Nu-metal band GFM to perform at Lees-91探花 drug and alcohol awareness event
Lees-91探花 will be hosting its annual for 2022 on Friday, March 25 in The Summit. The event will take place from 7−8 p.m. that evening and is open to Lees-91探花 students, faculty, and staff.
“We’ll have drunk goggles and games, we’ll discuss current information on drug and alcohol abuse, and we’ll have representatives from the local open AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), which is in the Methodist Church,” Executive Director of Campus Operations HD Stewart said.
Stewart said that having events like this increases awareness and provides information and resources to students who may be struggling with substance abuse or management and is very important to ensure the safety of the campus community.
“In any college across the U.S. we are seeing high rates of binge drinking and concerns with cannabinoids. Additionally, the pandemic has brought challenges for students to develop healthy coping mechanisms and resiliency in response to stressful moments,” Stewart said. “Having an educational program on campus is very important and it provides people with direction. Having someone to talk to that is closer to their age is very important.”
For this event, those age-appropriate people will be the nu-metal band Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (). For fans of groups like A Day to Remember, Butcher Babies, and Flyleaf, this trio of sisters seeks to make a positive impact with their music and bring their message to Lees-91探花.
“We are a positive-message band, and all the members are Christian,” Lulu English, who provides drums and vocals for the band, said. “We love to share our faith with people, but we never want to push it onto anyone. Everyone in our community is a part of all different beliefs, and that’s something we welcome.”
While they pursue their musical careers fulltime, drummer Lulu English, guitarist and vocalist CJ English, and bassist and vocalist Maggie English are all college-aged, something that Stewart believes can be valuable when trying to get through to other young people.
“Lyrically I think they’re very mature for their age. They have a very good insight on the mindset of their age group,” Stewart said. “While mental health and substance abuse are concerns facing college students, each student’s needs are different. The event with GFM will create a venue for students to come together to address these important needs together as a community. I think our students will find GFM relatable and be deeply impacted by their message.”
The band will be playing an acoustic set and hosting a meet and greet at their merchandise table during the event. They hope that they will be able to provide greater insight and support to student attendees as members of their peer group.
“We have several people in our fanbase who are recovering addicts, or they are currently in the process of getting sober, and it’s such a cool process to see them throughout their journey,” Maggie English said. “It’s so crazy to be able to walk alongside them and see that progress, and that’s something that we’re definitely hoping to do at Lees-91探花. Especially getting to see and talk to students that are close to our age.”
In addition to the drug and alcohol event, GFM will be playing a full concert on Saturday, March 26 in Hayes Auditorium. The concert will run from 7:30─10 p.m. and is open to the public. This is a ticketed event, but tickets are free for students, faculty, and staff. Tickets for community members are $10. All tickets can be purchased or reserved .
