Will Henley
Anyone that knows me is well aware that I am a big music video fan! I can fall down the YouTube rabbit hole for hours. During an afternoon free fall of listening to From Ashes To New, I came across a name I hadn’t seen before.. I Prevail.Curiosity struck and I had to hit play. The song “Scars” opened with the line “Trying to tear us apart but, know that we’ll wear our scars” and I knew another free fall was about to begin. By the end, my copy of their album “Lifelines” was on its way! A few months later, I Prevail took the stage at Welcome To Rockville and stopped by to chat with me about getting their start, their APMA nominated album “Lifelines,” and the adventures of tour life!
Brian Burkheiser tells me at the very beginning of what soon would become I Prevail, he was searching for artists that shared his appreciation for music and hard work. After meeting Eric Vanlerberghe through some mutual friends on Facebook, the duo became a vocal dream team! The starting lineup became Brian [clean vocals] Eric [harsh vocals] 
Dylan Bowman [rhythm guitar] and APMA best guitarist nominee Steve Menoian. But, assembling the team was only half of the battle. The guys continued to work 40 hour jobs to pay for studio time as doubters began to question if the band was going to succeed. With their dreams in the balance, they packed up to tour, released their EP “Heart vs. Mind” and a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” knowing that life would never be the same!
After all of the success from “Heart vs. Mind” and their Blank Space cover, the big opportunity of creating a full length album had come. After spending a year of not playing any shows and focusing on recording, “Lifelines” had become an incredible triumph. The album is nominated for an Alternative Press Music Award for album of the year, debuted at #3 on Alternative Albums, and has sold over 60,000 copies.
“People thought we were crazy at the time or lying about being in a band. But, to now be established and making a name for ourselves feels great. We made it! A lot of hard work went into this diverse album. It blew up so much bigger than we expected. We are just so proud and enjoying the ride!” -Brian Burkheiser
Featured tracks on the album like “Scars,” “Stuck In Your Head,” “Come and Get It” and “Alone” were written and inspired by the guys lives over the past couple of years. When Eric spoke of the inspiration from their lessons learned and the good or bad things that come along with every decision we make, a memorable quote came to mind. “We don’t know how far the ripples of our decisions will go.” For I Prevail the choice to take a risk and follow their dream began a grand ripple effect of success as they created an album that helps us to escape from the chaos of the world that surrounds us.
Performing Welcome To Rockville, I Prevail got the crowd pumped up with an energy so electrifying that everyone forgot it was 90 degrees! People were jumping and singing along to every song! Dylan, Eric, and Brian tell me that they love performing for crowds like this but, there is still a short moment of nervousness. Eric describes the feeling as “Before we go on, there is that thought of I hope I don’t forget lyrics! But once you hit the stage all the nerves are gone!” From the crowd we would never know that there were any angst at all and if any lyrics were forgotten, we were too busy singing along to notice!
Tour life is anything but dull for the hilarious guys of I Prevail. Their most recent adventure to Australia was full of humorous stories involving 
drinking from shoes thrown on stage, “Spicy Ahh-go’s” from Wendy’s, a 16 hour flight turn two hours and finally ending up with a day off in Hawaii, and a newfound appreciation for ketchup and lemonade. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard! I’m definitely looking forward to hearing about their adventures between now and Van’s Warped Tour this summer!
Who knew that an afternoon free fall of binging on music videos would lead me to all of the awesome that is I Prevail! From songs that are now “Stuck In Your Head,” to reminding us that moments leaving “Scars” on our hearts can make us who we are today, and knowing that we are never “Alone” as long as I Prevail is throwing us a musical “Lifelines.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrAOUEyYbQc
For more information about I Prevail, check out their website & follow them on social media! Be sure to get your copy of “Lifelines”
iprevailband.com
www.facebook.com/IPrevailBand
Twitter & Instagram: @iprevailband
Want to know more about Welcome To Rockville?! Here are a couple of ways to find out more!
welcometorockvillefestival.com
www.facebook.com/welcometorockville
Instagram: @welcometorockville
Twitter: @RockvilleFes
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