For the first time since the pandemic began, WKNC’s Double Barrel Benefit rocked downtown Raleigh, raising over $3,000 for NC State’s student-run radio station. The 18th edition of the benefit ran from March 11-12 for a quartet of performances each night.

Maddie Jennette, general manager of WKNC and a fourth-year studying computer engineering, said the benefit typically provides about 8% of WKNC’s revenue. Jennette said she started preparing for the benefit last October, settling on The Pour House as the venue before contacting artists, finalizing payments and creating promotional materials.

Jennette said she went to the 17th Double Barrel in February 2020 as a DJ, and that looking back on previous benefits helped her plan this one.

“I wanted to focus a lot more on non-men artists,” Jennette said. “I remember the Double Barrel show in 2020 had a lot of male artists — which was probably not intentional, sometimes they might have wanted to book a female artist but they weren’t available — but I really tried to focus on bringing a lot of like female and non-male talent to to the show, and I think I did a pretty good job with that.”

The event showcased diversity in gender, but also in musical style. Enlisted artists included Basura, a grindcore band, Permanent, an electronic artist, Elijah Rosario, an R&B artist, and NunAfterHours, a genre-bender who mixes rock and rap. 

An NC State alum, NunAfterHours said she was honored to be invited to perform. Her set, which came during the final day of the benefit, provided one of the more electric moments of the night as she performed “ROCK$TAR PU$$Y,” her favorite song to perform. After the concert, she said the energy and feedback from the crowd stood out. 

While the benefit was created to raise money for WKNC, it also provides a platform and opportunity for attendees to experience local acts they otherwise wouldn’t. Jennette said the Greensboro-based band Black Haüs drove over an hour to play during the benefit’s first evening and made a huge impression.

“All the [day one] artists were great, but Black Haüs really blew everyone away,” Jennette said. “I had multiple strangers in the crowd come up to me and say, ‘Great job getting them to play. They were amazing.’ I was like, ‘I know.’ Like, ‘They were so good.’ Everyone was dancing to their set and having so much fun.”

The largest group to perform at the benefit, Kenny Wavinson headed a five-person band which brought a different groove to the stage. Wavinson said the band’s booking happened somewhat by chance, as he reached out to WKNC to get some songs on the radio and Jennette had a spot she needed to fill for the benefit. 

With Preston Edwards on the drums, Logan Moss on keyboard, Warren Davis playing guitar and Holden Edwards playing bass, the ensemble provided a standout experience on the final day of the benefit — and it did so in its first performance as a group. Each member of the quintet said they fed off the energy of the crowd and their chemistry with each other, and that they look forward to future performances together.

“All I want to do is to be able to play music with my boys for a living,” Wavinson said. “That’s all I want. Whether it’s on a big level, small level, or whatever it is, two to three people, as long as I get to do it with them. I’m totally happy.”

With over 300 attendees across the two-day benefit, this year’s Double Barrel marked a smashing return of live music and was a reminder of the impact student radio creates.

“It just feels like very much a thing that you and your friends do, but you have to remember that the entire other part of it is the listeners, the base; there are people out there listening to us, too,” Jennette said. “In my mind, I pictured DBB just being a lot of my friends here. But looking out into the audience last night, it’s just a ton of people that I don’t know, which is crazy. It’s just always crazy to think that there are people who listen to us and will support our shows, who I don’t even know before. And so I’m just very grateful that people decided to come out for the show.”

Wavinson, Moss and NunAfterHours all have individual projects forthcoming. You can follow them at @kennywavinson, @moss_salad and @nunafterhours on Instagram.