It’s no surprise that The Pinhook and NorthStar Church of the Arts were among the first responders to the plight of local musicians and service workers as the COVID-19 crisis began, launching crowdfunding campaigns to take care of their staffs as well as the Durham Artist Relief Fund.

They also coordinated the most-impressive livestream we’ve seen so far in What the Hell-a-Thon on April 4. The telethon-style stream ran for almost ten hours and featured almost fifty local musicians, performing and just cutting up.

Rissi Palmer taught us how to make s’mores, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig from Daughter of Swords showed us how to find great river rocks, Phil Cook played gospel 45s, and Tift Merritt rolled down a hill of buttercups. Reportedly more than 2,000 people checked in and contributed $8,000.

These being two beloved community venues, the response among artists who wanted to help was so great that we’re getting What the Hell-a-Thon II, which begins at 4:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 16.

This edition features another blindingly bright roster of Triangle talent, including the legendary Des Ark, Laura Ballance of Superchunk and Merge Records, The Black Girl’s Guide to Menopause’s Omisade Burney-Scott, percussionist extraordinaire Joe Westerlund, and even a ringer from Brooklyn, the beloved Mirah.    

“WTH II promises to continue to expand on your favorite artist’s lesser-known mediums, defy conformity of genres, cross state lines (read: borders do not exist) and attempt to transmit a sense of community while we continue to gather in virtual spaces,” the presenters say. 

You can stream What the Hell-a-Thon II for free at The Pinhook or NorthStar website (RSVP on the Facebook invite for lineup and schedule updates).

But if you’re able, you should support the work these venues do—and make sure they’re still here for us when the world reopens—by donating to The Pinhook, to NorthStar, or the Durham Artist Relief Fund.

And while the WTH I T-shirts to benefit the fund are sold out, we’re hearing we’ll be seeing WTH II bandanas soon. Watch for it from Ambient Inks.

Contact arts and culture editor Brian Howe at [email protected]. 

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