to make music that calms and relaxes veterans that we can give out and distribute on CD’s or downloads. We’ll even have an app for it. Basically, we’ll record the veterans who have musical talent at our studio and create a platform for them to come in and perform at no cost with our musician’s as well as producer friends that I have.”

Armstrong spent years performing in San Diego with the group, Satisfaction, before joining the Fifth Dimension. Satisfaction achieved regional success, even appearing on TV’s The Gong Show, but it doesn’t compare to what came next. How was the jump to international star? “Sur-

On May 27, Lakeside’s Trevi Hills Winery will host the 2nd Annual Runway Chardonnay, mixing wine, fashion and music, while raising funds for a good cause, the Music Therapy for Veterans Music Studio, located in Casa de Oro.

In addition to raffles and a fashion show with Dawn Sebaugh’s new spring collection from WALA, music fans will be treated to a performance from the studios founder, singer Floyd Armstrong, best known for his work with iconic, six-time Grammy winning hitmakers, The Fifth Dimension, and their long string of hits, including “Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In,” “Up, Up and Away,” and “If I Could Reach You.” Notably, he recently made his acting debut in the Robert Deniro and Christian Bale film, Amsterdam.

Armstrong is a native San Diegan who truly believes in the healing powers of music, with his initial interest piqued by a visit to a VA hospital by The Fifth Dimension. “It began after an autograph session at one of the hospitals for veterans,” he recalled. “I won’t say which one, but I went to a hospital where they were servicing veterans and it just didn’t feel right, it didn’t smell right. I just didn’t like it, and I thought, what can I do to lift the spirits in the hospital when veterans are there? And I thought about music therapy.”

Personal experiences also played a role. “As a kid growing up, my stepfather had PTSD and there were some difficult challenges dealing with him,” Armstrong said. “I don’t know what the problem was, but he was very angry and the only thing that calmed him down other than drinking, was music. One of the few times when he and I could communicate calmly was when I was either singing music or involved with music while he was listening.” Fast forward a few years and Armstrong found himself attending his first music therapy conference at the Town and Country Hotel. “I was inspired by the program and what they did with music.

They worked with veterans who had PTSD, as well as with autism among kids and seniors, but I was more focused on the veteran’s portion because I was looking for somewhere to give from my heart, that wouldn’t seem like work. So, I developed a curriculum where I would raise the money, create free music therapy sessions and then give out the sessions to veterans who applied.” Interestingly, Armstrong’s voice will also play a role in the music studios work. “I was contacted by some doctors from New real,” Armstrong laughed. “Going from clubs with four or five hundred people, to venues with 5 or 10,000, was insane. And then working with choreographers, who worked with Janet Jackson and Diana Ross, and learning major minor chords in a harmony, and then watching the audience reaction to those harmonies. You’ve really got to wrap your mind around it all. Joining the Fifth Dimension was just a surreal experience,” he said good naturedly. Upcoming projects for Armstrong include more touring with the Fifth Dimension, as well as a solo album, Finally Floyd. He will also continue a Wednesday night, 6 – 8 p.m., residency at the Jamul Casino. In the meantime, Armstrong will continue his hard work on the Music Therapy for Veterans Music Studio. For him the ultimate reward from project is “just watching the veterans faces light up,” he said. “When they come in depressed and by the time they leave after a session, they feel lighter, they feel happy. One of my favorite quotes is that music is the one thing that captures your entire brain at one time. That’s what drives me because I know it works.” www.eventbrite.com/e/619185629887