BE LOUD! ’18 TO FEATURE MATTHEW SWEET, THE SEX POLICE AND MORE AUGUST 24–25 AT CAT’S CRADLE

The fifth annual concert supporting the underserved adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer population—and the unique position of the AYA Cancer Support Program director at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center—will take place August 24–25 at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, N.C. The concerts, featuring influential bands from the 1980s to today, will benefit the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, whose mission is to support adolescent and young adult cancer patients and their families at UNC Lineberger. The foundation honors the memory of Sophie Steiner, a Chapel Hill teenager who died of cancer in 2013, and was founded by her parents, Niklaus and Lucy Steiner.

Be Loud! ’18 will feature Matthew Sweet, The Right Profile and Surrender Human on Friday, August 24, and on Saturday, the Sex Police, Collapsis and Pre-Raphaelites will perform.

“It’s hard to believe how far we have come in 5 years,” said Lucy Steiner of the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation. “Our program is helping so many young people every day and is now a national model. None of this would be possible without the Be Loud! concerts and all the generous musicians who play them and loyal fans who show up each year.”

Friday headliner Matthew Sweet has been making incredible music since the early 80s when he was a member of Athens, GA bands Oh-OK, Buzz of Delight and Community Trolls (with REM’s Michael Stipe). Sweet released a string of critically acclaimed solo records in the 90s including Girlfriend, Altered Beast and 100% Fun and has a total of 21 releases to his name including the recently issued Tomorrow’s Daughter.  The Right Profile, featuring Jeffrey Dean Foster, Stephen Dubner, Tim Fleming and Jon Wurster, were one of NC’s most explosive bands in the 1980’s, featured on Welcome to Comboland and signed to a major label before disbanding in 1988. They are reuniting for Be Loud! ’18.  Surrender Human is a new trio from Chapel Hill with some very familiar faces including Matt McMichaels (Mayflies USA), Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) and Tony Stiglitz (Jett Rink).

Saturday night features the return of the Sex Police, one of Chapel Hill’s most notorious and beloved bands from the 1990’s. Featuring ex and future members of The Pressure Boys, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Notes From a Strange Mailbag and A Number of Things, Sex Police were known for their high-energy live show and three acclaimed records. Another band reuniting for Be Loud! ’18 is Collapsis, which arose out of the ashes of Dillon Fence and Queen Sarah Saturday and featured noted singer/songwriter Mike Garrigan. Their 2000 debut for Universal Records included the modern rock hit “Automatic”. Pre-Raphaelites are a new Raleigh band featuring Doug MacMillan and Peele Wimberley from The Connells and Daniel Chavis from The Veldt.

All proceeds from Be Loud! ’18 benefit the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation. The foundation has raised over 1.1 million dollars since its founding in 2014. It funds AYA Cancer Support Program director position at UNC Lineberger. The AYA program was founded to better serve the unique needs of people between the ages of 13 and 30 who are undergoing cancer treatment. For more information about the foundation, please visit www.BeLoudSophie.org.

Tickets are $40 for a weekend pass, $25 for Friday night only and $25 for Saturday night, and are available at www.beloudfestival.com,  www.catscradle.com or by calling the Cat’s Cradle box office at (919) 967-9053.