Music festival remembers ‘incredibly kind soul’ who died of rare heart condition: 'Playing music is therapy'

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. -- Musician Shannon Walls loves playing with his band, Sidepiece.

He didn't realize how much he'd lean on them for support over the last six months.

At birth, his son, Avery Walls, was diagnosed with Wolf Parkinson White, a rare heart defect in its electrical conductive system, causing the heart to beat very fast.

"So, a normal infant's heartbeat might be between 100-120 beats per minute," Walls said. "Avery's was about 300."

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Avery was put on a medication that would control his heart rhythm until he could have surgery at three and a half years old.

For years, Avery lived a healthy life, until July 2023.

Walls said his son's heart grew additional pathways that had been removed, even more rare than the original condition was to begin with.

That September, Avery traveled to Tampa for a work trip.

"He went to bed one night, and he never woke up," Walls said. "The medical examiners basically said that his heart was twice the size that it should've been. It was that of a 60- or 70-year-old."

Even though Avery was in the process of receiving medical care, Walls said the damage had already been done.

"You can't imagine anything that hurts as much as the loss of a child," Walls said. "And you feel so helpless."

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Walls decided to turn to his band to help him through his feelings of hopelessness, partnering with them to write and sing songs about Avery.

"For me, this band and playing music is therapy," Walls said.

He got the idea to host a music festival in Avery's honor, with the goal of raising money for the American Heart Association.

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"We all jumped at the chance," said Lauralee O'Neil, a singer with the band. "It sounded like the perfect thing."

"Like, 'Oh, OK you don't want to come in and just make money?'" said Blake Narron, Sidepiece's drummer. "No, we want to drive impact and change and help through the American Heart Association for whatever it is that we can help out with."

Walls also said he wants there to be an increase in accessibility to EKG tests that can spot heart conditions like Wolf Parkinson White.

"Nothing's going to bring him back, but if we can help anybody else from having to through what we're having to go through, then that will be something," Walls said.

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The Avery Walls Music Festival is planned for Saturday, March 23 from 1 p.m. to midnight at The Park RVA.

Donations to the American Heart Association can be made in Avery's honor here.

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