Be Loud! at the Be Loud! benefit concert

Be loud and move with grace, explode with light – have no fear. 

This is an excerpt from a poem written by Sophie Steiner, and it is also the namesake of the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, which will be holding a charity concert at Cat’s Cradle on Aug. 25 and 26. 

The Be Loud! Sophie Foundation was started in memory of Sophie Steiner, who died of cancer when she was 15 years old. 

“She got the best possible care at UNC, but we recognized a gap in care for teen and young adult cancer patients and wanted her legacy to fix this," said Niklaus Steiner, the director of the UNC Center for Global Initiatives and Sophie’s father. "That's what the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation is doing, together with UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Since 2014, when the foundation started, we have raised over $700,000.”

Steiner said this is the fourth annual Be Loud! benefit concert, which will feature a diverse collection of national acts and local talents, similar to its past benefit concerts. 

“Because we have such a vibrant music scene at UNC, we launched Be Loud Carolina! last spring, and we are making that an annual showcase to highlight UNC students,” he said. 

The line-up features a variety of bands such as Drivin' N Cryin' – who will be headlining Friday night – and the Boom Unit Brass Band.

100 percent of the proceeds from the concert will go to the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation.

Tim Nielsen, the bassist and manager of Drivin' N Cryin', said the band believes it's all for a good cause. In addition, he expressed his love for performing at Cat's Cradle.

“We have a long history of playing at Cat’s Cradle," Nielsen said. "I think Cat’s Cradle was what perked us up in the first place, but then we heard more about what the charity was and what the actual foundation was for, and that made us want to do it even more.”

Brannon Bollinger, a UNC alum who plays the baritone saxophone for the Boom Unit Brass Band, had similar notions.

“The Splinter Group, who is producing the show, had us play at their holiday party this past year, and Lane Wurster reached out to me and said, ‘We have this event coming up. It’s a great fundraiser for kids and young adults with cancer,’ and I said, ‘Absolutely! Sign us up,’” he said. “My wife actually works at Duke Hospital at the cancer center there, so I’m all about anything for kids with cancer. I didn’t even know about it until he approached me, and it’s a fantastic program and we are glad to be a part of it.”

Each band will have its own unique set and introduction.

“We have a mini-set of four songs that we always open with," Bollinger said. "The intro is always an original, and because we are a brass band and we kind of toe the line between a parade band and a stage band, we parade into the venue during our intro. We start our show off-stage and if at all possible, we work our way through the crowd.”

Nielsen said Drivin' N Cryin' doesn’t do a set list but always plays the audience’s favorite songs. 

“If you travel with us and see three of our shows, you will never see the same show,” he said.

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