Second Annual Avery Walls Music Festival Set to Honor Avery Walls and Support American Heart Association of Virginia
The second annual Avery Walls Music Festival, a celebration of local music with a meaningful purpose, will take place on April 26, 2025, at The Park RVA in Richmond, Virginia. The festival was created to honor the life of Avery Walls, a young man who passed away at the age of 20 from a rare heart condition. In his memory, the event aims to bring the community together through music, raise awareness about heart health, and support life-saving efforts. The festival is free and open to adults and children of all ages.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the American Heart Association of Virginia, furthering Avery’s legacy by supporting initiatives that address heart health. Last year, the event raised over $30,000 and featured some of the best local bands in Richmond. Attendees can enjoy live performances from talented local musicians, showcasing a variety of genres to create a memorable experience for everyone. This year’s event will feature the following bands: The Jangling Reinharts, Acoustic Underground, Audiovault, Sidepiece, Hold My Beer, The Usual Suspect, Monkey Fist, and Bombshell.
CultureWorks had the opportunity to talk with Avery’s dad, Shannon Walls, about the festival and how to get involved.
CultureWorks: Can you share a bit about Avery’s story and how this event reflects his spirit and passions?
Shannon: Avery was born with a rare heart condition called Wolf-Parkinson-White which we discovered shortly after his birth. This condition caused the electrical system in his heart to become short circuited and beat very fast, between 200-300 beats per minute. As a child he spent many weeks in the Children's Hospital in Kansas City Missouri where we are originally from. We controlled his heart rhythm with medicine for the first 3 years of his life and he eventually had a surgery to correct the issue before he turned 4 years old. The surgeon told us that we would never have to worry about his heart again. For the next 17 years, Avery led a happy and healthy life. He did all the things a normal kid his age would do. He graduated from Powhatan High School and entered the workforce in skilled trades. In July of 2023 Avery noticed that his heart was beating irregularly and so we took him to see a doctor and cardiologist. We were in the process of running tests and figuring out what was going on when in September of that year, he went to bed and simply never woke up. He suffered a heart attack in his sleep, he was two months shy of his 21st birthday. There's not a day that goes by that he isn't missed.
He was a kind, weird, wonderful old soul. When our kids were young we didn't have any money and didn't have any family local to help with childcare so often times we had to find ways to entertain our boys at home. We often did that with music. Pajama dance parties took place almost every weekend in our house. Music has always been a big influence in our household. Avery's taste in music was just as weird and wonderful as his personality. Everything from sea shanties to Elvis and the Beatles. And considering that I am in a local band, a music festival seemed a fitting way to both honor him and to help others avoid the heart breaking loss that we have experienced. When I first proposed the idea to my bandmates from Sidepiece, they took the idea and ran with it. They did all the work because they knew that the loss was stil so new that they didn't want to burden me or my family with the details. They secured the venue, the bands, the donations, everything. It was such an overwhelming success last year that it seemed fitting to keep it going.
Cultureworks: How has the Richmond community contributed to the success of this event?
Shannon: The Richmond community, especially the local music community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Heart health touches so many that people were literally lining up to help. Don Busick from Small Venue music was an incredible champion for the event the past two years, donating so much of his time and talents to help promote the event. Last year we had 6 bands perform and this year we will have 9. A lot of that is due to how many bands want to be a part of this event. Avery's story has touched so many that its incredibly humbling the support we have gotten. And last year people turned out in droves, I don't think any of us really expected the response that we got.
CultureWorks: How can people contribute beyond just attending—are there volunteer opportunities, sponsorships, or other ways to help?
Shannon: People can contribute directly to our donation page. I would love more sponsors and I would love to continue to do this for years into the future. We have a great lineup of volunteers currently, my son's fraternity at Radford has stepped up to offer a lot of manpower, and we have many firends and family that contribute throughout the day. The biggest way to contribute is to come out to the Park RVA on 4/26 and have a great time celebrating the life of a wonderful young many who is gone far too soon. A portion of all sales that day will be donated to the American Heart Association of Virginia. There will also be t-shirts available for purchase, with all proceeds being donated and a number of raffles throughout the day. The event is free, so there really is no reason not to come out, have fun, and donate to a great cause. And if you can't be there, spread the word and help us pack the Park from Noon to Midnight.
Cultureworks: What do you hope people take away from the festival beyond just the music?
Shannon: The one thing I would like everyone to take away from this is that life is precious and short. We often times spend too much of it focusing on things that don't matter. Take a moment to tell the people you love how you feel. Avery taught me a lot even though it was supposed to be the other way around. He was never the cool kid, never popular, he lived his life on his own terms and did the things that he enjoyed but he was always kind. And I think that is a great lesson. In a world where you can be anything you want to be, be kind.
Event Details
Date/Time: April 26, 2025 from noon to midnight
Location: The Park RVA, Richmond, VA
Donations: Supporters can contribute to the event’s fundraising efforts by visiting averywallsmusicfestival.funraise.org.
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