THE AVETT BROTHERS & THE LOVE LANGUAGE TO HEADLINE 16-BAND BENEFIT FOR OLIVER GANT

On Friday, March 23, many of North Carolina’s best bands (and one of Virginia’s, too) will play three clubs in Downtown Raleigh to benefit Oliver Gant, a two-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer last February. Split between Kings, The Pour House and Tir na nOg, the bands—including The Avett Brothers, The Love Language, Annuals, Whatever Brains and The Old Ceremony—have all donated their talents to the cause. After superstars The Avett Brothers headline Kings for the first time in the better part of a decade, Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds will debut his new electronic project with DJ Jon Yu. The complete roster for Racing the Cure: A Benefit for Oliver Gant is below.

Tickets for the event are $25 and go on sale Wednesday, Feb. 8, at noon. One ticket allows the holder into all three clubs, capacity-permitting. The benefit was organized by Tir na nOg’s Chris Tamplin, The Pour House’s Eric Mullen, Independent Weekly/Hopscotch’s Grayson Currin, and Kings’ Paul Siler, with assistance from Capital Club 16, eTix and the Independent Weekly.

BANDS
Annuals, The Avett Brothers, Birds of Avalon, Filthybird, Gross Ghost, Hammer No More the Fingers, Hooking Up, Ivan Rosebud & Jon Yu, Jack the Radio, Lonnie Walker, The Love Language, The Old Ceremony, Patty Hurst Shifter, Schooner, Spider Bags, Whatever Brains

TICKETING
Tickets for Racing the Cure go on sale Wednesday, Feb. 8, at noon. Tickets are $25, with a $1 credit card-processing fee. eTix has generously waived all convenience charges on behalf of the benefit.
On the night of the show, each paper ticket can be redeemed for a wristband, beginning at 7 p.m. at the door of either Kings, The Pour House or Tir na nOg. The wristband allows the bearer to move from club to club, space permitting. As with Hopscotch Music Festival, each club has a limited capacity, and once that capacity is reached, entrance to each club works on a one-in, one-out basis. The number of wristbands sold is just less than the combined capacities of Kings, The Pour House
and Tir na nOg.

ABOUT OLIVER
Oliver Gant was diagnosed with a sacrococcygeal teratoma last February. After two surgeries and numerous rounds of chemotherapy, Oliver continues the fight against the disease. This benefit will not only offset some of the costs his parents, Jed and Stacy Gant, have taken on, but will also deliver funds to some of the organizations that have generously helped the family, including CaringBridge. All proceeds go directly to the Gant family and these organizations.


CHARITY AUCTION
At the benefit, there will also be a silent auction, with prizes including rare merchandise from several local bands, services and goods from local shops, and custom-made meals from some of the city’s best restaurants. Details on the auction are to come.