Change is one way to define the 11th edition of WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit, an annual fundraiser put on by the N.C. State student radio station to help fund its operations for the upcoming year.
For the past 10 years, the benefit has taken place on two nights during one weekend in Raleigh.
This year, however, the event will take place on two Fridays, Feb. 7 and 14, at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro and the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh respectively.
WKNC general manager Bri Aab said this change was prompted by the station’s desire to showcase North Carolina bands at a venue outside of the station’s home in Raleigh.
“I’m really excited we get to go to Carrboro,” Aab said. “We do so much in Raleigh, so it’s nice to branch out.”
With eight local bands, including two Merge Records artists, The Love Language and Mount Moriah, as headliners, the benefit attempts to put up-and-coming local bands on the map.
Stuart McLamb, frontman of The Love Language, said he is excited about the changes to the event.
“It shows growth and progress for the station, it shows WKNC has a bigger audience,” he said.
The Love Language will headline tomorrow’s Cat’s Cradle show alongside Hammer No More The Fingers, T0W3RS and Ghostt Bllonde.
Aab said the organizers wanted to create two entirely different lineups for each night to reflect the event’s changes.
Night one will feature a more rock-heavy lineup, while night two leans in a folksier direction with the bands Mount Moriah, Bombadil, Loamlands and guitarist Daniel Bachman.
“We wanted to build a fully Americana kind of night for that bill,” Aab said.
Aab said that in addition to the change in venue, the station also made the decision to pay the performing bands for the first time.
“We opened sponsorships publicly and we made a ton of money,” Aab said. “We put that directly to the bands.”
“It felt lame to ask the bands to play for free. It felt great to be able to give the bands money,” she said.
WKNC’s operations manager John Kovalchik said that the station sought a specific formula for booking the bands.
“Pair small bands with big bands and they will get promotion,” Kovalchik said.
This “Field of Dreams”-inspired motto is the mission statement for the benefit each year, Kovalchik said.
“We think these small bands are the best of the best, and could potentially end up becoming these really large national acts,” Aab said.
Kovalchik said the changes to this year’s shows will have big implications on the amount of money the station can raise, as well as the number of people it can spread these great local bands to.
“It’s a market we don’t normally get to interact with, and that’s really exciting.”
diversions@dailytarheel.com
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