William Jacob Luhrs is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of the

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

band

August Burns Red August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's lineup of guitarists John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker and Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Jake Luhrs and bassist Dustin David ...

. He is also the founder and president of HeartSupport, a non-profit mental health organization.

Musical background

Luhrs was influenced to pursue music after attending a

Strike Anywhere Strike Anywhere is an American punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is ch ...

concert, where he had a memorable interaction with the band's lead singer, Thomas Barnett. He first entered the music scene in Columbia, South Carolina where he was the frontman for a band known as She Walks In Beauty. The band released two EPs on which Luhrs was featured but eventually disbanded. After vocalist Josh McManness left, Luhrs got in touch with

through Myspace which started his career with the band. Luhrs has performed on all the ABR albums except 2005's '' Thrill Seeker'' and 2003's ''Looks Fragile After All''. Luhrs has performed both studio and live guest vocal spots for bands such as

Pierce the Veil Pierce the Veil is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 2006. It was founded by brothers Vic Fuentes, Vic and Mike Fuentes (musician), Mike Fuentes after the disbanding of Before Today, which formed out of the San Diego Pu ...

Blessthefall Blessthefall (stylized as blessthefall or BLESSTHEFALL prior to 2013) is an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Rise Records. The band was founded in 2004 by guitarist Mike Frisby, drummer Matt Traynor, and bassist and vo ...

, and

For Today For Today were an American Christian metalcore band from Sioux City, Iowa, formed in 2005. They released two EPs, ''Your Moment, Your Life, Your Time'' and ''Prevailer'', and six full-length albums: '' Ekklesia'' in, 2008, ''Portraits'' in 2009 ...

. Luhrs, along with

Matt Greiner Matthew Wilson Greiner is an American drummer, best known as a founding member of the metalcore band August Burns Red. In 2012, he also cofounded the drum company ''Greiner&Kilmer'' with fellow drummer Kaleb Kilmer. Greiner is an outspoken Chris ...

and JB Brubaker and members of

We Came as Romans We Came as Romans (sometimes abbreviated as WCAR) is an American metalcore band from Troy, Michigan. Formed in 2005, the band has gone through one name change and multiple line-up changes, and signed to SharpTone Records in 2016 after having ...

and

, appear in parody metal band, Amidst the Grave's Demons video for "Save My Life".

Personal life

Luhrs is a devout

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. He is a member of a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

church, and was in seminary at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In 2011, Luhrs founded HeartSupport, a mental health-based non-profit organization that offers resources and

peer support Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters (although it can be provided by peers without training), and can ...

to individuals within the music community dealing with addiction, anxiety, depression, and self-harm. Luhrs began using physical fitness to reshape his life in 2015. He would later open the YourLife Gym in August Burns Red's hometown,

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

, in 2021. The gym was opened in response to the disruption caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and emphasizes the importance of both mental and physical health.

Discography

August Burns Red

* '' Messengers'' (2007) * ''

Constellations A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellations were likely defin ...

'' (2009) * '' Leveler'' (2011) * '' August Burns Red Presents: Sleddin' Hill'' (2012) * '' Rescue & Restore'' (2013) * '' Found in Far Away Places'' (2015) * '' Phantom Anthem'' (2017) * '' Guardians'' (2020) * '' Death Below'' (2023)

Collaborations

Bibliography

* ''Mountains: 25 Devotionals with Jake Luhrs'' (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luhrs, Jake American performers of Christian music Living people Solid State Records artists Fearless Records artists Christian metal musicians August Burns Red 1985 births 21st-century American singers Metalcore singers