Photo Courtesy of Grant Golden
Spider Bags headlines night two of WKNC's Double Barrel Benefit on Feb. 4, 2012 at The Pour House Music Hall in Raleigh.
On Feb. 7 and 14 NC State’s student-run radio station WKNC will host its 11th annual Double Barrel Benefit concert series.
The concert series will feature eight different bands, including their headliners Spider Bags, who are back for their third year, and Eternal Summers. Spider Bags will be playing on the first night at the Lincoln Theatre, while Eternal Summers will play the second night at Cat’s Cradle. WKNC will release the full line up in the coming weeks on their website.
The fundraiser spans two Saturday nights and takes place at two different venues. The Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh will host the benefit Feb. 7, while Carrboro’s Cat’s Cradle will host Feb. 14.
“This is the first time in a while we’ve had a not necessarily local band. Like, Spider Bags is a big tent-pole triangle band, but Eternal Summers is from Virginia, but they still have sort of ties to the area,” said Program Director Walt Lilly, a senior studying communication with a media concentration.
Established in 2004, the benefit welcomes people of all ages to come support the station, which reaches the entire triangle in its broadcast range. The concert gives back to the community by providing music and showcasing both Raleigh-based and national acts.
John Kovalchik, a senior studying biological sciences and the WKNC general manager, said the foundation for the fundraiser remains prominent today.
“[Double Barrel] originally started for the exact same reason it exists [today], which is to raise money for the radio station in a concert format, which is kind of different than how a lot of other public radio stations raise their money,” Kovalchik said. “Most do the phone drive kind of thing, but WKNC opted for trying to do something a little more unique and fun, and something that we thought would appeal to our listeners.”
According to members of WKNC, the concert benefits more than just the performers and listeners.
“A majority of our budget comes from this event, which is going towards what little compensation that the people who are in charge here get for spending 10, 15, 20 hours a week here, for equipment that breaks, to pay for bands coming to play on campus, that kind of thing,” said Yvonne Chazal, the WKNC promotions director and a sophomore studying math and computer science.
Over the years, Double Barrel has evolved and is growing in importance for the station, according to Lilly. Last year Double Barrel raised more than $11,000 but when the benefit first started, it was hosted in a small venue and expected to raise fewer funds.
“Back then, we were probably thinking in hundreds of dollars, and now we’re thinking in thousands of dollars,” Kovalchik said.
The cost of attending is $12 each night if tickets are ordered in advance, $22 for both nights in advance, and $15 at the door for each night. Tickets can be found at the WKNC website. Doors open for each show at 8 p.m. and the concerts begin at 9 p.m.