The Legacy Behind the Noise

This was Julian's first music festival. At the time, I had no earthly idea it would be his last.

When I look back now, I think that weekend is the biggest reason why I believe a music festival is the absolute best way to get our message out to the world. Only time will tell if I'm right, but I know the freedom he felt there.

Here is the story of the weekend that started it all.

The Road to Florida: "Really, Universe?"

We prepped the camper, grabbed enough clothes to survive the trip, and hit the road. We didn't talk much on the way down to Florida. I would later find out it was because he'd been texting with his Mom the entire time—but I've written about that in a separate blog, so we won't get fully into it here.

When he did start up a conversation, he happened to ask me what would happen if the camper blew a tire.

I had no sooner finished my long dissertation about how to know it happened, what to expect, and what to do, when I felt a small shudder. I looked in my side mirror only to see shredded pieces of rubber flying from the driver's side of the camper.

Ugh, really? Really, universe? Okay, let's get to work.

Julian let his mom know what was going on while I made the roadside as safe as possible before crawling under the rig. Fully off the road as much as safely possible while keeping the jack pads on concrete. Set out some markers so that it was even more obvious than the running hazard lights. I quickly realized I didn't have the best tools with me, and it was taking quite a while. While I was grunting with a standard lug wrench and wishing to God I'd brought my impact, a kind stranger pulled over. His kindness sped up the process by about three times. Thanks to him, we were back on the road in less than an hour instead of the half-day it would've taken me alone.

Once we finally parked in our spot, Julian was officially set for one of the most epic experiences of his life. The first night, we explored anywhere we could get access to, grabbed some Chicken Mac for dinner, and hit the camping pre-party to see Flaw, New Year's Day, Saliva, and Hinder. We wrapped up the evening and got some rest for the onslaught that would follow.

Thursday: “Give me your War Cry!”

We started early, grabbed breakfast at the festival Cereal Bar, and headed to the gates right at opening. We’d already hit 10,000 steps before the first band took the stage. We went straight to the merch booth to beat the crowds, which is where Julian picked up that Slaughter to Prevail shirt—a shirt that has become a major symbol for me now, because I wear it all the time. We asked about a TX2 shirt, but none were to be had. I’d correct that more than a year later in Myrtle Beach, but that’s also a story for a different time.

After a quick stop at our locker to lighten our load, we headed over to see our very first band of Rockville. I let Julian walk a little bit ahead of me, quietly pulled out my phone, framed him in the shot, and screamed:

"Julian! Give me your WAR CRY!"

Right on cue, he turned, threw his horns straight to the sky, and screamed like there was nobody else around. That is the exact picture we have isolated to use on our guitar picks, billboards, flyers, and now the main banner for our own festival.

The rest of that day was a high-level blur of heavy music. We caught Until I Wake, Point North, TX2 (Julian’s non-negotiable band), Stabbing Westward (my non-negotiable band), Bury Tomorrow, Miss May I, and Bad Wolves. By then, Julian was completely burnt out and a little extra toasty from the Florida sun. He wanted to go crash in the camper to be ready for Friday, so I stuck around alone to catch Mudvayne, ICP, and Judas Priest.

Friday: Crowdsurfing and the Ferris Wheel

Friday started hard. After managing some highly efficient camper showers the night before, we kicked off the morning right inside an early mosh pit for Alien Ant Farm, then rocked out to Powerman 5000 and Sleep Theory.

Needing a break, we shifted our lineup to go rest over near a side stage. While hanging out, we caught an incredibly surprising set from Lo Spirit that we hadn't planned on seeing, and stayed through Catch Your Breath. After checking out the end of Mushroomhead’s set, we headed to the main stage to stake out spots as close to the rail as possible so Julian would have a killer view for Falling in Reverse.

We held our ground up close for In This Moment, where Julian got in a couple more rounds of crowdsurfing. Then, I left Julian holding our spots near the rail while I ran to grab food and catch The Offspring from the secondary stage. I fought my way back through the massive crowd, delivering food to Julian right before Falling in Reverse took the stage. It was a high-energy set, and Julian hit the pit, crowdsurfing his way over the top. The set was unfortunately cut a little short, so he didn't get to go over a second time, but he made it count.

Afterward, we extracted ourselves from the rail, grabbed some burgers from Blackened, and literally laid out on the Astroturf to relax and enjoy Mr. Bungle. Julian had reached his limit of excitement and was completely toasted again. We took a ride on the Ferris wheel to catch a little bit of Limp Bizkit's headline set from the sky, and called it a night.

