Deejay mixes it up for ‘Stars’ fundraiser

It seems like anyone can be a deejay these days if you’ve got an iPod or access to a service like blip.fm or Pandora.

But KCRW’s Jason Bentley isn’t worried. The “Morning Becomes Eclectic� host thinks music fans still want to be surprised with something new.

“At a certain point it just feels like noise, you know?� he said, referring to the proliferation of DIY radio stations and iPod shuffles. “It doesn’t surprise you, it doesn’t give you fresh ideas, and that is the exciting part of the radio.�

Online music stations will just reinforce narrow tastes in music, restricting you from other genres, he said. While the computer-programmed lists suggest new music, will they turn you on to something completely unexpected?

Besides, most people don’t have the time needed to explore new music and want someone to suggest the next great band, he said.

“There is something magic about appreciating the new,� he said. “That’s the reason why we are a special radio station.�

Bentley will take his show on the road Wednesday night to South Coast Plaza for the “Stars of Santa Barbara� fundraiser for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

For $75 visitors can sample wine from 40 Santa Barbara wineries as well as food from 10 top Orange County restaurants while burning off the calories jamming to Bentley’s music.

For two decades South Coast Plaza has raised money for the food bank, but this year organizers were looking to do something special.

“We wanted to shake things up, so we are taking it outside under the stars in the Garden Terrace,� said Debra Gunn Downing, South Coast Plaza’s executive director of marketing.

Bentley was happy to help out. He considers all of Southern California KCRW’s backyard and he, of course, is prone to new ideas and trends. If most of terrestrial radio is “fast food,� then KCRW is gourmet cuisine, he said.

Plus, there’s one other benefit to making musical house calls for a public radio station — it helps when it’s time for a pledge drive.

If You Go

WHAT: Stars of Santa Barbara

WHO: DJ Jason Bentley

WHEN: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: South Coast Plaza’s Garden Terrace, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa

HOW MUCH: Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door. To purchase tickets online visit www.learnaboutwine.com or call (310) 451-7600.