Phi Mu’s Alpha Eta Chapter at LSU hosted their second annual “Bonnamu” event at the Revelry on Friday.
Bonnamu, a name inspired by Franklin, Tennessee’s, music festival “Bonnaroo,” had six bands performing with the winner getting an extra hour of playtime. Proceeds from the event all went to Phi Mu’s national philanthropy, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Phi Mu at LSU works locally with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.
In total, Bonnamu raised over $60,000.
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Mary Hebert, philanthropy head sophomore, said that as well as Bonnamu, they like to take a more hands-on approach by regularly visiting the hospital every month. She said that they do closed circuits, where they can live stream into the patient’s rooms and spend time doing arts and crafts and other activities with them.
“I think we’re really lucky to see how our money is being used,” Hebert said.
Phi Mu hit $1 million raised for Our Lady of the Lake during the Fall 2023 semester.
Not only were college students, members of Phi Mu and other live music enthusiasts present at Bonnamu, but so were the Miracle Kids. Hebert said that these were former patients at the hospital who now act as ambassadors for children who are going through similar experiences. Some were there in person, and others made videos to play in between the band’s sets.
“It’s a really good opportunity for the community to see it and meet these kids face to face,” Hebert said.
Hebert said that the actual setting up of the event helped expand her knowledge of putting together something as big as a music festival. There was a lot to organize between catering and sound checks, which Hebert said the girls in the sorority were more than excited to help with.
She also said the owner of the Revelry helped tremendously with providing the venue.
“Because each band is so different, and they have different fans, I wanted to have as much attendance as I could possible since it’s a fundraiser,” Hebert said.
Natural resource ecology and management sophomore Laila Cohen went to Bonnamu last year and loved it. Cohen said every year the event rents out The Revelry, and a bunch of bands apply to “battle” each other.
Each band plays, and everyone who goes gets a ticket, with which they’re able to vote for the band they think should win by placing in in a bucket with the band’s name.
“It’s so fun,” Cohen said. “We get to listen to live music and hang out with kids from the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and talk to them.”
Cohen said the kids from the hospital also do their own performance in the beginning.
Everyone active in the Phi Mu chapter has to raise $250 through donations and sponsorships. All the proceeds go to the miracle children through Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. Last year, Cohen said they were the highest-raising chapter in the nation, raising over $90,000.
“Bonnamu is one of our biggest fundraising events,” Cohen said.
First place winner Doc’s Dirty Laundry provided the audience with covers most can sing along to like Briston Maroney’s “Freakin’ Out on the Interstate.” Lead guitarist and sometimes vocalist junior Gordie Simon said “the chill comes first.”
“The music is always second to making everyone feel kind of at home,” Simon said. “No matter where we’re playing, we’re all about spreading the love.”
Simon said that this event was different from any fraternity or bar gig they’ve had as it was eye opening the amount of support for these children. It was never about winning or bringing attention to the bands, it was about doing their part in helping support this philanthropy, he said.
“It was a super, super awesome thing to be a part of,” Simon said.
First runner up, Few Blue participated in Bonnamu last year, which is what brought them back for a second time. Lead vocalist Camryn Wisniewski said that getting to see the Miracle Kids and hear their stories made its time performing even more special.
“It’s one of those events that brings the band community together,” Wisniewski said. “It’s always fun to see all of your friends that are doing the same thing.”
Chemical engineering junior Hamood Qureshi is the lead guitarist for the band Sugarfree, along with his fellow band members lead singer Kate Oliver, bass player Matthew Barrack and drummer Corbitt Driskell. It also played at the annual Bonnamu event.
Before forming Sugarfree, the members were in two separate bands with Oliver and Driskell playing in one and Barrack and Qureshi in another. They ended up making a new band because they all played different instruments.
“We combined the two bands and made a new band out of that,” Qureshi said.
The band has been together for two months, and its first show was in January. The members heard about Bonnamu from Driskell, who heard about the event from a coworker and immediately jutted in and offered his band to play at the event.
Sugarfree has played at Battle of the Bands, as well as opening for LSU’s ATO cowboy-themed party, for Wave Runner at the Revelry and for a band in Lafayette.
“We’re still getting started,” Qureshi said.
Qureshi said that while it’s still a young band, it’s trying to get its name out there. There are lots of new bands coming up with the graduation of seniors, so Qureshi wants to start building up his band.
“I want people to know we are a fun band,” Qureshi said. “We play music, and we can entertain large crowds.”
