The Red Clay Strays are always going to be proponents of mental health. The band from Mobile, Alabama – consisting of Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), Sevans Henderson (keys), and frontman Brandon Coleman – has always stayed true to themselves. There’s a certain authenticity to the band that people love, and if you’ve ever experienced a live show of theirs, you know that the Red Clay Strays always bring an uplifting energy. That rang true last month, when they played at the Houston Rodeo and took a moment to talk about the importance of mental health while up on stage. Just before the band broke into “Devil In My Ear,” Coleman addressed the crowd about how you shouldn’t ever be ashamed to reach out for help if you need it: “When you are struggling like that in life, you also end up struggling with mental health as well. We always tell people at your shows, if you are struggling with mental health, be sure to reach out to somebody, and take care of it. Because I promise… it gets better. You’re not alone for any of it. You are here for a reason.” That right there is why the Red Clay Strays have such a loyal following. As to where that openness came from, the band credits growing up knowing Jesus and having a relationship with God when it comes to having a passion for helping others. They do really feel as though they are being called by God to do what they are doing, and there are some real world examples that support that idea. Brandon Coleman pointed out that they make music for a certain type of person when the band sat down on The Joe Rogan Experience last year: “Our fanbase is a lot of sad people. A lot of depressed people. Lot of people who are suicidal. We make music for that fanbase, and you’re not gonna hear that at a country music festival on the beach.” He then backed that up with a story that could have ended in tragedy, yet didn’t because of one of their songs. The Red Clay Strays have fans reach out to them all the time, and one woman sent them an email detailing how “I’m Still Fine” saved her life: “We get messages everyday. We had one lady who sent us an email saying she decided to off herself, take a lot of pills and she wanted to ‘go to sleep’ listening to music. As she was laying there waiting to take the ‘big nap,’ our song ‘I’m Still Fine’ came on. And it snapped her out of it a little bit. She started crying and immediately regretted it, got up and called her sister and told her sister what she had just did. They rushed her to the hospital and did whatever at the hospital for someone who takes a lot of pills at once and saved her life. It was so moving. That’s what makes it really worth it for us.” A really powerful message right there, and proof that the Red Clay Strays are bringing music into the world that has the power to save lives and break down stigmas about mental health. Here’s what’s arguably their most mental health forward song, if you wanted to hear it in full after watching that clip: “Devil In My Ear” by The Red Clay Strays The post “You Are Here For A Reason”: Red Clay Strays Shared Powerful Mental Health Message At Recent Concert first appeared on Whiskey Riff.