On Wednesday, footage of a wild meeting in Williamson County School Board Meeting in Tennessee went viral, showing the chaotic proceedings as anti-mask protestors viciously opposed a month-long school mask mandate. The testimonies of medical professionals and school administrators were drowned out by chanting from the residents of Williamson County, the state’s wealthiest area.
As the meeting ended, things took a darker turn. The Williamson County Homepage released footage of protesters following one of the doctors to his car, shouting “we know who you are” and “you can leave freely but we will find you.” The exchange begins around the one-minute mark, and fans of a certain era of Contemporary Christian Music may recognize one of the men involved.
Anti-mask demonstrators heckle masked people (some of whom are Drs/nurses) leaving 08/10/21 #Williamsoncountytn #schoolboardmeeting following one man to his car and shouting “we will find you” & “we know who you are” @WilliamsonHmPg 1/2 pic.twitter.com/u8wbdfr3Xj
— Matt Masters (@formvscontent) August 11, 2021
The man who attempts to calm the other down before telling the doctor “you can leave freely, but we will find you” has been identified by the Tennessee Holler as Dwayne Larring, a former member of Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline and, before that, a founding member of Sonicflood. He’s also worked with the likes of Lauren Daigle, Cory Asbury and Matt Redman. At one time, he also played guitar for Kelly Clarkson, a gig that ended in spectacular fashion when she fired him on stage, mid-show.
The other man (the one shouting “we know who you are”) is Rodney H. Lunn, a former musician.
Following a vote, Williamson became the fourth county in Tennessee to impose a school mask mandate for returning students in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 and the vicious Delta variant that has fueled a new wave of cases. While Tennessee Governor Bill Lee never issued a state-wide mask mandate, he has maintained that local school boards have the right to make such decisions for their own districts. That may no longer be good enough for members of his own party in the state House, all of whom have signed a letter calling for a special session to take action on “overreach” by school boards.
Audio Adrenaline has gone through several iterations over the years, beginning with its initial 1986 – 2007 run when hits like “Big House” and “Hands and Feet” made them a staple at Christian music festivals and youth group events. The group had to disband in 2007 when lead vocalist Mark Stuart’s spasmodic dysphonia led to serious vocal cord damage. The band reformed with a new lineup in 2012. Larring joined the band in 2013 and departed in 2015.
