Mills River – The outdoor Avalon Rock Fest 3, benefiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society, will take place on Saturday, May 17, at Mills River Brewing Co., located at 336 Banner Farm Road.
Vibrant bassist and vocalist Justus, along with prolific lead guitarist Kenny Stephenson—both graduates of East Henderson High School in 1989—will each perform twice. Stephenson will play with his longtime hard rock band, Awake in the Dream.
Justus and drummer Robert Hughes co-organized the annual festival, which is headlined by Euphoria every other year. They are also members of Crimson Moon, alongside sizzling lead guitarist Johnny Thorn. Crimson Moon primarily performs classic rock covers. Thorn previously served as the lead guitarist in Justus’ progressive-hard rock band, Avalon’s Fate, which featured singer Haley DeWitt. DeWitt will fill in for regular Crimson Moon vocalist Chris Hess on May 17.
The main headliner, Euphoria, includes Stephenson, Justus, Hughes, and the zany lead singer Gene Miller from Oregon. “Gene’s vocals still sound like he is in his thirties,” Justus remarked.
Leading 2 Follow (L2F) will kick off the event at 1:45 p.m. with “new metal.” They will be followed by Awake in the Dream at 2:55, Crimson Moon at 4:05, and the blues-rocking ALR Trio at 5:20. Euphoria’s sets are scheduled to start around 6:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The suggested minimum donation is $10.
“I can’t wait!” exclaimed the perpetually jubilant and slender Stephenson. “It’s gonna be a really, really energetic show. We are going to be with our respective bands, then Euphoria. Sponsors have given very graciously. We’re looking forward to raising a lot of funds for the Blue Ridge Humane Society and making indelible memories.”
Recurring Euphoria
Euphoria has a 36-year local following. The hard rock band’s first full-fledged gig was on St. Patrick’s Day in 1989 when Justus and Stephenson were seniors at East Henderson. They were already experienced musicians, having played in the popular Justice Band led by Justus’ parents—slick guitarist Terry and thunderous drummer Theresa.
Stephenson recalls how, as teens, “we learned a lot about music professionalism and its business.” Both friends are now long married. As young musicians, they evolved from “wanting to be noticed by girls” to “realizing how important it is to create the music,” Stephenson said. He remembers Justus as a “leader personality” from that time. “We were both really driven because we wanted so hard to succeed.” Miller is a 1984 East grad.
Justus stated, “Reuniting with the guys from Euphoria is a nostalgic feeling like no other. It takes me back to a much better, simpler time in life when we were not so bogged down by the demands (i.e., day jobs) of our modern lives.”
Stephenson expressed, “I feel ecstatic to be reuniting with the guys again. There’s a certain magic when we all get together. We love our individual projects, yet it’s really special to go back to your roots and that special chemistry and atmosphere.”
Stephenson views it less as a “reunion” and more as “another Euphoria show” to bolster “continuity” within the band. “Euphoria is still alive and organic. We still draw a good crowd and really ‘bring it’ when we play.” Euphoria plans to soon re-record 15-20 original songs, including fan favorites “Lovequake,” “Miles Away,” and “Highway Song.”
Drummer Hughes, an Asheville native, joined Euphoria in 1992. Stephenson describes Hughes as an “awesome guy and drummer.” Justus added, “Robert is an integral part of these shows.”
Viva Vega!
Crimson Moon will participate in the three-band Rock for (Emergency) Responders benefit at Bold Rock Cidery in Mills River on Saturday, June 14, from 5-9 p.m. This event starts just two hours after the official release of Justus’ debut novel, the first in a series. The release will take place from 1-3 p.m. at the Crab Creek Community Center at 53 Jeter Mountain Rd., off Crab Creek Road near Hendersonville.
The futuristic science fiction/fantasy adventure is titled Destiny The Alterverse Saga: Book I. Vega Chambers commands a civilian craft venturing into uncharted space where she confronts vengeful Callista Reinhardt, a separatist leader and nemesis who sets a trap.
Both characters face a new threat from a “mysterious portal that leads to another dimension of space and time itself—known as the alterverse,” Justus noted.
He will sign books (pre-ordered ones first) at the release event, explain the main characters, and read from “the most difficult chapter for me to write. It’s a very pivotal chapter.” It took Justus a week after work to write that chapter and nearly two years to complete the nearly 300-page novel. Christian Arthur Justus’ pen name is CJ Arthur.
Pre-ordered editions are priced at $17.03 if picked up at the book launch or $22 for shipping. The purchase link is https://venmo.com/u/cjarthurbooks.