Saturday: British Invasion & A Special Detour

Too bad Julian didn't realize just how many British bands were on the lineup that day... but that became a running joke.

We started Saturday morning outside the festival, driving with my Dad to a diner to have breakfast. He drove down from St. Augustine and it was a wonderful chance to see each other and reminisce—mostly about how we'd never convince my Dad to actually step foot inside a festival like Rockville again. Jolie and I were able to talk him into it the year before, and got him up close to the rail at the same spot that Julian and I occupied the previous night. I am so incredibly glad we took that detour.

My Dad dropped us back off at the gates, and we went right back to rocking. We started with Afterlife, followed by the Nova Twins. I leaned over and let Julian know that Nova Twins were British, which officially kicked off our running joke for the day. Next up was The Struts, and then Royal Blood. Not more Brits!

Julian was hitting a wall, and since he wasn't overly invested in the midday lineup, he went back to the camper for an afternoon break. I stayed behind to see Mammoth and Stone Temple Pilots. Julian made it back in time for Helmet, Baroness, Greta Van Fleet, and Queens of the Stone Age (groan... British again 🤣).

Right before Foo Fighters, we ran into an amazing random encounter—Angela, who used to be Julian's babysitter! We talked for a bit, caught up, and then settled in for the show. Julian didn't want to stay for the full headline set so he could get back for a shower, so I stayed out for the rest of Dave Grohl and the guys, including a massive guitar solo from Dave (that was actually Wolfgang), and closing out Saturday night.

Sunday: Mother's Day and a Drumstick

May 12th was Mother's Day. Because we couldn't be home with Lisa, we had secretly set up a custom Cameo video message for her. We called her from the grounds, and Julian absolutely talked her ear off. It was such an awesome trip, but the exhaustion was definitely showing on him. Still, we set out for the final day.

The last day of his first festival. Damn, that hurts to write. But let me tell you about that last day.

We started with Trust Company, a band I had wanted to see for years. Julian wasn't too enthusiastic at first, but he ended up loving their set—and he even caught a drumstick! I ended up walking around the festival with a drumstick in my pocket for most of the rest of the day, which lent itself to all the sophomoric jokes you can imagine.

We hung out for Adema and Nita Strauss, then went to camp out near the main stage rail for the duration. Taproot was a blast, and Julian actually got to high-five Stephen Richards. We watched Drowning Pool, and of course Julian insisted on seeing Sebastian Bach, because he and his buddies had been using Skid Row songs to practice as they started their own musical journeys. (A couple of years later, I'd end up with a top hat signed by Sebastian Bach, but that's a story for another day).

Then came time for Julian to really get in the pit. Wage War took the main stage. Julian went into that pit several times, surfing his way over the crowd and right back to me every single time. The absolute best crowdsurfing picture I have of him is from their song "The River."

We watched the broadcast of Theory of a Deadman from the screen while I grabbed food, and then Architects came up next. Julian was a little dismayed to find out they, too, were British, but he got over it. (I have a real love/hate relationship with that Architects shirt, but there's a whole podcast episode for that). We stayed right there for the rest of the day, catching Bad Omens, Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence, and closing it all out with Slipknot.

(I still have a bit of an issue with Slipknot skipping the metal family induction that night, which I’ve been a part of four other times, but it is what it is!)

The End of an Era, The Start of a Mission

Julian had survived his first music festival. It was an absolute onslaught of noise, heat, crowds, fire, moshing, weird food, and zero shade. It is not for the faint of heart. He took his breaks when he needed them, but he discovered tons of new music and found a level of pure freedom he had never experienced before. It was a truly wonderful, unforgettable weekend. We packed up the rig and drove home to the Lowcountry.

That was the last time we ever used that camper.

That camper had been with us to national parks, lakeside campgrounds, family emergencies, Graceland, and as far west as Oklahoma. It took my daughter Jolie and me to other Rockvilles and Blue Ridge Rock Fests. And it took Julian and me to his first and only festival.

It was the end of an era. But this new era is about taking that exact feeling of freedom, community, and heavy music, and using it to save lives. This new era is for

BREAKING the SILENCE.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. If you were standing with us at the Fairgrounds on May 30th, THANK YOU! Let's look out for each other, turn the volume up, and break the silence together.