Music forged in faith. Carried through fire.
For anyone still fighting their way back.
✠ Malachi 3:1 ✠
Why We Play
We play because we need to.
And because someone out there does too.
The veterans who came home from Iraq and Afghanistan carrying things nobody talks about at the dinner table. The believers whose faith got knocked sideways by years of hard living. The people sitting alone at 2am who don't know if they'll make it to morning.
This is who we play for. Not as a tagline. Because we've been in those rooms. The founder came home from two tours in Iraq and spent years finding his way back. Music opened the door. Faith came through it.
The mission of Malachias is specific: reduce suicidal ideation, lift people from depression, help heal and lessen the triggers PTSD leaves behind. Every show is that mission in action.
Faith
Messianic. Struggled with it for years. Still here.
Service
Medic. Infantryman. Bandsman. It didn't stop when we came home.
Healing
Reduce suicidal ideation. Lift from depression. Heal PTSD.
Origin
Malachi 3:1
“My messenger — that is what Malachias means.”
Fort Wayne, Indiana. That's where this started.
The founder served in the Indiana Army National Guard from 1994 to 2003 — first as a medic, then as an infantryman. Then active duty Army from 2006 to 2014, deploying twice to Iraq. Once as a medic. Once as an Army bandsman. Music and war in the same life.
He accepted Jesus as his Savior in fifth grade at a Vacation Bible School. Raised in a home that didn't go to church, didn't pray, didn't talk about God. Spent years trying to figure out what that moment meant — through hard years, two failed marriages, a DUI. When he deployed to Iraq he found himself reaching back into that faith. In 2011 he converted to Messianic Christian.
Malachias came out of all of it. The mission is specific: reduce suicidal ideation, lift people from depression, help heal and lessen the triggers PTSD leaves behind. The music is for people who are real, who struggle with their faith, and who want to grow and heal.
"I came home from Iraq and I didn’t know who I was anymore. Music cracked me open again. Faith came through the crack."
— The Founder
Fort Wayne.
Two tours.
One mission.
Indiana · Iraq · Faith
The Book
A Warrior's Garden
A Therapeutic Guide to Living with PTSD. Written by the founder about the road home — music, a garden, and faith.
Read it on Amazon →
Listen
New single · Out Aug 28, 2026
Because of You
feat. Josh Hudson
Discography · 11 releases
Also featured on
Spotify
Videos
The People Behind the Sound
Director · Vocals · Guitar
Fort Wayne, IN · Iraq (×2)
The voice and the vision. After two tours in Iraq — first as a medic, then as an Army bandsman — he came home carrying something that needed to come out. Malachias is his name in its ancient form: the messenger. That's not a stage name. That's a calling. He leads the band the way he led in service: with conviction, without apology, and always for the ones who need it most.
The messenger. The mission. The music.
Lead Guitar
Havana, Cuba → Miami, FL
Born in Havana, Cuba — raised on fire, faith, and the sound of a guitar that could say what words couldn't. He crossed an ocean to call Miami home, and he found in the United States what every man of faith searches for: the freedom to worship without fear and play without limits. JC brings something ancient and unbreakable to every note he plays. His love for God isn't background to the music — it's the music. When he steps up to play, you're hearing a man who has already decided what matters.
From Havana to the altar — every string a prayer.
Rhythm Guitar · Riffs
Puerto Rico → Miami, FL
Family first. Faith second. Guitar always. Efraín Sierra came out of Puerto Rico carrying all three — and when he found Malachias, he found a place where all three could live at once. He plays rhythm the way a man prays: consistent, intentional, and with everything behind it. His riffs aren't decoration — they're the backbone that lets the melody breathe and the message land. He's not here for the spotlight. He's here because God put a guitar in his hands and a mission in front of him.
Every riff an act of worship.
Bass
Hattiesburg, MS → Sebring, FL
Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, raised in Florida, and pulled toward bass guitar before he ever thought about what it would become. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Light Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic and Recovery Specialist — and at Fort Carson, Colorado, he kept playing. Bands on the weekend. Stages when he could find them. He left active duty as a Sergeant (E-5) and kept serving in the Florida Army National Guard while using the GI Bill to study Audio Engineering at Full Sail University. He went on to work at Festival Recording Studio and AM 690 WTIX in New Orleans. He builds custom cigar box guitars by hand. Since coming back to South Florida in 2013, he has never stopped — performing, recording, building. When he joined Malachias, he brought all of it with him: the service, the craft, and decades of groove that only comes from someone who has earned every note.
The service. The craft. The groove.
✠
Four stories.
One God.
One flag.
One mission.
United by faith · Proud to call America home
The Sound · The Story
Every song came from somewhere real. These are the stories behind the music.
Live Set
Set expanding — more originals in progress
Word for the Road
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."
— Psalm 23:1–3
After two tours, I came home needing to be led somewhere quiet. The Army trains you to be moving, scanning, ready. Psalm 23 is the antidote to that state — not because it promises no danger, but because it promises presence through it. Rest isn't weakness. It's where restoration happens.
— The Founder
Today's Sound
The Messenger
From the Field
Fort Wayne is home. The Guard unit was here. The decision to enlist was made here. When I came back from Iraq the second time — as a bandsman, of all things — I came back here. Malachias started in Fort Wayne because everything that made it necessary happened in Fort Wayne.
Read more →First tour as a medic. Second tour as an Army bandsman. I went over there holding people together with my hands. I came back the second time holding a guitar. Those aren't as different as they sound. Both are about being present when someone needs something real.
Read more →That's not a general statement. That's the specific reason Malachias exists. Veterans carrying things nobody talks about. People whose faith got worn down by years of hard living. Anyone who's at the bottom and not sure what's on the other side. That's who this music is for.
Read more →Support the Mission
No label. No corporate backing. Just a veteran, a guitar, and a mission.
When you wear Malachias, you carry that with you.
Every purchase keeps the mission alive. No middleman, no label — just you and the band.
Support the Band →For Event Organizers
If you're a church, a veteran organization, or a community promoter considering Malachias for your event — here's what you need to know.
Full live set
45–90 minutes. Originals and select covers that fit the room. We read the crowd.
No production drama
We bring what we need. Minimal requirements. We've played in gymnasiums, chapels, and outdoor fields.
Real interaction
We talk to the room. We don't hide behind a fog machine. People leave knowing something about us.
Faith-centered message
Every show has a thread of purpose running through it. We don't preach. We witness.
Quick Facts
Stage plot, rider and hi-res photos sent on request. Email press@malachiasmusic.com
Get in Touch
We play bars, rock festivals, churches, VFW halls, and military events across South Florida — a veteran-founded band with a specific mission: healing through music. If you have an audience that needs to hear something real, reach out. We'll be there.
Direct line
booking@malachiasmusic.comYour Story
