MANSFIELD — Downtown Mansfield roared to life on Thursday night for Inkcarceration’s official pre-party at Warehouse Tavern on East Fourth Street.
I arrived about an hour before the music started and the place was already swelling with metalheads — locals, travelers and plenty of folks proudly flashing their festival wristbands for free entry.
My colleague, Adam “Doc” Fox, was with me and we were eager as everyone else for the first hit of live music. You could feel it in the air: vacation had officially begun for the Inkcarceration faithful.
For us at Richland Source, it’s work … but let’s be honest, it’s the fun kind. (Follow our coverage this weekend here!)
AIMPOINT, a hardcore band born right here in Mansfield, got the honor of kicking things off on an outdoor stage outfitted with top-notch sound — a professional setup worthy of the festival crowd that gathered from all over the country.
It felt special, watching a local band deliver the first dose of live music to a few hundred Inkcarceration attendees eager to start their weekend.
“Who is this band?” I heard one guy ask next to me, genuinely impressed.
📷: Pictures from AIMPOINT and ExitWounds sets. The story continues below.
“It means a lot to have a whole new crowd of people coming from all over that’s gonna get introduced to us,” AIMPOINT vocalist Jerrick Feagin said before he took the stage.
AIMPOINT cracked the first can of energy, but it didn’t stop there. Indianapolis-based ExitWounds followed with a brutal set that made it clear — the weekend was just getting started.
“Getting to play in front of that many people, that’s just awesome,” ExitWounds drummer Charlie Callahan told us as he caught his breath after the set.
His bandmate, guitarist Lanny Randolph, knows Mansfield’s metal scene well. ExitWounds played Mansfield Music Fest in 2023.
“We’ve been hanging around Mansfield for a long time. We know everyone over here. It’s like its own country — they’re all crazy,” he said with a grin. “We knew they were gonna throw down.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Doc and I ran into Chris Young, a sweat-soaked mosher from Connersville, Ind., still huffing after ExitWounds left the stage.
“Let me tell ya,” he said between gulps of air, “this is my second year at Ink. Two years ago I went to Rock Fest out in Wisconsin — that was fun. But ever since last year, I felt like Inkcarceration was my home — amazing people, amazing scene, amazing energy. You have to be here to enjoy it.”
At this point, the Ink “scene” has created its own lore — I ran into characters like “Hose Daddy” Benjamin Walter helping run security and infrastructure, and “Funkle Pete” from Delaware, Ohio, who told me he has 21 kids.
I didn’t ask for details.
And the energy with metal fans is, yeah, they’ll absolutely demolish each other in a pit, but they’re the first to pick you up off the ground, lend a hand — or, in my case, give me space to maneuver through the pit with my camera. Respect and kindness is currency.
This whole pre-party was planned by Sink the Ship vocalist and owner of Mansfield’s Electric Co., Colton Ulery.
“I’ve known Dan, the guy that runs the festival, for a few years now,” Ulery told me. “He knows I have a concert venue so he reached out and tasked me with doing a pre-party, and I was like, yeah let’s do it.”
“The bands I booked were all my friends and dudes I’ve toured with.”
That’s what made it so cool — these bands aren’t household names, but they got a shot to play for a festival crowd hungry for live music. It’s the kind of stage that could lead to something bigger.
📷: Fan photos and pictures from RESISTOR and Fight from Within’s sets. The story continues below.
RESISTOR and Fight From Within rounded out the bill. There was karaoke afterward, but by then, my weekend survival instincts kicked in — pace yourself.
Before Doc and I left, we chatted briefly with Mansfield police officer Kody Leitz.
“I try to be all business when I’m working,” he said with a grin when asked if he was having any fun.
His top piece of advice for festival-goers this weekend?
“Have a meeting spot. You may not get cell service, so don’t lose your group — that’s the biggest thing we see.”
I’d be remiss not to shout out Warehouse Tavern. This wasn’t just a bar show — this was a production. Outdoor stage, food trucks, VIP space, multiple bars running, all smoothly for a crowd size Mansfield doesn’t always get, even on other big weekends.
Ultimately, Thursday night’s pre-party was just a sliver of the madness to come Friday-Sunday at Ohio State Reformatory. Stay hydrated, Inkmates.
